A Conversation with Joseph S. Wholey about the Program for Excellence in Human Services

Abstract

Dr. Joseph Wholey is Professor of Public Administration at the University of Southern California's Washington Public Affairs Center. His research and teaching focus on policies, program approaches, and management practices that contribute to improved performance in human service agencies and programs. He is well- known to evaluators for his development of the theory and application of "evaluability assessment."In addition to his academic responsibilities, Dr. Wholey currently devotes a good part of his time to a project that places the evaluator in a special role requiring both methodologi cal competence and communication skills.He is Director of the Program for Excellence in Human Services, a voluntary partnership of local governments, regional groups, state agencies, and universities. The program is a cooperative effort intended to help improve the performance and credibility of Northern Virginia's human service system.In September 1989 we had the opportunity one afternoon to talk informally in Joe's Washington office (across from the famous Ford's Theatre) about the project in Northern Virginia and his experience of coordinating and facilitating the work of an extraordinary group of local and state government executives, program managers, planners, and faculty members.