OMG Center for Collaborative Learning
OMG Center for Collaborative Learning is an independent, nonprofit research and consulting organization based in Philadelphia. OMG Center works across the country for clients in the philanthropic, nonprofit, and government sectors. Since its establishment in 1988, OMG has been a leading force in philanthropic evaluation, strategy research and development, as well as capacity building. Committed to excellence in a changing environment, OMG continues to expand its services and refine its approach by applying new social science theories to innovative practices. OMG's diverse staff, fluent in English and Spanish, reflects a broad range of academic, professional, and personal expertise. Drawing on this strong talent, as well as a network of renowned consultants across the country, we design customized projects and methodologies to meet each client's unique needs.
Placement Mentor – Gertrude J. Spilka ("Gerri") is a founding director of OMG, and has over twenty-five years experience advising public and nonprofit organizations and national foundations on program development and evaluation, strategic planning, organizational restructuring and policy. The areas of her work include the arts, education reform, communications policy, community building and non-profit management. Much of her recent work has investigated effective policy and systems change efforts across various fields. During her tenure at OMG, Gerri has advised on program strategy and directed numerous evaluations. She holds a B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University; an M.A. in Community Psychology from Temple University; and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Recent Projects:
- Evaluations of the Ford Foundation's national Electronic Media Policy Portfolio, and of its Arts Education Initiative in eleven cities, both for the Knowledge, Creativity and Freedom Program.
- Advising The Philadelphia Foundation with its regional repositioning and with the development of a new grantmaking and evaluation strategy.
- Assisting the Heinz Endowments with the development of grantmaking program logic models for their Arts and Culture Program and their new interdisciplinary Civic Design Program.
- Conducting an evaluation of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's new Rural Policy Rural People Initiative that aims to build a rural policy infrastructure, and of its earlier pilot, Networks for Rural Policy Development, which increased policy know-how, networking, and strategic communications capacities in a Central Appalachian network of organizations and across a national group of associations to influence more effective rural economic development policy.
- Advising with the creation of a cluster and implementation strategy for the William Penn Foundation's Schuylkill River Watershed Restoration grantmaking.
- A multi-year national evaluation of the Lumina Foundation for Education's Program for College Access and Success in nine cities across the US.
Books/Publications:
- Design as a Catalyst for Learning
- Old Cities/Green Cities: Communities Transform Unmanaged Land
Placement Supervisor - Vivian Figueredo joined OMG in the spring of 2005 with a background in program development, implementation, and evaluation as well as in strategic planning and nonprofit capacity building. She has experience with a range of domestic and international issues, including community development, workforce development, primary education, and adult education and training. Vivian is currently part of OMG teams evaluating the Lumina Foundation's Partnership for College Access and Success, the Ford Foundation's Arts Education Initiative and Leadership for a Changing World Program, the Graustein Memorial Fund's Discovery Initiative, the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Children & Family Fellowship program, and the Doris Duke Foundation's Child Abuse Prevention program. Before joining OMG, Vivian was a program manager with St. Joseph's Carpenter Society, a community development corporation in Camden, New Jersey. In this position, she designed and implemented a new education program - Safe & Healthy Homes - to help low-income families improve their home environments. While at the Carpenter Society, Vivian also led the board & staff in drafting the organization's strategic plan. Prior to her work in Camden, Vivian spent three years at Cáritas del Perú, a large Peruvian nonprofit organization, where she led the organization's internal capacity building activities. At Cáritas, she also ran a workforce development program for low-literacy adults living in areas of extreme poverty. Vivian holds a Master's in Public Affairs from Princeton University and a B.A. in History from Tulane University.
