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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people contributed in significant ways to the Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies Demonstration Evaluation and the preparation of this report on the Building Nebraska Families (BNF) program. The authors are especially grateful for the time and insights of staff from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cooperative Extension (UNCE) and the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (NHHSS), who collaborated in operating BNF. The evaluation would not have been possible without their ongoing cooperation. Staff from both organizations helped us obtain the necessary data for our analyses and provided many thoughtful insights about the program and its operation.
In particular, we would like to extend our gratitude to UNCE and BNF administrators, educators, and other staff, including Marilyn Fox, Beth Birnstihl, Wanda Koszewski, Shirley Horstman, Carol Thayer, Janet Clark, Cheryl Fisher, Nancy Frecks, Sondra Germer, Celeste Heaivilin, Tonya Ingram, Lucinda Jensen, Debbie Kuenning, Judy Lorenzen, Shannon Marksbury, Jennifer Mayfield, Barb Micek, Deanna Peterson, Dina Rathje, Maurine Roller, and Ruth Vonderohe. Jodi Mackin also provided important assistance in obtaining data and information germane to our study of program costs.
Administrators and program staff from the state and regional NHHSS also made significant contributions to the research. We would like to extend our thanks to Dennis Ellis, Marv Kanne, Marian Angelo, Karen Parde, and Ann Linneman. We also much appreciate the involvement of the many NHHSS regional and local office managers and caseworkers who took time to meet with us and share their insights. In addition, Jim Maney from the state office provided important assistance in obtaining administrative records data for the impact analyses.
A profound thank you is also extended to the 602 members of the research sample— BNF program participants and control group members alike—the great majority of whom took the time to respond to the evaluation’s survey and, in some cases, also participated in focus groups. These individuals openly shared their experiences and described issues they faced in working and overcoming challenges. The experiences and opinions they shared greatly enhanced our understanding of the program and its rural context.
In addition, the authors would like to thank Michael Dubinsky, Karl Koerper, James Dolson, Naomi Goldstein, Nancye Campbell, Howard Rolston, and Peter Germanis at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, for continued support of the evaluation and helpful feedback on an earlier analysis of the findings.
Our subcontractor on this evaluation, Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR), played an important role. From DIR, Pam Wells and Eleanor Tongee provided leadership and management support to the field interviewing component of the follow-up survey. In addition, the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) informed the evaluation by providing useful information on rural issues and challenges and suggesting possible programs to include in the evaluation. Consultants Greg Duncan from Northwestern University and Bruce Weber from Oregon State University also provided formative feedback on the development of the survey instrument.
Many staff at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) played important roles in the completion of the evaluation and preparation of this report. Anne Gordon and Ken Fortson offered critical advice and comments on the report’s structure and content. In addition, Anu Rangarajan and Alan Hershey offered expert guidance and insights throughout much of the evaluation. Stuart Kerachsky also provided expertise and constructive insights during early phases of the evaluation. In addition, Justin Wheeler and Shannon Phillips provided valuable analysis and programming support. Brian Roff and Annalee Kelly played critical roles in managing the survey data collection processes, and Jackie Donath and Cindy Steenstra played important roles in supervising survey interviewing staff and performing other survey data collection tasks. A small corps of experienced MPR interviewers skillfully administered the survey. Likewise, an experienced group of field interviewers from DIR located sample members for the survey. In addition, Jason Markesich helped develop the focus group protocol and skillfully coordinated the recruitment of focus group participants. Linda Gentzik, Eric French, and Andrew Frost offered critical systems analysis and data programming support. Jeff Holt provided helpful graphics support. Finally, Patricia Ciaccio carefully edited the report, and Linda Heath, William Garrett, and Jane Nelson provided outstanding production support.
The authors gratefully acknowledge these many contributions and accept sole responsibility for any errors or omissions in this report. The views expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of the Administration for Children and Families or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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