THE CAPSTONE PROGRAM2012-2013

Project Summaries

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

ROBERT F. WAGNER GRADUATE SCHOOL

OF PUBLIC SERVICE

© NYU Wagner 2013

A University Resource

The Capstone Program was originally funded with a generous grant from the FordFoundation. Since 1995, more than 4,500 students have participated in nearly1,000 projects for more than 700 organizations. Their work has enabled clients toanalyze complex issues, make tough decisions, identify new opportunities, andadvance their missions. Through careful oversight and guidance, the programhas become a valuable service that NYU Wagner proudly offers to the city, theregion, and the world.

Capstone Sponsorship

Thank you to FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds for its financial support ofthis year’s Capstone program.

Become a Capstone Client

Agencies wishing to explore the possibility of entering into a Capstone partner-ship with NYU Wagner, please go to wagner.nyu.edu/capstone for more information.

Table of ContentsCapstone is Learning in Action viii

Advanced Projects in PNP Management 1Bridge Street Development Corporation, Quincy Senior Residence 1

Mississippi Center For Justice 1

Sunnyside Community Services 2

Advanced Projects in PNP Management 2Break Away: The Alternative Break Connection 2

Jewish Communal Fund 3

Opening Act 3

Advanced Projects in PNP Management 4Bronx Council on the Arts 4

Career Gear 4

Footsteps 5

LatinoJustice PRLDEF 5

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty 6

Repair the World 6

Advanced Projects in PNP Policy 7Citizens Union 7

Community Voices Heard 7

Literacy Assistance Center 8

Advanced Projects in PNP Policy and Management 8Agora Partnerships 8

Mount St. Mary College, Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, and the City of Newburgh, New York 9

New York City Administration for Children's Services 9

New York City Human Resources Administration 10

Advanced Projects in PNP Policy and Management 10The 52nd Street Project 10

New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence 11

Sauti Yetu Center for African Women 11

Times Square Alliance 12

Advanced Projects in PNP Policy and Management: Governing with Technology 12Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 12

Delaware Department of State Division of Corporations and UK Companies House 13

World Bank - Procurement 13

Advanced Projects in PNP Finance and Policy 14Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project 14

New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations 14

Washington, D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education 15

Advanced Projects in PNP Management and Finance 16Catholic Big Sisters and Big Brothers 16

Child Mind Institute 16

Housing Works Thrift Shops 17

Advanced Projects in Health Policy and Management 17Bronx Community Health Network - Emergency Department 17

Bronx Community Health Network - Strategic Planning 18

Mercy Home for Children 18

New York Civil Liberties Union 19

NYU-HHC Clinical and Translational Science Institute 19

United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 20

Advanced Projects in Health Services Management and Finance 20FEGS 20

Maimonides Medical Center 21

NYCRx 21

Palladia 22

Transitional Services for New York 22

William F. Ryan Community Health Center 23

Advanced Projects in Urban Planning 23Enterprise Community Partners 23

Made in Lower East Side 24

McCormack Baron Salazar 24

South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation 25

Advanced Projects in Urban Planning 25Institute for Rational Urban Mobility 25

New York City Department of Transportation 26

Rockaway Waterfront Alliance 26

Vision Long Island 27

Advanced International Projects 27Lincoln Institute of Land Policy 27

Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa 28

National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development 28

United Cities and Local Governments 28

United Nations Capital Development Fund 29

World Bank - East Asia and Pacific 29

World Bank and National Council for Education Development 30

Advanced International Projects 31Academy of Responsible Management 31

East Meets West Foundation 31

Foundation Rwanda 32

Global Goods Partners 32

Local Government Unit of Libon, Albay Province, Philippines 33

World Connect 33

Advanced International Projects 34Amend 34

Counterpart International 34

Planned Parenthood Global 35

Scholars at Risk Network 35

United Methodist Committee on Relief 36

United Nations Development Programme 36

Advanced Projects in Qualitative Research Methods: Studies on International Migration 37World Bank - Labour Mobility 37

Advanced Projects for Nurse Managers 38Hospital for Special Surgery 38

New York-Presbyterian Hospital - Improving Discharge Efficiency 38

New York-Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell Dialysis/Apheresis Unit 39

Applied Research in Public Finance and Policy 39Drug Abuse and Enforcement: Impact of Regulatory Controls on Prescription Drug Abuse 39

The Effect of New Immigrant High Schools on Immigrant Students’ Academic and

Social Performance: Causal Evidence from New York City Public High Schools 40

An Evaluation of New York City’s Stop, Question, and Frisk Policy 40

Federal Student Aid and Loan Default Rates at Postsecondary Institutions 41

The Influence of Micro Food-Environments on Food Consumption and BMI Outcomes 41

Faculty and Directors 42

Index 43

Capstone is Learning in ActionCapstone, in architecture, is the crowning piece of an arch, the center stone thatholds the arch together, giving it shape and strength. Wagner’s Capstone pro-gram plays a similar role, by providing students with a centerpiece of their grad-uate experience whereby they are able to experience first-hand turning thetheory of their studies into practice under the guidance of an experienced facultymember. Projects require students to get up-to-speed quickly on a specific con-tent or issue area; enhance key process skills including project management andteamwork; and develop competency in gathering, analyzing, and reporting outon data. Capstone requires students to interweave their learning in all theseareas, and to do so in real time, in an unpredictable, complex, real-world envi-ronment.

As part of the core curriculum of the NYU Wagner Masters program, Capstoneteams spend an academic year addressing challenges and identifying opportuni-ties for a client organization or conducting research on a pressing social ques-tion. The summaries in this booklet represent the culmination of this year’s 80projects.

“We are immensely proud of the work our students havedone, grateful to the faculty who have taught and guided

them, and appreciative of our clients’ trust in us.”

–Dean Ellen Schall, NYU Wagner

PROJECT SUMMARIES

Advanced Projects in PNP ManagementFACULTY: RONA AFFOUMADO

Capstone Team: Matthew Guidarelli, Ellen McKay, Polly Mygatt, Lindsay Nason,Lauren Reynolds

Mississippi Center For JusticeFaces of Hunger: Designing an Anti-Hunger Campaign and Framework for aStatewide Coalition

The Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ) isan organization that works toward racialand economic equity through legal servic-es, policy advocacy, and education.Founded in 2003, MCJ seeks solutions thataddress social justice in disaster recovery,housing, healthcare, consumer rights, andeducation. Through their work, MCJ deter-mined that hunger in Mississippi (20%rate of food insecurity, highest in the US)is particularly relevant to the organiza-tion’s mission. MCJ charged the Capstoneteam with designing an anti-hunger cam-paign that would improve the conditionsfor those most affected. The team firstconducted demographics research todetermine localized needs, a nationwidescan of best practices, an assessment ofstatewide resources, and interviews withMCJ staff and individuals from anti-hungerrelated groups. With this information, theteam produced recommendations designedto elevate the issue of hunger in the state,

Bridge Street DevelopmentCorporation, Quincy Senior ResidenceIdentifying and Addressing ServiceDelivery Gaps for Seniors in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Quincy Senior Residence, founded in 2006by Bridge Street Development Corporation(BSDC), provides affordable independentliving apartments to low-income seniors inBedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Quincyoffers a range of need-based, elective pro-grams and services to its residents andmembers of the local community. BSDCrequested a Capstone team to conduct acommunity needs assessment of seniorsresiding in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and toprovide the organization with strategicrecommendations to address some of themost significant gaps in services and pro-gramming. The team interviewed staff andcommunity leaders, engaged seniors in aseries of focus groups, and conducted asurvey in partnership with local organiza-tions. Taking into account the researchfindings, organizational capacity, potentialfunding sources, and best practices in sen-ior services, the team developed bothshort- and long-term recommendations forBSDC. Their report informed BSDC’s deci-sion-making as the organization seeks toexpand its services and further its mission.

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and Positioned for Success (GPS). Theteam first interviewed both internal andexternal stakeholders, participated instrategic planning meetings with SCSManagement, and conducted focus groupsto gain a better understanding of SCS’approach to youth development and howthey can be more effective. Next, the teamconducted an assessment of the pro-grams, an environmental scan of the com-petitive landscape, and looked at researchon national best practices. The team’s finalreport focused on strategic recommenda-tions to assist SCS in the determination ofthe best program model to serve their tar-get youth population in the future.

Capstone Team: Conor Brady, IlanaLevinson, Danica Murphy, Sam Sims, Xu Zhang

provide anti-hunger strategies specific toparticular regions, and set the foundationfor developing an anti-hunger alliance.

Capstone Team: Charla Duncan, Zili Fang,Michael Reed, Adam Shepherd, EmilyTanner-McLean

Sunnyside Community ServicesAssessment of Youth DevelopmentPrograms

Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) is anonprofit organization located in WesternQueens that provides a continuum of serv-ices to members of all ages in its localcommunity and the broader NYC metroarea. SCS requested a Capstone team toevaluate the effectiveness of its two youthdevelopment programs - CollegeReadiness Program (CRP) and Grounded

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Advanced Projects in PNP ManagementFACULTY: ERICA FOLDY

and information to over 170 universitiesand 500 nonprofit organizations and bypromoting the Active Citizens movement.The organization emphasizes the impactof alternative break programs on studentvolunteers, but had no method for meas-uring impact of students’ work on thecommunity partner organizations and hostcommunities in which they serve. The

Break Away: The Alternative BreakConnectionDeveloping a Community ImpactAssessment System for Short-TermService-Learning Programs

Break Away, a nonprofit organization, sup-ports the development of quality alterna-tive break programs by providing training

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Capstone team interviewed and surveyedstudent chapters, community partnerorganizations, Break Away staff and boardmembers to assess their capacity formeasuring impact, and performed an envi-ronmental scan of current assessmentpractices within the service-learning field.At Break Away’s Atlanta headquarters, theteam facilitated a theory of change work-shop to articulate their vision for commu-nity impact. The team created tools, userguides, and an implementation plan forBreak Away to measure qualitative andquantitative impact on community partnerorganizations and host communities.

Capstone Team: Julie A. Cornell, KarleScroggins, Morgan Soloski, Aimee Weiss,Sara Williams

Jewish Communal FundDonor Research and Service Design

The Jewish Communal Fund (JCF), a pub-licly supported foundation, promotescharitable giving to sectarian and non-sec-tarian organizations through donoradvised funds. JCF engaged a Capstoneteam to determine which factors influencea donor to invest philanthropic dollarswith a donor-advised fund versus a privatefoundation. The team focused on deter-mining which value-added services JCFshould consider offering in order to retainand attract new donors at the $1 million to$10 million-asset levels, with an overarch-ing goal of informing JCF’s forthcoming

strategic planning process. The team’sresearch methodology consisted of per-forming an environmental scan of Jewishand non-Jewish foundations, an existingservices analysis, and a cost-benefitanalysis of donor-advised funds versusprivate foundations; conducting interviewswith financial, legal, and philanthropicadvisors as well as high net-worth donors;and developing an electronic survey of asubset of JCF donors.

Capstone Team: Rachel Ackoff, ElizaDanielson, Dunyang Li, YasamanPishvazadeh, Rebecca Schumer

Opening ActImplementing Performance MeasurementTools at an NYC After-School PerformingArts Program

Opening Act is a free, after-school theaterprogram operating in 33 underserved NewYork City public high schools. Opening Actrequested assistance from a Capstoneteam to refine and implement a newlydeveloped performance measurement sys-tem. After consulting subject matterexperts, surveying stakeholders, and con-ducting best practice research, the teamidentified a series of refinements andadditions that would improve the system.The team streamlined beginning and end-of-year student surveys, created systemsfor collecting school data, built a dash-board for displaying data and analyses,and wrote detailed instruction documents

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for implementation and use of the tools.The team aimed to leave Opening Act in aposition to collect performance data accu-rately and efficiently, interpret and reporton that data in a compelling and clearfashion, and train future staff members on

the effective use of performance measure-ment tools.

Capstone Team: Miriam Altman, BenEspinosa, Danielle Mindess, Diana Norton,Elizabeth Sewell

Bronx Council on the ArtsDeveloping a Sustainable VolunteerProgram

Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is toencourage and increase public awarenessand participation in the arts, and to nur-ture the development of artists and cultur-al organizations. BCA requested aCapstone team to assist in developing aformalized volunteer program. TheCapstone team began by conducting anenvironmental scan, competitor analysis,and evaluation of successful volunteerprograms, followed by the developmentand distribution of an extensive survey tointernal members of BCA. The informationwas compiled, researched, and analyzedto produce a report of findings and recom-mendations which would assist BCA inestablishing and implementing a volunteerprogram. The report’s recommendationswill guide BCA in fulfilling their mission byassessing their image, increasing theirbrand, developing a successful recruit-

ment plan, implementing marketing strate-gies, increasing fundraising, and selectingand training engaged volunteers.

Capstone Team: Rachel Cochran, JackieGerard, Lisa Maher, Julie Teague,Jacquelyn Ward

Career GearStrengthening the Management,Development and Programming StructuresNecessary for a Nonprofit Organization’sSuccess

Career Gear is a nonprofit organization dedi-cated to helping disadvantaged men obtainand maintain jobs by providing them withbusiness-appropriate clothing, professionaldevelopment counseling, and follow-upsupport to achieve self-sufficiency. At a piv-otal point in its development, Career Gearrequested a Capstone team to provideassistance with executing proper organiza-tional development and management struc-tures. The team first interviewed staff

Advanced Projects in PNP ManagementFACULTY: SARA GRANT AND MERLE MCGEE

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members in order to provide a clear pictureof the existing internal management struc-tures. Additionally, the team observed pro-gramming and board meetings to clarify thescope and nature of Career Gear's servicesand needs. The information was then com-piled, researched, and analyzed to producea report of management tools, developmentmodels, and programming suggestions.These recommendations will assist CareerGear in the building of a sustainable finan-cial path, a strong organizational structure,and ultimately drive the organization's suc-cess in fulfilling its mission.

Capstone Team: Hedieh Fakhriyazdi, Cynthia Fredericks, Molly Heffernan, Bin Hong Plume, Gabrielle Raymond

FootstepsVolunteer Program Management andEngagement

Footsteps is an organization dedicated toproviding services to those seeking to enteror explore a world beyond the ultra-Orthodox religious environment. Footstepswas seeking a Capstone team to assess thefeasibility, provide recommendations, anddevelop resources for a newly structuredvolunteer program for their existing volun-teer base. In order to do this, the Capstoneteam conducted both internal and externalresearch on Footsteps and other organiza-tions with volunteer programs. After com-pleting the analysis, the team providedFootsteps with recommendations for struc-

turing a volunteer program that best utilizesthe skills of volunteers, motivates andretains passionate individuals, and createssystems that will help effectively manageand measure the impact their volunteer pro-gram has on their participants.

Capstone Team: Ari Berkowicz, ElizabethHoagland, Arlene Peralta, Brandi Womack

LatinoJustice PRLDEFDeveloping a Human Resources Tool

LatinoJustice PRLDEF (LJP) is a national civilrights organization, founded in 1972, thatfocuses on defending the civil and humanrights of Latino communities. The organiza-tion was seeking a formal method to objec-tively capture the experiences and viewpointsof its employees. The Capstone team wastasked with capturing this information toenable management to make informed deci-sions through the continuous feedback ofits employees, thereby aiding in expansionefforts and the implementation of the orga-nization’s strategic plan. First, the teamdeveloped a Human Resources tool to gath-er employee information, which focused oninternal communications, policies and pro-cedures, mission alignment and impact, andemployee self-assessment. Development ofthe tool was guided by insights from staffinterviews, a SWOT and STEEP analysis, andan in-depth literature review related to orga-nizational culture, communication, andhuman resource practices. Following thedevelopment phase, the team made recom-

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mendations on tool implementation andbest practices.

Capstone Team: Lani Hart, Joy Lindsay, JaneSchuldiner, Kirsten Singleton, KimberlyTortora

Metropolitan Council on Jewish PovertyHow to Show Success: DevelopingPerformance Measures for Anti-PovertyPrograms

The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty(Met Council) is one of New York City’slargest human service agencies, providingthousands of New Yorkers with critical serv-ices and assistance in their fight againstpoverty. As part of an organizational effortto expand the way in which it presents itscommunity-based work, the Capstone teamhelped create a set of performance metricsthat measure the long-term benefits to MetCouncil’s clients. Working with Met Councilstaff, the team examined academic litera-ture on performance measurement, and puttogether a set of measurements that couldbe used immediately by the Crisis Interventionand Housing programs. These indicators willbe used by the organization when commu-nicating with a variety of partners on theutility of their programs in fighting poverty.The team also provided Met Council with aframework that can be used moving forwardwhen measuring other programs within theorganization.

Capstone Team: Richard David, MaryFarnsworth, Ian Hartman-O'Connell, PeterNabozny, Shaina Weisbrot

Repair the WorldImproving Gender Imbalance inVolunteering

Repair the World is a nonprofit organizationdedicated to making service a defining ele-ment of American Jewish life, learning, andleadership. Repair the World is poised tomove from grant making to program imple-mentation, and has identified a gender dis-parity in volunteering as an obstacle tosuccess, in both their own work and theservice field at large. Repair the World com-missioned the Capstone team to examinethe current state of gender-based recruit-ment in order to develop a set of recom-mendations and best practices. The teamconducted extensive research, both througha comprehensive literature review and abroad-spectrum of information-gatheringinterviews. The interviews focused on gen-der issues, participation in volunteering inreligious and secular organizations, gender-based marketing, gender psychology, andidentity development. Aside from the finalreport, the team created an outward-facingtool for use by Repair the World’s partnersin improving gender balance in volun-teerism.

Capstone Team: Alexander Bebeshko,Jessica Cavanagh-Melhado, Joy Elias, KarinFleisch, Shawn Hegele

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Advanced Projects in PNP PolicyFACULTY: CHARLES BRECHER

Citizens UnionNew York City's Public-PrivatePartnerships

Despite their increasing prevalence infunding and guiding public policies, therehas never been an attempt to thoroughlydocument the scope and universe of pub-lic-private partnerships in New York City.Citizens Union, a government watchdoggroup founded in 1897, raised concernsregarding the transparency and democrat-ic accountability of these nonprofits. TheCapstone team engaged in a three-stepproject. First, the team assembled a com-prehensive inventory of nearly 200 public-private partnerships in New York City,including financial data over a three-yeartime period and information on their linksto city government. Second, the teamengaged in a case-study analysis of sixspecific public-private partnerships to gaina deeper understanding of their opera-tions and their role in policymaking.Finally, the team made recommendationsfor improving the transparency andaccountability of public-private partner-ships, and limiting the potential for donorsand political influences to create ethicalconflicts.

Capstone Team: Madeline Labadie,Michael Leone, Daniel Lipsky-Karasz,Moneeza Maredia, Patrick McClellan

Community Voices HeardGame-Changing Economic Development in Newburgh, NY

Community Voices Heard (CVH), an advo-cacy organization led by low-income peo-ple working to improve the lives of poorcommunities in Harlem, Newburgh, andPoughkeepsie, engaged the Capstoneteam to find game-changing economicdevelopment models that can reduceunemployment and improve affordablehousing in Newburgh, NY. The team usedtwo primary criteria in selecting prospec-tive models. First, the models had to incor-porate open, public, and participatorydecision-making processes; and, the mod-els had to directly benefit the low-incomecommunities where CVH members reside.The team identified and investigated sev-eral viable models and strategies thatwere successfully implemented in othercommunities with the potential to be simi-larly applied to Newburgh. The team’sfinal report outlined approaches such asanchor institution partnerships, renterequity systems, urban agriculture, andresident-led project development andownership, and how they might be imple-mented in Newburgh, including specificaction steps and funding sources to whichCVH can refer.

Advanced Projects in PNP Policy and ManagementFACULTY: DENNIS C. SMITH

Agora PartnershipsUS Market Entry Strategy and CapacityBuilding

Agora Partnerships is a nonprofit organiza-tion that works to accelerate the successof early-stage entrepreneurs in LatinAmerica who are committed to solvingsocial and environmental challenges.Agora’s main programming is an ImpactAccelerator designed to give entrepre-neurs the resources and network to

become “investment ready.” As the impactinvesting market grows in the UnitedStates, there is demand from these entre-preneurs to access social, human, andfinancial capital. Having success in severalcountries in Latin America and domesticresources, Agora is considering bringingtheir Impact Accelerator model to the USmarket. The Capstone team was tasked toconduct an environmental scan of the USlandscape with specific focus on socialentrepreneurs, venture philanthropy,

and its ability to enhance professionaliza-tion of the adult literacy education sector.In order to do so, the Capstone team con-ducted a literature review, designed quan-titative and qualitative evaluation tools,and analyzed results from an online sur-vey and two focus groups. Additionally,the Capstone team offered recommenda-tions and a new evaluation tool that theAcademy can administer to clients at theend of each course. These tools will allowLAC to continuously track the Academy’soutcomes and impact, as well as shapefuture certificate programs and courseofferings.

Capstone Team: Michelle Bensignor,Annabelle Eliashiv, Nicole Pritchard,Caroline Ross

Capstone Team: Kate Hamaji, HyojungKang, Libby Lok, José Ramón Martí, ArielSankar-Bergmann

Literacy Assistance CenterOutcome Evaluation of the LiteracyAssistance Center Academy

The Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) is aNew York City-based nonprofit organiza-tion that increases opportunities foradults with low literacy skills and limitedEnglish language proficiencies by offeringprofessional development training andtechnical assistance to instructors, policy-makers, students, and other professionalsfocused on promoting adult literacy. TheCapstone team’s purpose was to assessone of LAC’s programs, the LAC Academy,

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accessibility, especially for the generalpublic, the information was made avail-able in the form of an easily digestiblepublic document, as well as in a presenta-tion to city leaders and community mem-bers.

Capstone Team: Sara Mark, MichaelPatullo, Meredith Pickett, Matthew Scheck

New York City Administration forChildren's ServicesIdentifying Quality Assurance BestPractices in New York City Foster CareProvider Agencies

In an effort to strengthen the infrastruc-ture of the nonprofit community servingfoster children in New York City, theCapstone team worked with the Admin-istration for Children’s Services (ACS) tocompare the strategic planning, qualityimprovement, and data management prac-tices among a diverse set of agencies con-tracted by ACS to provide foster careservices. The team gathered informationfrom the agencies' quality improvementand evaluation staff at leadership andteam member levels and analyzed it in thecontext of a literature review of best prac-tices in child welfare. The team summa-rized the practices in place and highlightedthe elements that appeared to have thegreatest effectiveness on performanceimprovement. Ultimately, the team maderecommendations to ACS regarding waysthe agency can foster implementation of

entrepreneurial support entities, and fun-ders. The research was then synthesizedand analyzed to produce a report of find-ings and recommendations to informAgora on growth strategy and internalcapacity building necessary for entry intothe US market.

Capstone Team: Christyne Angulo, DavidKent, Kelli Payne, Juanjuan (Tina) Wang

Mount St. Mary College, Hudson ValleyPattern for Progress, and the City ofNewburgh, New YorkDesigning a Performance MeasurementSystem for the City of Newburgh

The City of Newburgh, a town of 30,000residents located on the Hudson Riverabout 60 miles north of New York City,requested assistance in measuring its gov-ernment performance. The Capstone teampartnered with the City; Pattern forProgress, a local nonprofit organization;and Mount St. Mary’s, the local college, toexamine the City’s data collection andanalysis processes, specifically focusingon the Police Department, Fire Department,Office of Code Enforcement, and cityfinances. The team then provided a frame-work to assist city officials in using data tomake more informed decisions. In addi-tion, the team made recommendations forreplicating the analysis in following yearsand provided the means by which toexpand data collection and analysis. Inorder to provide broader transparency and

stamp cases. Data shows that while thenumber of welfare recipients is climbing,prosecution of public benefits fraud isdeclining in NYC. The Capstone team wastasked with researching whether this datameant fewer recipients are committingfraud despite the increase in public assis-tance, or if the threshold for prosecutionhas become more lenient as a result of theeconomic downturn. Through surveys,interviews, and a literature review, theCapstone team tracked patterns in fraudprosecution across the country and com-pared NYC figures to national trends. Theteam also conducted a process evaluationof IREA’s district attorney referral systemand created a resource guide to improvethe quality of cases referred for prosecu-tion.

Capstone Team: Amira El-Ghobashy,Michael Escosia, Myra Soto

similar promising practices among allproviders, including those with lesssophisticated systems.

Capstone Team: Nicole Funderburk,Rebecca Rawlins, Elizabeth Sexton, Chantel Taylor

New York City Human ResourcesAdministration Analyzing National Trends in Welfare FraudProsecutions, Evaluating Processes, andDeveloping a Toolkit for the Referral ofProsecutable Cases to District Attorneys

Serving over three million New York Cityresidents, the Human Resources Admin-istration (HRA) is the largest social servic-es department in the nation. Investiga-tions, Revenue & EnforcementAdministration (IREA) is the investigativearm of HRA, uncovering everything fromprescription drug fraud to duplicate food

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Advanced Projects in PNP Policy and ManagementFACULTY: ANA OLIVEIRA

The 52nd Street ProjectDesigning a System of Measurement andManagement for a Community-BasedTheater Program

The 52nd Street Project (The Project) is acommunity-based arts organization thatconnects kids from the Hell's Kitchenneighborhood with professional artists to

create original theater productions. Facingincreasing pressure from funders todemonstrate outcomes, The Projectsought to track the development of thekids they serve, with a special focus onnon-cognitive skills (for example, self-con-trol and self-efficacy). The Capstone teamheld focus groups and interviews, andconducted an extensive literature review

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the Workplace liaisons in various stateagencies in order to assess the efficacy ofthe Executive Order, as well as to makerecommendations on information gather-ing and continued implementation of thepolicy. A comparative analysis of statepolicies across the country was conductedin order to make best practice recommen-dations and evaluate New York State’spolicies on a national level.

Capstone Team: Zainab Ali, Steven Guy,Morgan MacIver, Alex Shapero

Sauti Yetu Center for African WomenDefining and Demonstrating Purpose:Performance Measurement andManagement

Sauti Yetu (SY) is a community-basednonprofit in the South Bronx. Their GirlsEmpowerment and Leadership Initiative(GELI) aims to empower African immi-grant girls through academic tutoring,facilitated peer connections, and holisticsupport. The Capstone team was askedto design a performance measurementand management system to allow SY tomore effectively communicate GELI’sactivities and outcomes to stakeholders.The team began by conducting secondaryand primary research in order to gain acomprehensive understanding of the pro-gram. With this research, the team creat-ed a logic model to serve as the founda-tion for GELI’s performance measurementsystem. Next, the team developed cultur-

to identify the appropriate metrics. Theteam identified a set of non-cognitiveskills that are developed by The Project’sprogramming and also associated withlong-term success, as grounded in socialscience research, and conducted bestpractice research to examine how otherorganizations measure the development ofthese skills. The team then developedvalid and reliable tools for data collection,as well as an implementation plan forlaunching and maintaining the system ofmeasurement.

Capstone Team: Megan Burke, Swati Kasat,Camille Lafayette

New York State Office for thePrevention of Domestic ViolenceEffectiveness and Comparative Analysis ofNew York State’s Domestic ViolenceInitiatives for State Employees

The New York State Office for thePrevention of Domestic Violence wasformed in 1992 in order to improve theState’s response to and prevention ofdomestic violence. In 2007, an ExecutiveOrder was issued by the Governor that setguidelines for Domestic Violence in theWorkplace initiatives for state employees.This included training, communicationsmaterials, and protocols in place to helpsupport state employees. Five years afterthe Executive Order was issued, theCapstone team implemented surveys ofstate employees and Domestic Violence in

Advanced Projects in PNP Policy and Management:Governing with TechnologyFACULTY: BETH NOVECK

Alfred P. Sloan FoundationConsumer Protection in the 21st Century:How Can New Collaborative TechnologiesEnable Citizens to Add Value to theRegulatory Functions of Government?

The Capstone team partnered with the

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropicnonprofit institution, to identify areaswhere open data systems and collabora-tive arrangements via technology can addpublic value to the regulatory job of gov-ernment agencies. The team first organ-ized a design challenge similar to the New

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ally competent indicators and measure-ment tools for GELI, designed a databasefor tracking program activities and out-comes, and provided orientation for SYstaff in implementation and use of thesystem. Finally, the team presented SYwith recommendations to strengthentheir performance management system.

Capstone Team: Catherine Ang, JessicaMowles, Malini Trivedi, Cora Weissbourd,Allison Wood

Times Square AllianceDeveloping a Performance MeasurementFramework

Times Square Arts, the public art programof the Times Square Alliance, presentsleading contemporary art and perform-ances to Times Square’s 400,000 dailyvisitors; cultivating the creativity, energy,and edge that has made Times Square a

national icon. The Capstone team wasengaged to develop a performance meas-urement framework in order for TimeSquare Arts to better evaluate its suc-cesses in the short- and long-term. TheCapstone team first outlined the TimesSquare Arts theory of change; conductedan extensive literature review; inter-viewed the leaders of national and inter-national public art programs, funders ofpublic art, and key stakeholders; andthrough a process evaluation, developeda narrative for past art projects. The per-formance measurement framework willallow Times Square Arts to collect keyinformation about its art projects andprogram impact, enhance strategic deci-sion-making, bolster support, and paint adetailed picture of how to assist in fulfill-ing Times Square Alliance’s mission.

Capstone Team: Jessica Flynn, GabrielMorales, Nicole Stratton

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York City “Reinvent Payphones DesignChallenge,” wherein New York City resi-dents collaborate to redesign payphonesacross the city. At the event, policy stu-dents, policymakers, regulators, and tech-nology experts collaborated and brainstormedin order to design rating and reputation toolsto complement and improve the regulationof illegal apartment conversions in NewYork City and interstate Chinese motor-coach companies. As a result, the teamcompiled a detailed report of the chal-lenge’s findings, giving regulators insightinto new, non-traditional approaches tothe oversight and regulatory function oftheir agency.

Capstone Team: Elizabeth Buck, TanjaHamilton, Vaughn Mayers, Noah Sheroff,Tina Spaic

Delaware Department of State Divisionof Corporations and UK CompaniesHouseOpen Corporate Registration (opencorpdata.com)

Delaware Department of State Division ofCorporations and UK Companies Houseimagined a comprehensive and accurateglobal directory of information about pub-lic and private companies that regulators,investors, civil society, the media andresearchers could easily and freely accessand combine with other datasets to pro-mote corporate accountability, economicgrowth, and the public interest. To ad-

vance this vision, the Capstone team wasengaged by two of the world's leadingcompany registers to investigate alterna-tive business models (considering finan-cial, technological, and political factors) toinform their consideration of how and whythey might make the information they col-lect about business entities more freelyaccessible and open. The team inter-viewed experts and innovators in opendata, other company registries, as well ascurrent and potential users of companyregistry data, and leveraged social mediato generate public dialogue among stake-holders. This research informed the finalanalysis and recommendations to both theDelaware Secretary of State Division ofCorporations and the UK CompaniesHouse.

Capstone Team: Deborah Burke,BrandonGreenberg, Alexandros Hatzakis, MichaelSwigert

World BankPeer Reviewed Procurement

Billions of dollars are expended each yearthrough the procurement process bywhich governments and multi-nationallending institutions acquire the goods andservices needed to complete developmentprojects. One of the most crucial compo-nents affecting procurement is the processby which technical specifications aredeveloped. This is particularly true in pro-curement of products and services in tech-

nology-intensive markets, where technicalspecifications require greater diversity anddepth of expertise in order to obtain thebest possible solution. The World Bankengaged a Capstone team to assist inaccessing expert knowledge and identifyways to improve the procurement process.The team designed and developed aprocess and policy for an open and collab-orative public procurement process to fos-

ter identification, implementation, andscaling of innovative solutions to help TheBank achieve its mission of poverty reduc-tion.

Capstone Team: Katherine Frew, Juan PabloGiraldo, Rika Gorn, Kevin Hansen, DanielSaat, Alexandra Skayne

Advanced Projects in PNP Finance and PolicyFACULTY: GEORGE SWEETING

Myrtle Avenue Revitalization ProjectMyrtle Avenue Plaza Maintenance andProgramming

The Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project(MARP) faces budgeting maintenance anddesigning programming challenges fortheir soon-to-be-constructed plaza atMyrtle Avenue Brooklyn BusinessImprovement District (BID). The Capstoneteam was engaged to draft a detailedmaintenance budget and a programmingmanual for the 20,000-square-foot pedes-trian plaza. As a result, the team devel-oped the budget with scenario analysis byreviewing materials from the Plaza's pub-lic design workshops, physical plans,available kiosk proposals from other BIDs,and city regulations related to concessionstands. Additionally, the team gathered

programming ideas through a communitysurvey on local merchants and residents,and conducted interviews with staff fromother BIDs and Plaza Program staff at theNYC Department of Transportation. Theteam also explored sponsorship and otherrevenue generating opportunities to payfor programming and maintenance.

Capstone Team: Xiaolei Guo, BrianLevinson, Jiashuang Mu, Yen Pham

New York City Mayor’s Office ofOperationsUnit Cost Reporting in New York CityGovernment

The New York City Mayor’s Office ofOperations aims to enhance the costeffectiveness of City agencies, and pub-

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licly reports City agency performance datain the Mayor’s Management Report. TheCapstone team analyzed the current use ofagency unit cost performance data anddeveloped recommendations to link budg-et and performance through unit cost indi-cators. The Capstone team first reviewedliterature pertaining to performance meas-urement, unit cost, and cost accounting ingovernment. An analysis of unit cost datagenerated by eleven agencies for the peri-od 2003-2012 revealed a general upwardtrend in unit costs. A survey of these agen-cies at the management and analyst levelsfound that unit cost data are important formaking budgetary decisions and are rela-tively less important for public reporting.Lastly, the Capstone team engaged aselect group of agencies to improve thecalculation and usefulness of unit costindicators.

Capstone Team: Mac Cloyes, Yanjia Jiao,Lucas Koehler, Brian Math, Jiaying Yu

Washington, D.C.’s Office of the StateSuperintendent of EducationDistrict of Columbia Special Education:Linking Financing to Outcomes

The Division of Special Education (DSE) inWashington, D.C.’s Office of the State

Superintendent (OSSE) oversees specialeducation within the D.C. Public Schoolsand Public Charter Schools. In 2011, D.C.adopted the Funding for Public Schools andPublic Charter Schools Amendment Act,emphasizing transparency in special educa-tion spending. Concurrently, Mayor VincentGray introduced a new funding incentivefocused on increasing special educationprogramming, with a requirement forschools to report more detailed expendi-tures than in prior years. The DSE enlistedthe Capstone team to examine how thefunding incentive affected expendituresand special education student perform-ance. The team compiled and analyzed spe-cial education Maintenance of Effortreports and No Child Left Behind student-level performance data to determine ifreporting requirements were met, and toexplore correlations between expendituresand student performance. Additionally, theteam provided recommendations on datacollection and performance measurementstrategies that will allow OSSE to betterdetermine causal relationships in thefuture.

Capstone Team: Chavon Edwards, BrianFooter, Chris Glorioso, Kristin Maidt, MiloSybrant

Advanced Projects in PNP Management and FinanceFACULTY: EDWARD SERMIER

Catholic Big Sisters and Big BrothersEvaluating and Planning for Expansion

Catholic Big Sisters and Big Brothers(CBSBB) is a nonprofit organization thatprovides mentoring services to New YorkCity’s children regardless of religious affil-iation. The unique program focuses onstrengthening each child’s entire familyby providing family-focused counseling,skills building workshops, and one-to-one mentoring. CBSBB requested aCapstone team to evaluate three expan-sion options and develop an in-depthenvironmental scan for the most feasibleoption. The team researched and ap-praised the impact of current CBSBB pro-gramming, examined similar organizationsin target communities, performed costanalyses for each option and evaluatedthe compatibility of CBSBB’s intensiveprogram among different communitiesand demographics. Additionally, the teamassessed the specific needs for mentor-ing services within the expansion zone,identified potential partnership organiza-tions and provided recommendations forimplementing expansion over the short-and long-term, including any adaptationsto the current program that wouldincrease the success of the expansionmodel.

Capstone Team: Elizabeth Fisher, QinxinHuang, Cyril Morel, Lindsey Rhoten,Jessenia Rios

Child Mind InstituteDevelopment of a “Parent Excellence”Program

Child Mind Institute (CMI), an organizationdedicated to finding effective treatmentsfor childhood psychiatric and learning dis-orders, requested a Capstone team toassist in the creation of a Parent Excel-lence Program (PEP). The team focused onunderstanding and exploring opportuni-ties for CMI to become further involved inparent engagement. The team conductedan extensive literature review, interviewswith executive administrators, and multi-ple surveys. The information collecteddemonstrated that families today lookvery different in terms of size, proximity,and diversity, compared to families a fewdecades ago. Additionally, the team dis-covered that societal factors such as socialmedia, the sluggish economy, and thepolitical landscape are also distinct to thisgeneration. The team concluded that all ofthese factors have the potential to put awell-funded, evidence-based organizationlike CMI in a unique position to becomethe leader in parental education, and sup-

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ported the creation of a PEP that incorpo-rates these findings as an integral firststep.

Capstone Team: Anne Gilberg, Tal Kapulnik,Daiva Kazdaileviciene, Kevin Sajdak

Housing Works Thrift ShopsInforming Strategic Decision-MakingThrough Sales and Staffing Data Analysis

Housing Works, a nonprofit dedicated tohelping those affected by HIV/AIDS, oper-ates Thrift Shops around the New York Cityarea. Housing Works requested theCapstone team to analyze existing sales,staffing, and customer survey data inorder to inform its most pressing strategicdecisions including upcoming shop leaseexpiration, fluctuating staffing levels, and

pressure to continue growing. The teamvisited and analyzed Housing Works’Product Distribution Center, which sortsand distributes all clothing donations, andmade recommendations for how it mightchange or improve current practices inorder to increase profitability and reduceoverhead cost. By incorporating researchabout changes in consumer preferences,the unstable economic environment, andwealth density in the Thrift Shops’ respec-tive neighborhoods, the team worked toproduce a comprehensive presentationand Executive Summary report outlininganalyses and recommendations to beemployed by the Thrift Shops’ senior man-agement and Board of Directors.

Capstone Team: Valerie Boileau, MollyGoodwin, Rachel Hodes, Tiffany Tribbitt

Advanced Projects in Health Policy and ManagementFACULTY: CHARLES BRECHER AND JOHN DONNELLAN

At one site, Montefiore’s Weiler HospitalEmergency Department, BCHN funds aPatient Liaison who runs BCHN’sEmergency Department DiversionProgram. The Patient Liaison works to pre-vent unnecessary readmission to theemergency department (ED) by connectingpatients to primary care at BCHN healthcenters. The Capstone team conducted aprogram evaluation to determine theeffectiveness of the ED Diversion program

Bronx Community Health NetworkThe Emergency Department as the FrontDoor to Care in the Bronx

The Bronx Community Health Network(BCHN) is a nonprofit organization andfederally qualified health center that spon-sors fifteen community and school-basedhealth centers in the Bronx. The healthcenters are owned and operated by MontefioreMedical Center and Acacia/Promesa Systems.

and to explore the drivers that continue tobring patients to the ED for non-emergentcare and primary care. The team accom-plished this by conducting a comprehen-sive literature review, interviewing keystakeholders, coordinating patient focusgroups, and analyzing secondary data.

Capstone Team: Matthew Beyrouty,Michelle Gersten, Kalese House, CourtneyMcBride, Shaina Siegel

Bronx Community Health NetworkStrategic Planning

The Bronx Community Health Network(BCHN) is a federally qualified health cen-ter that sponsors fifteen community andschool-based health centers. Since BCHN’slast strategic planning effort in 2007, theorganization expanded their network ofcenters and adapted to significantchanges in the health care environment. Inresponse to these developments, BCHNcommissioned the Capstone team toupdate its strategic plan to reflect theorganization’s progress and evolvinggoals. The team conducted an in-depth lit-erature review of health center regula-tions, the Affordable Care Act, and bestpractices in community-based medicineand outreach. The team also conducted aSWOT analysis with BCHN senior leader-ship and interviewed health center staff,government officials, policy experts, com-munity-based organizations, and other keystakeholders. All research was synthe-

sized into a final report of recommenda-tions to help BCHN expand and strengthentheir network partnerships, improvepatient care, and advance the health ofthe Bronx community in the next fiveyears.

Capstone Team: Arooba Alam, Noah Isaacs,Amy A. Lee, Rachel Pardoe, Todd Pinkus

Mercy Home for ChildrenUsing Performance Measurement toImprove Sustainability

The Capstone team worked with MercyHome for Children, a Brooklyn nonprofitserving the developmentally disabled, toenhance their ability to sustain currentand obtain new program funding sources.The team first conducted individual inter-views with organization program staff todetermine current practices in perform-ance measurement; identified current bestpractices and metrics through an exten-sive literature review; and created pro-gram logic models with indicators forcomprehensive metrics. In addition, theteam identified key recommendations toimprove Mercy Home’s internal capacity tomanage performance measurement oftheir current and future programs. A keyrecommendation included the investmentand adoption of performance measure-ment software to create reports and dash-boards specific to funders and stakeholders.These results will be used to aid MercyHome in developing specific strategies to

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strengthen their approach to proving suc-cessful program performance history andimpact.

Capstone Team: Scott Donohue, JenniferKarr, Candy Magana, Katie Magoon

New York Civil Liberties UnionImpact of a Medicaid Managed CareModel on Vulnerable Populations in NY State

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU)is one of the nation's leading defenders ofcivil liberties and civil rights. The NYCLUrequested a Capstone team to help ana-lyze and evaluate the New York State’snew model for the delivery of Medicaidservices to persons with disabilities. Theresearch began with an analysis of exist-ing models in New York State for the deliv-ery of services to vulnerable populations,systems and procedures of oversight andaccountability regarding quality of care;identification of significant challenges andrisks posed by New York State’s managedcare initiatives through a series of inter-views with stakeholders; and identifica-tion of best practices to promote favorableoutcomes. These analyses provided abasis for recommendations to the NYCLUon policies and practices for deliveringcare to the focus populations, as well asoversight and accountability measuresthat promote favorable outcomes.

Capstone Team: Vitaly Chibisov, AndrewFelder, Lana Chung Lim, Alexandra Meis,Katie Schliessman

NYU-HHC Clinical and TranslationalScience InstituteEvaluation and Strategic Planning

The Clinical and Translational ScienceInstitute (CTSI) was created as a joint five-year collaboration between New YorkUniversity (NYU) and the Health andHospitals Corporation (HHC) to “provide anintegrated home for the advancement ofcollaborative translational science for thebenefit of our patients, our community andthe population at large.” The Capstoneteam's goal was to evaluate the effective-ness of the NYU-HHC CTSI in propellingtranslational research forward, with the ulti-mate goal of successful federal fundingrenewal from the NIH. The team evaluatedthe eight existing CTSI programs by firstdefining measures for success, followed byinterviews with key program stakeholders,an analysis of existing data, and evaluationof other program-specific projects. The teamsynthesized these findings into a compre-hensive summary report that will assist theCTSI in its efforts to further its mission tofoster innovative research and discovery.

Capstone Team: Alexander Habib, KarahNewton, Clara Park, Molly Beth Somberg

FEGSImproving Data Collection Methods atFEGS to Optimize Efficiency

Founded in 1934, FEGS is one of thelargest and most diverse nonprofit healthand human services organizations in theUS. FEGS Behavioral Health Division,responsible for tracking and submittingfinancial and statistical information to out-side funding agencies, engaged a Capstoneteam to assist with its data management.The team was tasked with automating thedata collection system for one of the pro-

grams that used manual record keeping,and performing an analysis of theDivision’s staffing models. The team rec-ommended an improved data collectionsystem, defined the proposed process andchanges in user roles, and developedproper training for all users focusingspecifically on FEGS’ LINK program. Thetool created aimed to be user-friendly,streamline communications, meet organi-zational expectations, and create account-ability. Additionally, after analyzing thecurrent staffing model and service deliveryinfrastructure, the team made recommen-

Advanced Projects in Health Services Management and FinanceFACULTY: AMY GOLDMAN AND ROGER KROPF

United States Centers for Medicare &Medicaid ServicesPhysician Organization ConcernsRegarding the 2010 Affordable Care Act

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS), an agency within the United StatesDepartment of Health and Human Serv-ices, expressed interest in understandingthe controversy among physician opinionand perception regarding the recentlypassed Patient Protection and AffordableCare Act of 2010 (ACA). CMS recruited theCapstone team to complete a thoroughanalysis of opinions from select physicianorganizations within CMS Region II. Theteam first conducted an online investiga-

tion of physician organization positionstatements and published quotes fromorganization officials, and also took part inCMS-led provider calls and educationalsessions. The team then prepared a writ-ten analysis focused on research of keyissues of the ACA and the correlating, dis-senting, or lacking physician organizationopinions. Finally, the team presented aconcise document that outlined the topconcerns of the physician organizations,as well as recommendations on physicianorganization education.

Capstone Team: Alexandra Cohen, JessicaGoldman, Polina Miklush, ChristopherNolan, Gunjan Srivastava

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dations to help FEGS adapt to health carereform and the move towards integratedcare models.

Capstone Team: Aditi Anand, GoldieAranov, Chi Kei Lee, Rajit Nair, JessicaWilson, Anna Yick

Maimonides Medical CenterPolicies for the Public CommunicationDepartment

Maimonides Medical Center is one of thelargest teaching hospitals in the US,ranked in the top five percent nationwidefor clinical performance. The employees ofthe Public Communication Department aretypically the first point of contact forpatients and visitors. The departmentleadership sought to ensure a consistentlevel of high quality customer service bycodifying a set of policies and proceduresto manage all incoming public communica-tions, while setting clear expectations andaccountability for the staff. The Capstoneteam observed two hospital front desksand the telephone operator station inorder to capture the types of issues thatarise and establish best practices for man-aging them. The team analyzed their find-ings against hospital-wide policies toestablish a practical set of departmentalpolicies. The team created an employeehandbook and electronic version for easeof use. These policies will be used toimprove performance and accountabilitywithin the Department of PublicCommunication.

Capstone Team: Michael Hsieh, CherylJordan, Megan Kelly, Amanda Magli, LuciaSarita

NYCRxThe impact of 340B in NY

The nonprofit organization NYCRx assistsentities that are eligible for the 340BFederal Discount Drug Program in imple-menting and managing the 340B programsin New York. As part of recent NY Medicaidredesign, NY State has allowed 340B enti-ties to optionally carve Medicaid managedcare prescription coverage into 340B. Thegoal of the Capstone team was to provideNYCRx with recommendations for howstakeholders can best leverage the bene-fits of the program. The Capstone teamcompleted a literature review, conducted aquestionnaire which assesses the benefitsof 340B to member clinics, and used phar-macy data provided by NYCRx to modelvarious cost sharing structures. Theresults can be used to aid NYCRx in itscommunication with 340B entities and toinform policy stakeholders of the impactof the carve-in on the entities involved.Being the first study of its kind, the find-ings have the potential to influence healthpolicy decisions nationally.

Capstone Team: Almeta Brown, SpencerCarrucciu, Helee Desai, Justin Etinger,Lauren Hedinger

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PalladiaMedicaid Redesign and Palladia’s ValueProposition

Palladia is a large multi-service agencynationally recognized for innovative serv-ice delivery in the fields of substanceabuse, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, mentalillness, trauma, domestic violence, crimi-nal justice, and family services. TheCapstone team worked with Palladia toidentify their unique value proposition asthey negotiate business agreements withthe major behavioral healthcare insurancecompanies covering Medicaid ManagedCare enrollees in Harlem and the SouthBronx. In the changing healthcare environ-ment, all Medicaid members will be cov-ered with a Medicaid Managed Care planprovided by private healthcare insurancecompanies contracted through the state.The Capstone team was charged with ana-lyzing current quantitative and qualitativedata that Palladia collects about its servic-es’ efficacy in order to provide Palladia,and ultimately their healthcare insurancecolleagues, with a clear sense of Palladia’ssuperior, cost-effective services. The teaminterviewed payors, providers, and con-sultants to ascertain the priorities in thisarea of service provision.

Capstone Team: Daniel Bunger, DeirdreByrne, Jamie Herskovits, Ebony Wiresinger,Hui Zhang

Transitional Services for New YorkPreparing Fiscal Operations for Growth

The Capstone team worked with leader-ship and staff of Transitional Services forNew York (TSINY), a nonprofit providingcommunity based services to individualswith mental disabilities, to conduct a com-plete overview of the organization’s fiscaldepartment. With the information gath-ered, the team created an excel-basedlabor analytics tool, which will allow man-agement to understand the needs of thedepartment, given varying levels ofexpected growth over the next severalyears. In order to gather the appropriateinformation, the team first conducted sev-eral site visits and interviewed employeesat all levels of the organization. Additionally,the team distributed a survey to TSINY’speer organizations in the NY-Metro area tounderstand their level of staffing andresource utilization. Lastly, the team con-ducted a survey of staff level employees atTSINY and analyzed volume and payrolldata. Based on this information, the teamwill help senior leadership fully under-stand the current state of the fiscaldepartment, including the appropriate-ness of its current staffing and needs, inlight of anticipated growth.

Capstone Team: Gregory Bennett, DavidBrody, Alice Ka Man Cheng, Akriti Mehta,Maureen Namawejje

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Advanced Projects in Urban PlanningFACULTY: KEI HAYASHI AND STEVEN JACOBS

Enterprise Community PartnersHealthy Food Access Project

Enterprise Community Partners is anational nonprofit organization that pro-vides expertise and financing for afford-able housing development for low andmoderate income families. Enterpriserecently developed the Green CommunitiesCriteria, a points-based system that pro-vides a framework and resources to buildenvironmentally friendly, affordablehomes. In New York City, all HPD-funded

housing development projects are re-quired to comply with the Criteria. TheAccess to Fresh, Local Food option of theCriteria allows developers to earn pointsfor implementing a food access model intoa residential development, which includes:community gardens or urban farms, farm-ers’ markets, and community supportedagriculture. The Capstone team created atoolkit to guide developers through thedecision making process of each foodaccess model and tested the toolkit in a

William F. Ryan Community HealthCenterPatient Portal Roll-Out at the William F.Ryan Community Health Center: How toImprove Usage

The William F. Ryan Community HealthCenter (Ryan Center) is a FederallyQualified Health Center providing care tolow-income and underserved patientsthroughout Manhattan. The Ryan Centerrecently added a portal for patients toaccess health records electronically, and isevaluating ways to improve patient activa-tion and engagement. The Capstoneteam’s project was to evaluate contribut-ing factors to patient portal participation,and make recommendations for portalfunctions and rollout. The team first

assembled patient focus groups to discussportal accessibility, features, and sugges-tions for improvement. The results ofthese focus groups led to the develop-ment of survey questions distributed to awider patient population. Similar surveyquestions were asked to physicians andproviders at the Ryan Center. As a result ofthis project, the Ryan Center will be ableto improve portal features; develop astrategy to increase usage, patient adher-ence, and the average acuity of in-personhealth visits; and be closer to meeting fed-eral “meaningful use” standards.

Capstone Team: Natalie Barragan, ErrolPierre, Chetan Prabhudesai, Lesley Slade,Lisa Tran

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real-life simulation with a CommunityDevelopment Corporation. The toolkitidentifies the benefits and challenges ofeach food access model and providesresources to connect developers withexperts in the field.

Capstone Team: Sarah Gastelum, JoshuaLangham, Katie Lyon, Dani Rosen

Made in Lower East SideBusiness Development for SocialEnterprise

Made in Lower East Side (miLES) is anemerging social enterprise that seeks toconnect New York City creatives to short-term rentals in the Lower East Side (LES)neighborhood of Manhattan. Taking ad-vantage of the vast amount of emptystorefront space in the area, miLES offerslandlords the possibility of filling theirvacant space with exciting activities inspaces that would otherwise be unoccu-pied. The Capstone team was chargedwith assisting in the primary stages ofbusiness development. First, the teamconducted a benchmarking examination oforganizations with structures similar tomiLES’, inventoried vacant storefronts inthe LES, identified potential landlords forthe organization to reach out to, and ulti-mately developed a series of pitch booksfor miLES to use when reaching out tolandlords.

Capstone Team: Ana M. Caso, Thea Garon,Hsiang-Sheng Huang, Krzysztof Sadlej,Amy Stokes

McCormack Baron SalazarDeveloping Affordable Housing with EB-5

The Capstone team worked withMcCormack Baron Salazar (MBS), a lead-ing national developer of low- and mixed-income housing, to ascertain the viabilityof securing funding from the EB-5 immi-grant investor program to urban residen-tial development. The EB-5 program,administered by the United States Cus-toms and Immigration Service, awardspermanent residence visas to immigrantsand their families in exchange for qualify-ing investments in job-creating enterpris-es. A number of real-estate projects havebegun to use the program in recent years,but the job creation requirements – 10jobs per $500,000 investment – haveinhibited widespread adoption by devel-opers of residential properties. The teamperformed extensive research into thelegal and regulatory context of the EB-5program, investigating compatibility withMBS’ business model through a series ofinterviews with developers and intermedi-aries. Project results included recommen-dations on how MBS can administer,structure, and attract EB-5 financing forspecific upcoming development projects.

Capstone Team: Tony Berkel, Peter Donohue,Ben Hagen, Anish Patel, Ryan White

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South Bronx Overall EconomicDevelopment CorporationBrownfield Opportunity Area Grant

The South Bronx Overall EconomicDevelopment Corporation (SoBRO) is dedi-cated to improving the quality of life in theSouth Bronx through social and economicrevitalization strategies targeted at low-income communities. In an effort to rede-velop 48-acres of underutilized andcontaminated parcels of land in theSoundview section of the Bronx, SoBROtasked the Capstone team with preparinga pre-nomination report for New YorkState's Brownfield Opportunity Area com-

munity visioning planning grant. The grantwill allow SoBRO to better understand theopportunities and challenges of redevel-oping this post-industrial section of theBronx. The Capstone team conductedextensive data collection, site analyses,and stakeholder outreach to produce anexisting conditions report with recommen-dations for the highest and best use ofvacant land in the study area. Based onthe findings, the Capstone team also cre-ated a preliminary site design of the area.

Capstone Team: Alexandra Derian, ErikHoward George, Alan Lightfeldt, SumailaPalla, Abigail Pick

Institute for Rational Urban MobilityThe Reactivation of Queensway

The Institute for Rational Urban Mobility(IRUM) was seeking to reactivate four-miles of railroad track running throughcentral Queens. The plan called for a trackreactivation design solution and the cre-ation of a direct connection from theMidtown Manhattan Central BusinessDistrict to JFK International Airport. IRUMrequested a Capstone team to conductextensive research on reactivating the lineand to produce several recommendations

for a plan that incorporated both arestored railway and greenway for activerecreational use. The plan analyzed airporttraffic, subway and train use, constructionand operating costs, and economic andenvironmental impacts of the project. Ifimplemented, the final plan will keep NewYork City competitive with cities such asLondon, Hong Kong, and San Francisco,while providing a beautiful public amenityto the residents and visitors to Queens.

Capstone Team: Scott Hobbs, HangHuynh, Gabriel Kleinfeld, Daniel Simoes

Advanced Projects in Urban PlanningFACULTY: MICHAEL KEANE AND CLAIRE WEISZ

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New York City Department ofTransportationAssessment of Freight ConsolidationMethodologies in Midtown Manhattan

New York City Department of Transportation’s(NYCDOT) Office of Freight Mobility worksto improve the efficiency and sustainabili-ty of freight movement throughout theCity. A Capstone team was engaged toidentify how consolidation centers canbenefit the city’s freight system by accept-ing large truck deliveries and then distrib-uting goods via smaller, more efficient andsustainable vehicles for the “last mile” oftravel. The team examined the existingstate of the practice by identifying thechallenges/barriers for consolidation inNYC, specifically in Midtown and Down-town. Additionally, the team analyzedeffective models in other cities to provideexamples of success and failures. Focusingon the area within the Grand Central Part-nership as a potential pilot, the final re-port included data collected through surveys,interviews, and onsite observations aboutfreight operations. Finally, the team usedthese findings to make specifically tailoredpolicy recommendations for accommodat-ing freight consolidation within Midtownand Downtown Manhattan.

Capstone Team: Alejandra Rangel Smith,Daniel Suraci, Chris Whong

Rockaway Waterfront AlliancePlanning for a Resilient Rockaways

The Rockaway Waterfront Alliance (RWA)partners with local residents and youth torevitalize and protect the Rockaway water-front. The Capstone team worked withRWA to develop a comprehensive plan forthe area between Beach 32nd Street andBeach 54th Street. The majority of thisarea has remained vacant and blighted fordecades, and represents one of the lastlarge areas of undeveloped land in NewYork City. The arrival of Superstorm Sandyin the fall of 2012 illustrated the region’svulnerability to extreme natural events,and the need to reexamine traditionalmodels of coastal development. By con-ducting fieldwork research, examiningcase studies, interviewing stakeholders,and holding a community planning char-rette, the team created a plan focused onstrengthening the environmental, econom-ic, and social resilience of the eastern endof the Rockaway Peninsula. The plan pro-vides RWA and the site developer with aframework of community-based and local-ly sensitive recommendations.

Capstone Team: Alda Chan, Sa Liu, JonathanMcGrath, Rossana Tudo, Kathleen Walczak

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Vision Long Island Analysis of Proposed Downtown HicksvilleRezoning

Vision Long Island (VLI) is a nonprofitorganization that works with Long Islandcommunities to promote more livable,economically sustainable, and environ-mentally responsible growth. The organi-zation has been working closely with localstakeholders in Hicksville, NY for the pastthree years to develop a vision plan torevitalize its downtown through zoningchanges and public investments thatwould promote development. The goal ofthe plan is to rezone the area aroundHicksville’s transit hub, creating pedestri-

an-friendly streetscapes, a mix of housingtypes, and an attractive downtown retailand office center. VLI requested aCapstone team to conduct an economicanalysis to assess the implications of theplan if it were to be implemented. TheCapstone team’s retail market analysisand fiscal impact analysis findingsassessed whether a market for retailexpansion existed within the downtownarea, and whether tax revenues generatedfrom such development outweighedexpenditures.

Capstone Team: Patrick Cammack, CarsonQing, Jeremy Safran, Evan Tousey

Advanced International ProjectsFACULTY: PAUL SMOKE

Lincoln Institute of Land PolicyDecentralization, Housing Provision, andSpatial Form in Cape Town

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is aleading resource for key issues concerningthe use, regulation, and taxation of land.The Institute engaged the Capstone teamto build on a previously conducted over-view assessment of metropolitan gover-nance, finance, and service delivery inCape Town, South Africa. The team firstconducted field research in Cape Town,focusing on how city institutions respondto the challenges of rapid urbanization,

particularly in the provision and spatialconfiguration of housing and related serv-ices. The team used field interviews andsecondary research to document currentpatterns and mechanisms for servicedelivery to identify key constraints beingencountered, and to review priorities andoptions for improving the present situa-tion. Adding to a growing body of LincolnInstitute work on the challenges of metro-politan government, the final report will bemade available as a resource for scholarsand practitioners interested in local publicgovernance and finance.

Capstone Team: Juan Nicolas Galarza,Ronnie Hutchinson, Patrick Lamson-Hall,Prachee Mishra

Municipal Development Partnership forEastern and Southern AfricaAssessment of Public-Private Partnershipsin Wakiso, Uganda

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) are a rel-atively new means of service delivery inUganda and have mostly occurred in theform of large, national-level projects.Recently, local governments have exploredthe potential of partnerships in order toprovide better services to their residents.To help facilitate local governments indeveloping these partnerships, theMunicipal Development Partnership forEastern and Southern Africa (MDP-ESA)requested a Capstone team to conduct abaseline study of Wakiso Town in Ugandaand to assess needs and capacity issuesspecific to the town. The team interviewedseveral key stakeholders to identify is-sues, opportunities, and problems, andprepared recommendations to MDP-ESAand the Wakiso town council by outliningways to increase capacity for more effec-tive use of PPPs in the future.

Capstone Team: James Dreiling,Mmakgantsi Mafojane, Brett Mons

National Committee for Sub-NationalDemocratic DevelopmentOptions for Designing a Sub-NationalInvestment Facility for Cambodia

The proposed Sub-National InvestmentFacility (SNIF) is a project-based financingfacility to be made available to sub-nation-al administrations at the provincial, dis-trict, and commune levels to supportsustainable investments in local infra-structure and economic development.Working with the National Committee forSub-National Democratic Development(NCDD), the Capstone team produced acomparative case study analysis of theexisting sub-national infrastructurefinance mechanisms in five developingcountries; conducted field research withstaff from various central government min-istries and international developmentinstitutions to identify political, legal, andcapacity considerations important fordesigning and implementing the SNIF; anddeveloped a set of policy options and rec-ommendations regarding the legal status,governance structure, financing models,and project criteria for the NCDD to con-sider in moving forward with defining andestablishing the SNIF.

Capstone Team: Olajumoke Ayandele,Matthew Tschabold, Nary Ung

United Cities and Local GovernmentsGoverning and Managing the Delivery ofLocal Basic Services in Africa

United Cities and Local Governments(UCLG) is an international organizationthat represents and defends the interestsof local governments on the world stage.The Global Observatory on Local

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Democracy and Decentralization (GOLD)was launched by UCLG in 2006 as part ofits objective to become a main source ofinformation on local self-government, localauthorities, governance, local democracy,and the exchange of know-how. TheCapstone team supported UCLG’s AfricaSection on the third GOLD report (GOLDIII), providing an analysis of service deliv-ery and local governance in various citiesof Africa, with particular focus on Accra,Ghana and Kampala, Uganda. The teamcollected data and conducted interviewswith local government officials in Accraand Kampala. The GOLD III report will offerpolicy recommendations on strengtheninglocal governments’ ability to meet theirresponsibilities for providing basic servic-es: water, sanitation, solid waste manage-ments, public transport, and electricity.

Capstone Team: Daniel Boyer, Maria delCarmen Garcia Maldonado, Justin Kreamer,Jonathan Wang

United Nations Capital DevelopmentFundSupporting the Local DevelopmentAcademy

United Nations Capital Development Fund(UNCDF), the UN’s capital investmentagency for the world’s least developedcountries, supports the development offinance institutions for poor householdsand small business, as well as local gov-ernment finance mechanisms for capital

investments that decrease poverty. In aneffort to make information on local devel-opment more easily and widely accessible,UNCDF requested a Capstone team toassist with the development of its new ini-tiative, the Local Development Academy(LDA), a web-based “knowledge-center”for local governments, individuals, andinstitutions involved in local development.UNCDF asked the team to help generate aconceptual review of the LDA and to assistwith content research. The team organizeda workshop with leading local develop-ment academics and assembled informa-tion on academic and professionalliterature on a wide range of topics rele-vant for local development. The team pre-sented findings and recommendations toUNCDF on the LDA conceptual design,content, and user-friendliness.

Capstone Team: Sekou M. Sheriff, MariahYan Zhao

World BankPromoting Sustainable Urban Land Use,Governance, and Service Provision in Ho Chi Minh City

The Capstone team was engaged to identi-fy best practice examples in East andSouth Asia, and develop in-depth casestudies to address metropolitan andregional strategic planning in Ho Chi MinhCity (HCMC), Vietnam. The team reviewedacademic and professional literature andparticipated in the discussion on the

World Bank Integrated Strategy Note onUrban Planning, Infrastructure andMunicipal Finance prepared for the HCMCgovernment. The team then wrote a back-ground memo on metropolitan planningand management for HCMC with a focuson three topics: governance and planning,service provision (transportation, water,and sanitation), and municipal finance. Inorder to further address metropolitan andregional strategic planning in HCMC, theteam assisted in a collaboration betweenthe Regional Plan Association in New York,which included preparing briefing notesand participating in the RPA Annual meet-ing in New York City.

Capstone Team: Emily Olson, ChristinaSeybolt

World Bank and National Council forEducation DevelopmentInvolving Municipalities in the Delivery ofEducation Programs in Mexico. GEMUN:An Experiment in Education Delegation

CONAFE, a federal institution created in1971, seeks to generate greater education-

al access and increase retention/achieve-ments in marginalized localities in Mexico.In order to advance the cooperative feder-alism approach to public service delivery,CONAFE designed GEMUN to involvemunicipalities in planning and implement-ing programs through the experimentationwith contractual delegation arrangements.The Capstone team conducted interviewswith key stakeholders involved in theadministration of GEMUN at the national,state, and municipal levels to understandtheir perceptions of the nature and scopeof the experiment. After compiling theinterview data, the team drafted a reportdocumenting the perceptions of the differ-ent stakeholders, the extent to whichGEMUN is achieving institutional and sec-toral development results, and the gapbetween the original concept and its actu-al implementation on the ground. Thereport was jointly commissioned byCONAFE and the World Bank as part ofefforts to evaluate and revise the pro-gram’s design.

Capstone Team: Marisa Casellas, KathrynCharlie Frisbie, Johanna Paine

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Advanced International Projects FACULTY: CHARLES BAILEY AND DAVID WINDER

Academy of Responsible ManagementAssessment of Corporate SocialResponsibility in the Philippines

The Philippines has a history of philan-thropic giving, particularly from large pri-vately owned Filipino organizations. Today,many organizations have evolved fromsimple philanthropy to embeddingCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) intotheir business models. However, there isroom for improvement and gaps remainwhere needs exist. Although many Filipinoorganizations include multiple and diverseCSR programs, CSR training is necessary,specifically to induce systemic impactswithin the triple bottom line: social, envi-ronmental, and financial outcomes. TheAcademy of Responsible Management(ARM) based in Malaysia engaged theCapstone team to research the existingCSR climate, programs, and training gapsin CSR, specific to Filipino organizations,in order to identify present and future CSRprogram and training needs. Through deskresearch, in-country interviews, and a cur-rent conditions profile, the team created agap analysis and conducted a needsassessment to aid ARM in identifyingtraining capacity in the Philippines.

Capstone Team: Moazah Ahmed, CaraLacey, Bing Luo, Katie Sagan, Melanie Ziu

East Meets West FoundationAssessing Fund Use and Tutoring in theSPELL Program: A Case Study of ThreeProvinces

East Meets West (EMW) is a nonprofitorganization dedicated to transformingthe health, education, and communities ofdisadvantaged people in Asia by buildingpartnerships, developing opportunities,and creating sustainable solutions. In cen-tral Vietnam, more than 900 students areenrolled in EMW’s Scholarship Program toEnhance Literacy and Learning (SPELL),which provides underprivileged studentswith funding for general school expenses,room and board, bikes, and supplementaltutoring. Currently, the program no longeraccepts new students at the high schoollevel; EMW is concerned with decliningstudent achievement and program imple-mentation. The Capstone team traveled toVietnam to administer surveys and con-duct focus groups and interviews withlocal partners, school administrators, par-ents, and nearly 500 students in 22schools across three provinces. After com-piling the data, the team recommendedimprovements to the program implemen-tation structure and funding process, andhighlighted the importance of tutoringfunds in relation to students’ academicsuccess.

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Capstone Team: Tamar Hellman, SunJeongLee, Raul Nunez, Claire Thomas, JessicaTroiano

Foundation RwandaIdentifying Holistic Needs of Children Bornof Genocidal Rape in Rwanda

Founded in 2008, Foundation Rwanda (FR)is a nonprofit organization that supportschildren born from rape committed duringthe 1994 genocide. While FR originallyfocused on financing education, theorganization currently seeks to expand itswork by providing more holistic support tothese children and their caregivers. TheCapstone team conducted qualitativeresearch to identify the needs of FR’s ben-eficiaries and identified services that willenhance the target population’s academicachievement and enrich their daily lives.The team’s final report includes projectedcosts for holistic service packages and astrategy for offering FR’s beneficiariesgreater access to economic empowermentopportunities as well as physical and psy-chological care.

Capstone Team: Priscilla Addison, ErasChong, Laura Roberts, Alyson Wise,Shalane Yuen

Global Goods PartnersStrengthening Fair Trade Monitoring andEvaluation Approaches

Global Goods Partners (GGP) is a nonprofitorganization and certified fair trade retail-er whose mission is to improve the socialand economic well-being of women arti-sans around the world. Working with 30community-based organizations in 18countries, GGP helps generate income andprovides capacity building grants tostrengthen partners’ businesses and sup-port sustainable community development.The Capstone team worked with GGP torevise its annual partner survey andenhance its monitoring and evaluation(M&E) framework. By revising the survey,GGP would obtain a clearer sense of part-ners’ needs and progress, better allocateresources, strengthen partner relation-ships, and improve marketing strategies.The team began by visiting GGP partnerorganizations in Cambodia and India tointerview artisans and staff. In addition,the team conducted domestic interviewswith organizations and experts in thefields of M&E and fair trade. A final reportwas compiled documenting research find-ings and recommendations for GGP’s M&Eframework.

Capstone Team: Yaz Abellard, LeelaBhashyam, Megan Johnston, GabriellaLewin, Daphne Philip

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Local Government Unit of Libon, Albay Province, PhilippinesEffectively Targeting Public HealthIntervention

The Local Government Unit of Libon (LGU)recently incorporated an electronic med-ical records system to better serve its con-stituents. The Capstone team was requestedto provide recommendations for using thissystem to guide public health policy at themunicipal level. The team designed amulti-stakeholder interview process toassess community health perceptions andused municipal public health data to iden-tify areas of focus. After studying interna-tional best practices, case studies ofsimilar contexts, and international publichealth targets, the team constructed aguide outlining high-value strategies totarget and enact public health policies.The completed guide consists of recom-mendations that will help the LGU effec-tively use its limited public health budgetto best meet the needs of its constituentsin light of the real-time data stream pro-vided by the new electronic medicalrecords system and existing regional andnational health priorities.

Capstone Team: Sean Brooks, VivekJayaraman, Clayton Maring, VictoriaRodriguez

World ConnectRefining World Connect’s StrategicApproach to Grant-Making

World Connect is a nonprofit that givesmicro-grants to empower grassroots com-munity organizations to improve health,environment, and employment opportuni-ties for women and youth. World Connectis at a critical juncture in its development,seeking funds from larger institutionaldonors to scale impact. The organizationrequested a Capstone team to evaluatetheir current grant-making process andpriorities. First, field visits to Costa Ricaand Peru were conducted to gain a betterunderstanding of World Connect’s partner-ship with the Peace Corps and local com-munity partners. Staff, Peace CorpsVolunteers, local project leaders, commu-nity leaders, and project beneficiarieswere then interviewed to form a clearerpicture of World Connect’s current strate-gy. This information was compared toindustry leaders within different sub-setsof the international development market,resulting in various recommended pathsWorld Connect could take as it shifts cur-rent fundraising and communicationsstrategies to target a wider range ofdonors.

Capstone Team: Peter Freeman, ErinMcInerney, Laine Rolong, Taeko Yamamoto

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Advanced International ProjectsFACULTY: KATHERINE BOURNE AND STEVEN SCHALL

AmendHuman Resources Development

Amend is a US-based international non-profit organization dedicated to reducingthe epidemic of road traffic injuries inAfrica. In order to achieve its mission,Amend’s current services include primaryschool road safety education programs,advocacy campaigns, and scientificresearch. Now at a critical point in theirorganizational expansion, Amend request-ed a Capstone team to create guidance toimprove Amend’s ability to recruit andmanage current and future staff. TheCapstone team reviewed literature onhuman resource norms and best practices;conducted interviews and focus group dis-cussions with Amend’s management andstaff in Tanzania; and interviewed Tanzanianpeer organizations. The team then synthe-sized the information and produced aHuman Resources Manual as well as aguide for its implementation.

Capstone Team: Omoruyi Aigbe, Jordan M.Calhoun, Ozge Gunay, Michael M. Kuir

Counterpart InternationalEvaluation of Ethiopian SustainableTourism Alliance

Counterpart International is a nonprofitorganization focused on building sustain-able communities around the globe. In2008, Counterpart International beganimplementation of the EthiopianSustainable Tourism Alliance (ESTA),enhancing regional biodiversity conserva-tion and economic development throughthe development of sustainable tourismproducts and activities. CounterpartInternational engaged the Capstone teamin order to help the organization betterarticulate the ways in which the programhas been successful in meeting its intend-ed goals. The team first evaluated litera-ture on ESTA activities, outputs, andrelevant indicators in order to identifyremaining questions about the impact ofthe program, potentially scalable aspects,and any overlap with similar programsworldwide. The team then traveled toEthiopia to interview key stakeholders,program beneficiaries, and NGO partners;consequently, producing a report evaluat-ing the ESTA intervention. The report high-lighted successful outcomes of programactivities, offered recommendations oncompelling programmatic themes, and

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pinpointed scalable aspects for future eco-tourism interventions.

Capstone Team: Alisa Cordesius, ElizabethKelly, Mary Robbins, Katie Travers

Planned Parenthood GlobalProgram Evaluation for PlannedParenthood Global's Youth Peer ProviderModel

Since the early 1990s, Planned ParenthoodGlobal (PP Global) has developed theYouth Peer Provider (YPP) model to trainyoung people to provide contraceptives aswell as sexual and reproductive healthinformation to their peers. PP Globalrequested the support of a Capstone teamto carry out an evaluation of its YPP pro-gram, implemented by the Luisa AmandaEspinoza Association of NicaraguanWomen. The team designed an evaluationplan, created relevant tools, collecteddata, and analyzed evaluation data fromthe field in Nicaragua. Data collected bythe team and program staff included self-reported knowledge and behavior amongprogram participants and non-partici-pants, program records, and programimplementation information. The teamanalyzed both quantitative and qualitativedata collected from the sites in Nicaraguathrough interviews, record review, andsurveys. The team delivered a formalresearch report, a presentation, andmemo of additional findings to PP Global.

Capstone Team: Brian Lutz, Maha Mahmoud,Stacey O’Sullivan, Andrée Tzall, DominiqueWitter

Scholars at Risk NetworkWhere Are They Now? SAR ProgramAnalysis & Evaluation

Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an internationalnetwork of institutions and individuals work-ing to promote academic freedom and todefend the human rights of scholars world-wide. Founded in 2001, SAR is now at aninflection point in both its scale and services.The Capstone team executed an online sur-vey with more than 200 scholars participat-ing, and conducted in-depth interviews withselected self-identified scholars. The gath-ered data was used to evaluate the impactand satisfaction level of services renderedover the past 12 years and will be used torefine services and selection criteria, as wellas to develop targeted candidate profiles.The project examined the experiences andoutcomes associated with scholars whoreceived different levels of service and pro-duced results that will serve as a primarysupportive tool in facilitating additional pro-gram partnerships and will enable SAR tosignificantly increase capacity and the num-ber of scholars served by 2017.

Capstone Team: Katherine Bleich, ClaudiaEspinosa, Armand Gunawan, Elly Merlis

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United Methodist Committee on ReliefAssessment of Hospital Sustainability andDonor Relations

United Methodist Committee on Relief(UMCOR) provides community-based healthprograms, operating within the infrastruc-ture of United Methodist hospitals and clin-ics across 80 countries. Currently, one mainchallenge for United Methodist Church(UMC) leadership, governance, board, andstaff is to track and assess financial andoperational activities of hospitals and clinics.The Capstone team developed and imple-mented a framework to assess the financialand operational viability of four health facili-ties in Sierra Leone. This framework informedvarious recommendations for internal sus-tainability of these health facilities within theUMC network. The Capstone team also pro-duced policies and guidelines for newdonors, dedicated donors, mission coordina-tor volunteers, and UMC Health Boards toprioritize hospital funding allocations. Whilethe project focused on the context of UMCfacilities in post-conflict Sierra Leone, theassessment framework and recommenda-tions are adaptable for use by the greaterUMCOR health network in order to promotegreater sustainability.

Capstone Team: Alisa Ahmadian, HeatherChadwick, Hilda Engilbertsdottir, ChristineHunt, Lily Rossow-Greenberg

United Nations DevelopmentProgrammeThe Global State of Non-CommunicableDiseases Planning and Implementation

In 2008, the World Health Organization esti-mated that 63% of global deaths were dueto Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs),mainly cancers, chronic respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. Inresponse, the United Nations GeneralAssembly Special Session adopted thePolitical Declaration on the Prevention andControl of NCDs, which the United NationsDevelopment Programme is responsible forassisting member states fulfill. A Capstoneteam was requested to research successfulapproaches and develop a summary reportof current NCDs plans. The team first estab-lished an analytical framework to reviewcommon NCDs risk factors as well as high-value and cost-effective interventions fromaround the world. Next, the team traveled toTanzania to research and prepare a casestudy on the country’s current NCDs plan-ning, looking at multi-sectoral approachesand the flow of information and knowledge.Finally, drawing on both the framework andthe case study, the team developed a reportoutlining current planning processes andproviding recommendations for implementa-tion.

Capstone Team: Jade Camp, Aniqa Islam,Patricia Szafranski, Michele Tall, ZachWorthen

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World BankMigration and the Politics of Making Skills Visible

When people migrate across national bor-ders, they often encounter challenges inhaving their skills recognized and valued inthe labor markets they enter. Migrants withskills that place them in-between the cate-gories of highly skilled knowledge workersand unskilled workers face obstacles thatare particularly daunting: their skills oftenremain unrecognized and unrewarded innew labor markets, and migrants who oncefilled positions as nurses, skilled construc-tion workers, chefs, mechanics, and otherprofessions often find themselves pushedinto low-wage jobs for unskilled workersafter they migrate. The Capstone team part-nered with the World Bank to explore policytools designed to address the challengesfaced by mid-skilled migrants. Through qual-itative research, including extensive inter-viewing and on-site ethnographicobservation, the team analyzed several pro-grams crafted to support migrants from thePhilippines, the Pacific Island region, and

Mexico; the programs examined helpedmigrants develop skills and equipped themwith the institutional tools – such as certifi-cation and agreements negotiated amongcountries about which skills were requiredfor which profession – to make their skillsvisible across labor markets. In its analysisof these programs, the team explored possi-ble obstacles to effective implementationsuch as sources of financing, the negation ofinstitutional partnerships, and reachingagreements about the specific skills requiredfor any given job. Using findings from thisfirst round of research, the team investigat-ed the institutional changes required to cre-ate a program for the skill development andskill recognition of nurses and home healthcare workers between France and NorthAfrica.

Capstone Team: Amanda Alampi, JillianAnderson, Grisel Caicedo, Cosmo Fujiyama,Matt Lisiecki, Heidi McAnnally-Linz,Mercedes Pepper, Natalie Relich, YadyIbarra Ruiz, Maria Sarta Herrera, AndreinaSeijas, Fiona Wanqing He, Casey Weston, Ali Wimer

Advanced Projects in Qualitative Research Methods:Studies on International Migration FACULTY: NATASHA ISKANDER

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Hospital for Special SurgeryClinical Nurse Ladder

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), a MagnetDesignated and number one nationallyranked orthopedic hospital, sought to pro-vide additional opportunities for nursinggrowth and advancement. The Capstoneteam was charged with incorporating evi-denced-based practices into HSS’s ClinicalNurse Ladder (CNL) in order to improve therobustness of the system. The team con-ducted interviews with nurse leaders, carriedout surveys to gain perspective from currentnurses, evaluated each rung’s (or ladder) jobdescription and remuneration, studied theCNL application process, and examinedthree other CNLs: New York Presbyterian-Columbia Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, and the University ofColorado Hospital. As a result, the teamidentified the elements of the current and analternative ladder that were effective/inef-fective, and recommended generic but char-acteristically distinguishable job descriptionsfor each rung. The team also advised on therole of managers, professional development,and learning in advancing nurses.

Capstone Team: Inga Dawe, Tyrone Francis,Lauren Morgan-Schatz, Ling Wang

New York-Presbyterian HospitalIntervening Pre-Admission for ElectiveBariatric Surgery

New York-Presbyterian (NYP) strives toensure that patients are discharged in thesafest and timeliest manner possible. Whena hospital fails to effectively coordinate dis-charges, negative outcomes can occurincluding increases in the length of stay(LOS), costly readmissions, and unsatisfacto-ry patient experiences. The Capstone team’sobjective was to identify an elective proce-dure at NYP with unwarranted variation inLOS between NYP’s campuses and then pro-pose changes to the pre-admission processthat could safely decrease LOS. The teamconducted a data review and identified sig-nificant variation in LOS for elective bariatricsurgeries between two campuses of NYP. Todetermine possible factors for this variation,the team examined the pre-admissionprocesses by conducting site interviews andsurveys. As a result, the team identifiedpractices that could be shared to improvethe performance of both campuses and rec-ommended using this internal benchmarkingprocess to identify and reduce variations inLOS for other elective procedures at NYP.

Capstone Team: Bryce Clark, Kristen Fanti,Joyce Philip, Mara Sproul

Advanced Projects for Nurse ManagersFACULTY: ANTHONY KOVNER

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New York-Presbyterian HospitalDialysis/Apheresis Operational ExcellenceTask Force

New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) worksto deliver excellent and cost-effective care,while simultaneously facing numerous chal-lenges due to increasingly strict reimburse-ment criteria, multiple state and federalregulations, as well as stiff market competi-tion within an unstable economic climate.The Capstone team was engaged to developrecommendations to maximize operationalefficiency in the NYP Weill Cornell Hemodialysisand Apheresis Unit. The unit faced opera-tional challenges such as shared staffamong locations, limited space, staffing mix,variable acuity/census, and inter-dependen-

cy upon several hospital departments. Theteam performed workflow analyses, compa-rable site visits, staff surveys, reviews ofmetrics, and consultations with experts anddetermined that the unit’s treatmentturnover time was excessive and aboveindustry benchmarks. This often resulted inincreased utilization of overtime and on call.The team made recommendations centeredon balanced workflow and efficient utiliza-tion of resources in order to reduce treat-ment turnover time and subsequentlygenerate increased revenue and decreasedexpenditures.

Capstone Team: Bernadette Abaya, RichardCratty, Janet Elliott-Perkins, UvannieEnriquez, Angela King

Applied Research in Public Finance and PolicyFACULTY: TOD MIJANOVICH

Drug Abuse and Enforcement: Impact ofRegulatory Controls on PrescriptionDrug AbuseIn recent decades, prescription drug abusehas risen dramatically in the United Statesdue to changes in medical attitudes andpractices. This shift has resulted not only ina wider distribution of opioids for the treat-ment of chronic and non-chronic pain, butalso to increases in non-medical opioidabuse, dependence, and accidental death.

States have responded to this growing crisiswith a variety of enforcement and monitoringpolicies, including Prescription DrugMonitoring Programs (PDMPs). PDMPs arestatewide patient prescription history data-bases made accessible to physicians, phar-macies, law enforcement agencies, andother stakeholders in an effort to enhancesurveillance of individual medication con-sumption patterns. If effective, PDMPs canbe a tool to prevent “doctor shopping” and

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diversion, consequently leading to lowerrates of addiction and accidental overdose.This study analyzes the extent to whichPDMPs and their specific characteristicsreduce these outcomes in individual states.

Capstone Team: Eunice Blehmadoo, Thomas Boman, Jeremy Cherson, Jennifer Reres

The Effect of New Immigrant HighSchools on Immigrant Students’Academic and Social Performance:Causal Evidence from New York CityPublic High Schools

Over the past fifteen years, EnglishLanguage Learners (ELLs) have comprisedbetween 12 and 17 percent of the New YorkCity student population. Since these stu-dents face different educational challengesthan their native-born and English proficientcounterparts, the New York City Departmentof Education uses a variety of English lan-guage instruction methods to help studentssucceed socially and academically. Thisstudy evaluates the effectiveness of new-comer and immigrant secondary educationprograms in New York City. Additionally, byusing a rich administrative data set, as wellas student-level surveys, this study exam-ines the effect of newcomer/international

high schools on academic outcomes andstudents’ attitude about their learning envi-ronment.

Capstone Team: Yana Kusayeva, AlejandroOrtiz, Tina Park

An Evaluation of New York City’s Stop,Question, and Frisk Policy

New York City’s stop, question, and frisk(SQF) policy has been the topic of muchdebate and controversy, related to both theperception of race-based disparities inimplementation, as well as the effectivenessof the policy in reducing crime. Using SQFdata, and Compstat crime statistics, theCapstone team aimed to answer the ques-tion of whether the level of crime is a signifi-cant predictor of the intensity of SQF activity.Using regression models and controlling forother influencers of crime rates (e.g. weath-er), the team examined how accurately his-torical crime rates can predict future levels ofcrime, and then focused on the relationshipof the SQF variable to crime on a precinct-by-precinct basis in order to identify whetherSQF results in a reduction in crime.

Capstone Team: Jeff Meyer, Jesse Navarrette,Jessica Reid, Andrea Spender

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Federal Student Aid and Loan DefaultRates at Postsecondary Institutions

Tuition costs at colleges and universitieshave risen dramatically in recent years, duein part to state and federal higher educationfunding cuts. As a result, students are takingon heavy debt burdens to fund the high costof a college degree, amounting to roughly $1trillion in outstanding federal student loanswith over $120 billion of those loans current-ly in default. Previously, postsecondary insti-tutions with 2-year default rates above 25%could lose eligibility for federal aid. AfterCongress demanded more disclosure, a newmeasure will take effect in 2014 that requiresinstitutions to be held to a 3-year defaultrate standard. This study explores therecently released data by the Department ofEducation on 2- and 3-year federal studentloan default rates, and the strategic behavioron the part of postsecondary institutions toextend default rates in order to continuereceiving federal loans.

Capstone Team: Leslie Cook, Sharon Fuchs,Nick Klagge, Derek Rury, Vasundhara Vats

The Influence of Micro Food-Environments on Food Consumptionand BMI Outcomes

The rise in obesity rates has increased inter-est around the “food environment,” or theavailability of healthy and unhealthy foods ina community. While there is considerablefocus on the influence of food environments,studies that attempt to link “micro” food-environments to eating and weight out-comes are limited in scope. The studyattempts to model “micro” food-environ-ments defined as food sources available inclose proximity to an individual’s residence.The Capstone team first validated andexpanded upon existing national commercialdata on food retail and restaurant outlets intwo Bronx, NY communities, and then devel-oped a health index to characterize eachoutlet. Combining food environment charac-teristics with detailed consumption data for2,500 Bronx residents, the team assessed towhat degree proximity to food sources pre-dicts an individual’s eating patterns andBMI. The results of this study can help shapepolicy interventions focused on overcomingthe obesity epidemic.

Capstone Team: Becca Cadoff, Elise Corwin,Maia Hyary, Andrew Leonard

Capstone Faculty

Rona Affoumado, Independent Consultant

Charles Bailey, Director of Agent Orange inVietnam Program, Aspen Institute

Katherine Bourne, Independent Consultant

Charles Brecher, Professor of Public andHealth Administration, NYU Wagner

John Donnellan, Adjunct AssociateProfessor of Public and HealthAdministration, NYU Wagner

Erica Foldy, Associate Professor of Publicand Nonprofit Management, NYU Wagner

Amy Goldman, Independent Consultant,Goldman Healthcare Consulting

Sara Grant, Adjunct Assistant Professor ofPublic Administration, NYU Wagner

Kei Hayashi, Independent Consultant

Natasha Iskander, Assistant Professor ofPublic Policy, NYU Wagner

Steven Jacobs, Senior Associate, K.Backus & Associates

Michael Keane, Senior Planner, BFJPlanning

Anthony Kovner, Professor of Public andHealth Management, NYU Wagner

Roger Kropf, Professor of HealthManagement, NYU Wagner

Merle McGee, Chief Program Officer, YWCAof the City of New York

Tod Mijanovich, Assistant ResearchProfessor, NYU Wagner

Beth Noveck, Visiting Professor, NYUWagner

Ana Oliveira, President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer, New York Women’s Foundation

Steven Schall, Partner, Schall & RussoPlanning Works

Edward Sermier, Adjunct AssociateProfessor of Public Administration, NYUWagner

Dennis C. Smith, Associate Professor ofPublic Policy, NYU Wagner

Paul Smoke, Professor of Public Financeand Planning, NYU Wagner

George Sweeting, Deputy Director, NYC Independent Budget Office

Claire Weisz, Founding Principal, WeiszYoes

David Winder, CEO, WaterAid

Capstone Co-Directors

Erica Foldy, Associate Professor of Publicand Nonprofit Management, NYU Wagner

David Schachter, Assistant Dean forStudent Affairs, NYU Wagner

FACULTY AND DIRECTORS

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INDEX

Capstone Client Organizations

Academy of Responsible Management, 31

Agora Partnerships, 8

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 12

Amend, 34

Break Away: The Alternative BreakConnection, 2

Bridge Street Development Corporation,Quincy Senior Residence, 1

Bronx Community Health Network, 17, 18

Bronx Council on the Arts, 4

Career Gear, 4

Catholic Big Sisters and Big Brothers, 16

Child Mind Institute, 16

Citizens Union, 7

Community Voices Heard, 7

Counterpart International, 34

Delaware Department of State Division ofCorporations and UK Companies House, 13

East Meets West Foundation, 31

Enterprise Community Partners, 23

FEGS, 20

The 52nd Street Project, 10

Footsteps, 5

Foundation Rwanda, 32

Global Goods Partners, 32

Hospital for Special Surgery, 38

Housing Works Thrift Shops, 17

Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, 25

Jewish Communal Fund, 3

LatinoJustice PRLDEF, 5

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 27

Literacy Assistance Center, 8

Local Government Unit of Libon, AlbayProvince, Philippines, 33

Made in Lower East Side, 24

Maimonides Medical Center, 21

McCormack Baron Salazar, 24

Mercy Home for Children, 18

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, 6

Mississippi Center for Justice, 1

Mount St. Mary College, Hudson ValleyPattern for Progress, and the City ofNewburgh, New York, 9

Municipal Development Partnership forEastern and Southern Africa, 28

Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project, 14

National Committee for Sub-NationalDemocratic Development, 28

New York City Administration for Children'sServices, 9

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New York City Department of Transportation, 26

New York City Human ResourcesAdministration, 10

New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations,14

New York Civil Liberties Union, 19

New York-Presbyterian Hospital, 38, 39

New York State Office for the Prevention ofDomestic Violence, 11

NYCRx, 21

NYU-HHC Clinical and Translational ScienceInstitute, 19

Opening Act, 3

Palladia, 22

Planned Parenthood Global, 35

Repair the World, 6

Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, 26

Sauti Yetu Center for African Women, 11

Scholars at Risk Network, 35

South Bronx Overall Economic DevelopmentCorporation, 25

Sunnyside Community Services, 2

Times Square Alliance, 12

Transitional Services for New York, 22

United Cities and Local Governments, 28

United Methodist Committee on Relief, 36

United Nations Capital Development Fund, 29

United Nations Development Programme, 36

United States Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services, 20

Vision Long Island, 27

Washington, D.C.’s Office of the StateSuperintendent of Education, 15

William F. Ryan Community Health Center, 23

World Bank - Procurement, 13

World Bank - East Asia and Pacific, 29

World Bank - Labour Mobility, 37

World Bank and National Council forEducation Development, 30

World Connect, 33

Applied Research ProjectsDrug Abuse and Enforcement: Impact ofRegulatory Controls on Prescription DrugAbuse, 39

The Effect of New Immigrant High Schools onImmigrant Students’ Academic and SocialPerformance: Causal Evidence from New YorkCity Public High Schools, 40

An Evaluation of New York City’s Stop,Question, and Frisk Policy, 40

Federal Student Aid and Loan Default Ratesat Postsecondary Institutions, 41

The Influence of Micro Food-Environments onFood Consumption and BMI Outcomes, 41

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Established in 1938, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service atNew York University is reframing public service education for the 21st century. Ourvision identifies public service as work of public importance wherever it happens andrecognizes that public service careers span sectors, demand role flexibility, and reflectcontext. We offer a broad-based and interdisciplinary education that marries theory topractice so that our students are prepared to provide leadership on the critical issuesof our time.

NYU Wagner offers a variety of advanced programs leading to the professional degrees of:

• Master of Public Administration (MPA)concentration in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy

• Master of Public Administration (MPA)concentration in Health Policy and Management

• Master of Urban Planning (MUP)

• Executive Master of Public Administration (MPA)

• Doctor of Philosophy

Trained in policy, financial management, management, planning, and internationaldevelopment, NYU Wagner students graduate with the skills they need to confrontsociety’s most pressing problems.

To learn more about NYU Wagner, visit www.wagner.nyu.edu.