Karen Winter-Nelson

The collection of resources on this site reflects my mission to enhance public engagement through carefully designed measurement and evaluation systems, and is informed by my current and prior work at the University of Illinois on a variety of engagement programs related to agriculture and natural resources, energy efficiency, and affordable housing.  My training in City Planning (MCP, UC Berkeley) shapes my emphases on integrating input and data from multiple sources; collaboration; and transparency.  At the University of Illinois, I have worked on programs and projects that provided data-driven analyses, programs, and services in the public interest in partnership with national, state, local, and nonprofit agencies, and have developed and managed monitoring and evaluation systems and developed capacity in evaluation, communication, and reporting for these programs

Currently, I am the Evaluation and Communication Specialist for the Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) program area within University of Illinois Extension, where I work to develop capacity in tracking systems, evaluation, and communications within the ANR portfolio of programs, with the mission of supporting the economic viability and environmental sustainability of natural and managed landscapes and productive lands in Illinois.  I have also served as Program Director and Assistant Director for Monitoring and Evaluation with the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC), an applied research program housed in the Department of Landscape Architecture with the mission to reduce the energy footprint of the State of Illinois and beyond.   In my work with SEDAC, I created robust data systems and procedures that effectively documented program impacts, supported proposals and marketing content, supported operations, and led to program improvement.  The views expressed here are my own and should not be considered positions of University of Illinois Extension. kwinter@illinois.edu

Sharon Irish (Community engagement resources)

Sharon Irish (Ph.D. Northwestern) is an historian with particular interest in community cultural development and urban spatial practices. In that vein, she has focused her research on two artists who base their practices in communities, Los Angeles-based Suzanne Lacy, and London-based Stephen Willats. Maintaining an active interest in the national consortium, Imagining America, Sharon worked with other faculty on campus to catalyze publicly-engaged scholarship. From 2007-2018, she worked in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois in various roles, primarily as a project coordinator. She holds a zero-time research affiliate appointment in the School of Information Sciences and serves as an advisory editor for the journal, Technology and Culture. She has authored three books and numerous articles. https://sharonirish.org
slirish@illinois.edu