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About Us

CURATE • COMMUNICATE • CATALYZE • CONNECT

Achieving Community Targets Rochester (ACT Rochester) is a data initiative of Rochester Area Community Foundation that uses community indicators, research expertise, and narrative to improve the culture of decision-making and establish a more equitable, inclusive, and vital Rochester region.

 

CURATE Knowledge & Information CATALYZE Improvement in the Culture of Decision-Making
COMMUNICATE Data in Context CONNECT People and Research for Action
A community indicators program of Rochester Area Community Foundation, ACT Rochester provides an objective assessment of the area's nine-county region's performance on key indicators of well-being. The robust website creates a "one stop shop" for data and analysis, over 100 indicators, as well as links to more than 300 community initiatives and resources. Center for Governmental Research conducts the research and analysis provided on the site. More than 200 local organizations and many individuals provided input and guidance into the design of ACT Rochester. 
 
ACT Rochester is more than a warehouse for data. Staff is engaged in local initiatives to encourage the development of goals, targets and accountability so that our community can better identify and measure progress.
 
Email ACT at ACTRochester@racf.org
Reach ACT by phone: (585) 341-4358
 

Staff

Megan Norris, PhD, Executive Director

Megan Norris

A Rochester native, Meg has recently returned after completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at Brown University. Her studies at Brown focused on social inequality, social capital, and the intersection of schools, families, and neighborhoods and incorporated a variety of research methods (quantitative and qualitative) and national datasets (ECLS-K, Common Core, US Census, SEDA).


Before attending Brown, Meg earned a Master’s degree from the University of Rochester Warner School of Education in Educational Policy where she did her thesis project analyzing the district's role in parent engagement in the Rochester City School District. After graduation, Meg worked on the New York State’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program in the Rochester region. She then worked in Chicago at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) on a range of projects with state education agencies in the Midwest, the Gates Foundation, and several other non-profit organizations. While working on her dissertation, Meg worked as a research assistant with the policy department at Opportunity Insights and as a research consultant at the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, supporting the development and execution of their grant strategy with research and evaluation support.

Email Meg

 

Advisory Committee

Members of the ACT Rochester advisory committee appointed by Rochester Area Community Foundation to guide and oversee this initiative include:

  • Tom Argust - Chair, Retired Commissioner of Community Development, City of Rochester
  • Hanif Abdul-Wahid - Retired Community Liaison for Neighborhood Initiatives, Monroe County Department of Planning & Development
  • Tom Gillett - retired Regional Staff Director, New York State United Teachers
  • Simeon Banister - President and CEO, Rochester Area Community Foundation
  • Erin Budd Barry - Vice President, Community Programs, Rochester Area Community Foundation
  • Margaret Sánchez - Principal, Sánchez & Associates
  • Joe Stefko - CEO, ROC2025
  • Sharon Stiller, Esq. - Attorney, Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone

 Photo courtesy of Adrian DeJesus Photography





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