Dear NILP Board Members,
As concerned taxpayers and advocates for people with disabilities we have a moral obligation to point out issues of concern about NILP.
We would like to bring to your attention the fact that the Executive Director of the Northeast Independent Living Program, inc. is using federal and state resources and funding for her own personal business as an adjunct professor, although, this may not be illegal it is highly unethical. As a board member each of you has a personal responsibility to ensure legal and ethical integrity. The board is ultimately responsible for adherence to legal standards and ethical norms. Do you know that the ED is using her NILP email and phone number as her contact information for her classes? If not, why do you not know and do you approve of the agency’s resources being used in this manner? This is a serious misuse of NILP’s staff, resources and funding and should be addressed immediately.
The Executive Director should be concentrating and performing the job duty’s she was hired to do and not using NILP resources, and funding for her own personal gain. We are asking that the Board of Directors address this issue as soon as possible and that the same be placed into her personal file.
There is an agency bus that has been sitting in the parking lot for many months sitting idle and not being used because the current van driver does not want to get his CDL license. We ask you then why is he still employed at NILP? This vehicle was purchased so that participants and the general public could have access to transportation. The Board of Director’s needs to be asking for accountability in matters that may potentially harm this organization! These vehicles are provided thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Office of Transportation under the Mobility Assistance Program (MAP) under Chapter 33 of the Acts of 1991 and Section 5310 of the Federal Transit Act, as amended. Additionally, the Stevens Foundation, of North Andover generously provided them with the required 20% match. What would the Office of Transportation and the Stevens Foundation think about the bus sitting in a parking lot and not being used?
Program Eval & Assessment 6230 Graduate Lecturer: June Cowen
Program Evaluation and Assessment EDU 6230
Spring 2010 Syllabus
Course Schedule: Boston Campus
Start Date: Tuesday evenings from 5:50pm- 8:00pm
Beginning the week of April 12, 2010 – May 17, 2010
Six week Blended Learning Course
Location: Boston Campus
Instructor: June Cowen, B.S Ed, M.S. M.
Contact Info: jcowen@nilp.org
978-687-4288 ext.139
Required Text: Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels (3rd Edition, Donald Kirkpatrick
Course Description Program evaluation and assessment is critical to quality assurance and continuous improvement. In this course, students will learn how to establish goals based on measurable outcomes and how to set benchmarks for performance measurement. Mechanisms that demonstrate value added are also important to organizations that sponsor training and development efforts. Students will learn how to demonstrate the impact of a program on an organization's bottom line. In addition, issues related to accreditation and other academic program reviews will be examined.
Course Learning Objectives:
Upon Completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Define Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation.
2. Demonstrate how to write training and education goals based upon measurable outcomes.
3. Define performance management, Key performance Indicators (KPI) and ROI as it relates to
organizational learning outcomes.
4. Compare and Contrast benchmarks and benchmarking steps in organizational learning and
higher education environments.
5. Define the impact of sociolinguistic cultural differences into program evaluation efficacy.
6. Design a program evaluation tool for use in an organizational learning context or higher education environment.
7. Build and present a lesson or seminar that will serve as a capstone to integrate your own personal learning journey about assessment and program evaluation.
Teaching Strategies, Lectures, Student Presentations, Case Studies, Peer
Mentoring, Course Requirements, Assigned Readings, Current Events/articles- Abstracts & Presentations
45 comments:
I think we should be pleased that we now have an IL director in MA who has this level of expertise in the field of program evaluation. When the federal government evaluated IL's, we flunked. I hope her expertise will serve all of us in the matter of effectively setting measurable outcomes so that IL's can grow and qualify for more effective funding sources.
the ILC's did not flunk. The feds have been working on outcomes and measurements for several years. Luckily an IlC in metrowest is working on just such a project and guess what, the ILC director has a disability and a strong committment to IL phillosophy and consumer control. the fact that nilp's director supposedly has evaluation experience means nothing. she has systematically decimated the consumer control and cares nothing about the participant services. she has plummetted nilp into a state of fiscal irresponsibility by not maintaining a balanced budget. in the history of nilp it has never operated in the negative. well it is now under the current direction and staff are leaving because of poor fiscal management, staff dissatisfaction with management and unfavorable working conditions. the true il philosophy at nilp is dead. since she took reign eleven out of a staff under thirty employees have left. this screams of a center in trouble fiscally, idealogically and spiritually. the people she promoted have no management or team building skills and operate the center dictatorship style. how does this help staff learn about a healthy working environment? it doesn't! The smoke and mirrors will only last so long before she is held accoutable. lets look at how things have changed :
she blew through over $300,000 surplus left by former management as back up, is currently under a CAP with primary funder for lack of fiscal accountability, staff turnover has increased dramatically, program cuts and on and on. BOD wake up and take control back and put PARTICIPANTS first! She will bleed the agency dry and leave it in shambles. there is no other ILC director in the state making $102,000. This is obscene and needs to stop. There are no new programs she has brought in and in fact she has done away with working with epic theater for the youth because they have no money. programs are suffering and being set back because of nilp's lack of foresight and philosophy. a bus received from DOT is sitting in the parking lot because the driver does not want to get his cdl license, this is an outrage! is insurance being paid on this vehicle? she uses nilp resources as her contact information for a totally unrelated class she teaches, this is ethically wrong. The Executive Director acts as if nilp is her own personal playground and this is morally wrong. NILP is a member run organization and belongs to the people with disabilities who receive services not a dictator and her henchmen and women.
Could it be that the $300,000 left by former management really wasn't free and clear? Were there big ticket items that had to be paid for? Grants have specific guidelines and timelines that require monies be spent or sent back. Maybe the previous people left such a mess behind that she is having to clean it up. Nobody really knows what kind of problems the ED inherited. It's unfortunate that so much time and energy has been spent fighting this. Enough already!!! I say lets all find something positive to spend our energy on and work together to help the people who need it.
Since you keep coming back to read the comments you must be nervous that what is being said is the truth! the big ticket items you speak about were negotiated under a contract and paid for out of that contract. therefore the unrestricted funds were not needed. so what were they spent on? a new driver/maintenace person who is a personal friend of the EDs, consultant and attorney fees, exorbitant and unjustified pay raises, and on and on. the new administration cannot continue to justify the fiscal and spiritual bankruptcy of NILP by blaming others. look up any management 101 and see how that works. its now coming up on two years thats a long time to blame others. the fact of the matter is that the new administration does not support true il philososphy and as such will never be able to provide true peer support and services. the primary NILP nurse who does Pca evals was forced to leave after 10 years because nilp wanted to cut her salary. what kind of management is this? the pca consumers should be outraged at this. a nurse they know and trust to have the il philosophy is gone. who will replace her and will they have a rehab background or will it be another one of the EDs friends who is clinical and does not support consumer control? effective management would find other ways to balance the budget instead of going after the heart of the pca program. maybe the ED and her hench people should take pay cuts. maybe the development director should actually do some work instead of applying for the same old pocket change grants. the agency cannot continue to operate in the negative because it ultimately affects consumers. stop listeninng to the lies, open your eyes and start asking the tough questions. stop blaming others and take steps to rectify the situation. no one but the ED and BOD are responsible for the current state of affairs of NILP.
Get the facts straight it was more than $300.000 you have no idea what you are taking about and you should do some research before posting on here.
The $300.000 PLUS was a rainy day fund, which by the way would have never been required to be turned back in. We keep hearing about the past administration, well to educate you and others a little more these funds were put into place by the past administration for a few reasons. One major reason was to prevent lay-offs (not like this administration) this so called administration to date had to get rid of dedicated, hard working people with disabilities to balance her budget and keep her pocket and the pockets of her loyal staff full. Boy did this backfire on her even tho she will not admit it.
The funds were also used for emergencies (like what is needed now) maybe they should have a fund raising person that could at least raise his own salary.
The BOD needs to evaluate what has taken place since this ED was hired and ask them self is NILP any better off with this ED and then ask them self what happened to a once organized well run Independent Living Center.
It's been said time and time again and will continue to be said until the first shovel full of dirt is thrown upon me. IT IS TIME FOR SOMEONE ON THIS BOD TO COME FORWARD AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS AND MOVES TO RESTORE A DYING IL CENTER.
What the Hell now she is profiting off NILP doing her other Job while on the NILP clock.....Are you Kidding
Get her the Hell out of there..
well she is sytematically dismantling the IL philososphy. take note BODs, now there are no nurses in the PCA program. who will she hire to do the evals and will you make sure that it is a nurse who values consumer control? get your heads out of your asses and hold her accountable! several of you use the PcA program, what happens when she says she wants to get rid of the program because it brings no money in? it has never been a money maker but because of the commitment to consumers the old NILP knew how vital the program is and safeguarded it at all cost. keep an eye on this program.
My guess is she will do what she claims to be good at and get one of her friends with a medical background and no IL philosophy (like herself) to do the PCA eval's, in NILP friends come first.
Now would be a good time to alert the Division of Medical Services and all NILP participants. As everything else on this blog the truth must come out. Why did the nurse leave? What I am hearing is that the ED was asking her to take a reduction in her pay and that she would no longer be reimbursed any travel money.
She was very generous with money when she hired an interpreter (again a friend of hers) for the youth program at $27.00 per hour the first year and then the second year because a spanish interpreter was not needed she went ahead and hired the same person again for $27.00 per hour and called her a helper.
She was very generous with the rainy day funds that were put aside by the past administration for emergency purposes to balance out her outrageous salary and to balance out the outrageous increases she gave to her so called loyal employees.
The nurse who everyone knew and liked for 10 years was not making as much money as she is paying her friends (Van driver/maintance man) and loyal workers. The BOD must step forward and start asking question as to why she is making these foolish moves.
She is not a very good manager, executive director or supervisor and should have the decency and step down now and give Independent Living back to people with disabilities.
She is raping the system, sitting back and enjoying it and no one gives a damn.
MCB lost $61,000 primarily in its Voc Rehab account. MRC picked up $490,000 with $352,000 in Homemaker services and $163,000 in Employment Assistance. MCDHH had a small increase of $65,000, not enough to fill a hot glass given the barrels they have lost in recent years.
They should give the $163.000 to this place after all she know how to help people with disabilities in employment. Look at her numbers in the past year and 1/2. Hale can help her find employment for the people that were not loyal to her.
Is anyone going to post the professionalism going on in the with certain people (AD). I would like to hear more about the time off request paper airplane.
OH MY GOD this is the posting for the new Nurse.
Knowledge of Issues concerning people with disabilities.
What the F***
Someone explain the ISSUES that we need to be concerned about.
I can’t believe this.
Get her the Hell out of there.
Job Title: Per Diem R. N.
Job Function: The Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP), a community based, non-profit organization that has been providing services to people with disabilities for 30 years, is looking for a Per Diem R.N. to conduct clinical evaluations/ assessments for people with disabilities applying to (or already in) the Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Program.
The ideal candidate with have a background in rehabilitation, excellent written and verbal communication skills, excellent time management and service coordination skills and be able to work independently and as a member of a team.
Experience working with and/or knowledge of issues concerning people with disabilities a plus.
Proficiency in English and Spanish is highly desirable.
There is alot of issues going on in there. She wanted to reduce the nurses pay and no longer pay her travel expenses. My guess is she did not fit in with this ED and my bet is that she was not LOYAL to her. The nurse was there for ten years never complained or have anything negative to say about anyone or anything, there was NO reason for this nurse to be treated with such disrespect. No one should be treated the way the ED and her loyal staff treat people.
I believe there is somewhere around 13 less people at this agency. Not one of them deserved what they got from this administration.
The bottom line is and has been stated more than once on here is that this is the only way she and her so called loyal staff could be funded. Without getting rid of hard dedicated working employees this agency and her high salary could never exist.
I noticed that there is no more PCA evaluations now you will be getting a clinical evaluation. Has her loyal staff not taught her anything yet, maybe Hale should do some trainings there for her and others.
Was she stuffing her 102 thousand down in her purse when she told the Nurse that she was cutting her pay?
OMG... People need to get out into the real world and see what non-profit ED's or CEO's get paid. Unless some of these posts are being made by employees or former employees of NILP how does anyone really know the true reasons why some people were let go. I find it hard to believe that every person who left NILP was forced out. I also find it hard to believe that people who were asked to leave were dedicated employees, doing their job to the best of their ability.I am saddened by the comments made here. You know, we want to be treated and respected as a person first, having a disability second. After reading some of these comments I am embarressed to be associated with some of these people. We are all aware that the BOD and staff are 51% disabled. Why are we attacking ourselves?
You find it hard to believe that an employee of 25 years, one for 16 year, one of 10+ years were not dedicated Employees.
WOW....
The Facts are:
1. The ED is the highest paid Ed of an IL center in Massachusetts.
2. The new driver is a friend of the ED.
3. He was unemployed and the ED so kindly gave him the driver’s job while he was out due to his disability.
3. The Drive has been at NILP for over a year and “doesn’t want to get his CDL license”
4. The Driver position was not posted and he does not have a disability, except the fact that he does not have a CDL license.
5. The Bus has sat in the parking lot for over a year.
6. Since the EDs hire NILP has had 3 accountants. The current account does not have a disability.
7. Corrective actions have been on contracts.
8. Loss of donations
9. Complaints of discrimination and law suits filed.
10. 13 Employees have left due to the working conditions.
11. NILP is operation in the RED and has never operated in the RED.
13. Board President stepping down after many years.
14. Board member resigning.
15. ED Using NILP as the contact for her other Job which only means she is doing her other job on NILPS clock.
OMG
Anonymous you need to get out into the real world and you will see that 102Thousand for an ED of a non-profit of about 30 Employees is quite high
I knew things were bad with the hiring of the new ED but not this bad. Let me recap,her overblown salary of 102,000 is just beyond criminal, she gives herself a raise without having to earn it, hiring friends with zero qualifications, robbing the emergency fund and giving to her friends is the same as stealing, fires dependable hard working staff, others quit, board members quitting, loss of contracts and donations, both nurses resigned because of severe pay cuts/traveling expenses, lawsuits, a bus and driver that has been worthless for a year, discrimination and a host of other problems. So where does that leave me the next time my pca eval comes up? Will i be canned from the program so that the ED can get her nails done in barbados?
Seriously, this ED and the BOD sucks, they have undone in a year what was a strong agency for 3 decades. The people in charge are screwing the little guy again, sadly, that's the american way.
This ED only cares about lining her and her friends pockets and running the program into the ground.
Sincerely,
Kicked in the teeth again.
After doing alot of reading I have a few questions.
Is Hale still working for MRC, and is he still on the BOD. I read where he had stepped down as chairperson. Is he still sitting on the board?
Why are people that do not qualify for a position given a promotions. Why are salary increases given out to people that do little to no work at all, and the people that are doing the work are being refused a pay increase.
Why don't she take a reduction in her pay and reduce the salary of some of her unqualified workers and spread it amongst the people that do the real work.
Two years ago the people voted for a number of people to be on the board, what ever happened to
them? Only one appointment has been made in the last two years. This only goes to prove that members of NILP are being tossed aside and by-laws need to be revised.
They keep saying thirty years, when they should be saying the last two years. She had nothing to do with the last 28 years years and from what I am reading she had run down a well run independent living
center. It is nothing like it was the last 28 years.
To bad this had to happen to one of the best IL centers in the state.
I support everything you are doing and my name, address and phone number is in your g-mail account. Keep up the good work you are doing for people with disabilities.
Has anyone noticed on the ADA flyer that NILP is NOT a host, partner, sponsor or contributor. This has never happened in the past 28 years with the past administration. NILP was always on the front lines to make sure they were there for you. This is another example of what she and her loyal, laid back staff are doing to advocate for people with disabilities.
They documentation system is full of lies. Contract mangers need to get back-up documentation for the false units. People work overtime to enter data. Stop the abuse.
Are people being paid for this overtime ?
Today’s news says "Anniversary of ADA brings presidential order to hire more disabled workers” This would not be such a big problem if they got rid of the people causing the problem. People stop and think what she has done to the help the cause. The advocates throughout the state should bond together and work to help fight the cause.
I am going to send this blog to the Governor’s office and although he won’t read it i think the President should also get a copy.
I ask people with disabilities to join in with me and do the same. You are going backwards further now more than you have in the last 10 years.
The ED of NILP should not be allowed to walk the grounds of an ADA Celebration.She is nothing but one big phoney.
As I read this blog, Its really sad that this has gone on for so long and all the damage that has been done to Nilp.
WOW
I see that ED brought back her $27.00 an hour summer friend....
She cut the nurses pay but can afford her $27.00 an hour summer friend.
It has come down to using less utilities. Does she really think she is going to balance the budget this way. She tried to justify her salary and her loyal players salaries and now she is feeling the impact. How come she wanted to reduce the nurse"s pay or did she just want her out like the rest of the workers (people with disabilities) to balance the budget. She should start looking at some of her loyal staff who do nothing and reduce their hours and start putting that money into more services.
How many centers can afford to bring their CFO to outside events?
Oh No I missed the blog meeting where they voted to take me off!!!!! Talk about discrimination!!!
Maryann the Bookkeeper
23 years and counting
I've been in a nursing home for the last one year eight months and three days. I got out on 9/11 of all days. Anyway, I almost puked last night; I was going through the channels and saw NILP's development guy pimping a board member with a disability. It was actually funny except that it's true. They were pushing NILP's 30th anniversary. How f**cked up is that? I say we show up for the dog and pony show and block the entrance. Bring a sign protesting this injustice. Never give up!
Sorry to hear that you were in a nursing home for that amount of time. It’s really sad that there is not an advocacy agency around the Merrimack Valley to assist you in getting out of there alot sooner. If you or anyone else you know of that wants out of a nursing home I would suggest they call Boston Center For Independent Living (BCIL) at 1.617.338.6665 or TTY 617.338.6662 and demand that they (BCIL) provide the services you need. It’s called consumer choice, and services there are the best in the state. The mission and goals of this advocacy group will continue to do what is best for people with disabilities. In the past three years people with disabilities in this service area have taken 4 steps backwards. It cannot continue we have come to far to be destroyed like this.
Is the blog discriminating against positive comments? According to a 23 year employee it is. I'm beginning to believe that this blog is just a personal vindetta. I hope people are beginning to realize that. I sure am. What a shame that people don't have better things to do.
Sad comment. You obviously don’t have a disability and you don’t care what is happening within the Independent Living movement. From reading your comment you should be careful where you get your information from. If I was you I would start over reading this blog and then give it some thought. I hate to be repetitive but let me see if I can enlighten you a little. How many good people with disabilities were removed from their position because of he own greed and enjoyment. How many positions could be filled using the overpay she is receiving, the waste of increases to her loyal employees. Give this some serious thought 12 employees gone and maybe 3 to 4 new full time employees could be hired if she was any kind of a manager. Use you own head we know you are a little smarter than them.
You may be the one that needs enlightening.Please DON'T tell me that I don't have a disability. I may not be "disabled" enough for you but my disability check tells a different story. Is there some contest going as to what is a disability and who has the worst disability for the longest amount of time? When I first read this blog, I thought it would be a good resource. I thought I would be able to get some tips from people who are living in my world. After reading all the trash talk on it, I am not only dealing with living with my disability but also with the embarassment over the attitude of some of my peers. So, yes I do have a disability (Do you??) and yes, I have had to use the services of NILP and have been very satisfied!!!!
I prey that this well educated ED watched 60 minutes Sunday night, it would have given her an idea what she has done to people with disabilities. The bottom line is and is very clear that she does not really care what people with disabilities have to face everyday, she is only in it for the money. Not the people.
Don't have a HD TV so I didn't see it. I didn't get an invite to the ass kissin festival either but thats ok because the thought creeps me out. Reserved for psychopaths, hypocrits, and other leeches. And then the poor bastards that have no idea that their just pawns in this disgusting charade....and annonymous, if you think this about how disabled you are I have an idea--donate your check as a thank you and get on the board.
They say vote NO on 1,2and 3 so there are funds for people with disabilities.
Does this IL Center look like there is a shortage of funds. Sorry others have to lose because of one bad egg.
She tells one hell of a story about this blog, I think she should post he response on here. By the way you advocates are called cowards. Keep up the good work.
Signed, A person with a disability who cared about the movement.
How come Hale is still working for MRC?
Uncle Tom Hale has a duty to serve the master at any cost.
This place is a major waste of taxpayers dollars. I hope the Governor got a url for this blog.
Has the B.O.D ever bothered to check her e-mail ...if they did they would find out that this blog only post the truth….. Is the B.O.D afraid of her like her loyal staff? Board members need to check the last year’s of e mails… She has done it to staff there and she is not god and deserves the same treatment she gives everyone else. Do something before it is to late.
http://ufr.osd.state.ma.us/WebAccess/DocumentResults.asp?ContractorID=042701631&SeqNo=1&Count=2&FilingYear=2010&nOrgpage=1&sFEIN=&Name=&Year=2010
This is funny…THEY want more qualification’s then when she was hired. I bet it about one quarter of HER pay. Who is the team?
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), email, Google, Mapquest
Ability to use office technology-voicemail, fax, copy machine
At least three years paid experience in the human services field or personal experience with a disability
Strong interpersonal, communication, computer, organizational and writing skills
Knowledge of and sensitivity to issues concerning IL philosophy
Must have reliable transportation
Ability to prioritize workload, multi-task, meet deadlines required
Ability to work well independently or as part of a team
Bilingual Spanish (written and spoken) a plus
signed the coward
I heard today that her husband was out of work for two years and she kept the same PCA hours as if he was working. She never reported this to NILP or the Department of Medical Assistance.
Why is she not in jail or at least paying back what she had=s stolen from the taxpayers????
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