City Partnering with VCU’s Wilder School for Performance Review

Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced VCU’s Wilder School will be assisting with the comprehensive performance review of all agencies in City Hall, which the mayor cited as his top priority among the initiatives of his first 100 days.

Mayor Stoney said, “The City is partnering with the results-inducing Performance Management Group (PMG) and Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to help us fulfill the promise I made during my campaign to bring accountability to our local government.”

Dr. James M. Burke, the director of PMG who specializes in organizational development and improving effectiveness in the workplace, will now lead the performance review with PMG and CURA. The review will continue in three phases, which include a review of previous audit reports, extensive interviews with City personnel and delivery of important recommendations that will be implemented to achieve the mayor’s objective of building a City Hall that works, and works together. “We are excited by the commitment of the City’s leadership to improving City operations and services to the public; and we are delighted to be engaged in this process,” said Dr. Burke.

Both PMG and CURA are part of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, and each have a wide range of consultation successes in assisting governmental organizations in transforming workflows and work cultures, implementing best practices and bringing about a renewed dedication and commitment among public employees to customer and public service.

The Stoney administration and VCU have also secured additional assistance with this review from numerous Richmond stakeholders, including Dr. John Accordino and Greg Wingfield from VCU's Wilder School; Robert Dortch from Robins Foundation; Dr. Bill Murray from Dominion; former Dominion Director of Corporate Philanthropy and Community Partnerships, Iris Holliday; Jim Kresge and George Ruzek from Capital One; Andrea Archer, Teri Miles, Charlie Agee and Michael Walton from Altria; Casey Lucier from McGuireWoods; former Brink’s CFO, Joe Dziedzic; local business woman Teresa Caviness; and Brian Jackson from Hirschler Fleischer and Chair of Venture Richmond, among others.

Altria Group and Dominion Resources are also contributing financially, by providing $50,000 each to match the City’s cost to fund this initiative. “We can’t do it all alone,” added the mayor, “I am grateful for the support we’re receiving to help get this completed.”