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NNIP PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Community Research Council The Community Research Council (CRC) is a United Way member agency that performs community-related research and analysis and "turns data into information". Formed in the 1960s, the nonprofit organization began as the Metropolitan Council for Community Services and operated under that name until February 2000. The organization then changed its name to the Community Research Council and revised its strategy, shifting from a planning organization to one that provides data and information about Chattanooga and Hamilton County. The mission of the CRC is to: 1) initiate and respond to community research requests; 2) analyze data and trends; and 3) recommend actions and solutions to those attempting to build a better community. The Research Council offers a variety of services to clients including survey design and implementation, focus groups, technology assessment, cataloguing/indexing, and mapping services. CRC clients include the United Way, City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department, YMCA, Allied Arts, and the Chattanooga Homeless Coalition. In addition, the CRC has published numerous reports on aspects of life in Chattanooga and Hamilton County and made them available to the public on the CRC website. CRC publications include a report titled, Life in Hamilton County: Indicators of Community Well-Being, and detailed reports on health and housing issues in Hamilton County.
Southeast Tennessee Information Service The data warehouse project began with a feasibility study funded by two Chattanooga foundations in 2000-2001. The study concluded that there was considerable interest and support for a data repository in Hamilton County and articulated the goal of increasing community access to local, state, and federal data. An interagency leadership group began outlining plans for the data warehouse, resulting in the formation of a data partnership called the Southeast Tennessee Information Service (SETNIS). Four groups work cooperatively to achieve the goals of SETNIS: the Leadership Council, Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), and the Community Research Council. The leadership group selected UTC and CRC to carry out implementation of the project; UTC is primarily responsible for technology development and implementation, and the CRC is primarily responsible for data source development, community support, and training.
By providing data and information to the philanthropic community, community residents, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and the business community, SETNIS supports policy-making, fund-raising, assessment, economic development activities, and advocacy efforts within both individual entities and at the interagency level. The goals of SETNIS include: 1) Establishing and maintaining the technological infrastructure necessary to ensure uncomplicated access to accurate and dependable data and information; 2) Providing high quality, professional, and accurate information and analysis services; 3) Establishing and maintaining a meaningful indicator system; 4) Establishing relationships with data providers and users; 5) Ensuring community awareness and use of SETNIS; and 6) Offering training materials and services to ensure adequate understanding of the data and its application. Training by SETNIS staff consists of quarterly training sessions, customized training on an as-needed basis, and online training materials and tutorials.
Data on the website are currently limited to Hamilton County, but SETNIS plans to expand coverage to the entire Southeast Tennessee region in the future. The SETNIS website offers a variety of 2000 Census indicators by census tract, zip code, city, and county. Users can also request customized data reports from project staff in the form of charts, graphs, tables, and maps. As data warehouse development progresses, SETNIS plans to add indicators of child and family well-being including data on arts and culture, community assets, economic opportunity, education, environment, health, and housing.
PARTNER BIOGRAPHIES: On January 10, 2005, David R. Eichenthal became the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Community Research Council Inc. Prior to joining CRC, Mr. Eichenthal served the City of Chattanooga, beginning in 2002 as Director of the new Office of Performance Review and then as City Finance Officer, beginning February 2003. Mr. Eichenthal continues to serve as chairman of Chattanooga's $200 million general pension board. As CFO and Director of the Office of Performance Review, Mr. Eichenthal led the City’s efforts to launch a 311 Call Center and to begin using 311 and other data to measure and better manage government performance. Time Magazine recently cited Chattanooga as one of a few cities that “are not only answering 311 calls but also analyzing the larger patterns that emerge from them...That is urban reform at its most elegant. Prior to coming to Chattanooga, Mr. Eichenthal spent a dozen years in New York City and State government. He was the Chief of Staff to New York City’s Public Advocate, the City’s second highest elected official. He also served in senior positions in the Office of the New York City Comptroller and the New York City School Construction Authority. Mr. Eichenthal received a degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and a law degree from New York University. He is the author of two chapters in Urban Politics NEW YORK STYLE (H.E. Sharpe, 1990) and co-author of a chapter in Innovations in E-Government (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc.). His articles have been published in the New York Daily News, New York Newsday, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, Justice Quarterly and The Prison Journal. He has taught public administration and public policy at New York University, Baruch College, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Georgia State University. Mr. Eichenthal serves on the board of the Center for Employment Opportunities, the River City Company and the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association. |