TaShana Hooks and Megan Spurgeon prepare for their respective ROMA certification exams.
Two employees of the Cookeville-Putnam County office of Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) are now certified in Results-Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) for the Community Action Network.
Megan Spurgeon, Community Services Assistant Director, completed training to become a certified ROMA Trainer while TaShana Hooks, Community Services Manager, completed training to become a certified ROMA Implementer.
As a newly-certified ROMA Trainer, Spurgeon has demonstrated her understanding of the basic concepts related to Results-Oriented Management and Accountability, the ability to present these concepts in a training setting, and acceptance of the role of the ROMA Trainer in the national training network to promote the use of ROMA within UCHRA, the state of Tennessee, and throughout the country.
Meanwhile, as a ROMA Implementer, Hooks will be charged with providing information within UCHRA to further develop understanding throughout the agency related to what needs to be done to fully implement ROMA; demonstrating a deep understanding of the full ROMA Cycle.
“This is a huge accomplishment,” said LaNelle Godsey, Community Services Director. “I am very proud of both Megan and TaShana. In the state of Tennessee, there are less than 20 certified ROMA Trainers and Implementers. Megan and TaShana worked very hard and spent a lot of time preparing for their certification tests.”
ROMA incorporates the use of outcomes/results into the administration, management, operation, and evaluation of services, Godsey explains.
Created in 1994 by an ongoing task force of federal, state, and local community action officials ROMA provides a framework for continuous growth and improvement; being defined as a performance-based initiative designed to preserve the anti-poverty focus of community action and to promote effectiveness among state and local agencies receiving Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds.
The premise of ROMA is built on six national goals centered around families, communities, and agencies working together to help low-income people and vulnerable populations become more self-sufficient.
