PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Sherry Locke, director of advancement for Aroostook County Action Program, recently received certification as an implementer in Results Oriented Management and Accountability, or ROMA.
She is now the third ROMA implementer for the agency, along with Jamie Chandler and Amy Murchison, who both received their certification earlier in the year.
Results Oriented Management and Accountability is based on principles in the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 and provides a framework for continuous growth and improvement. It focuses on the results achieved through an agency’s activities. The process to become an implementer involves a demonstration of understanding ROMA’s basic concepts, demonstration of experience using it in job duties, and acceptance of a role in the national network to promote the use of the full ROMA cycle in an agency.
There are four phases to the training and certification process: taking an online course, attending a one-day introduction to training, preparation of a portfolio to demonstrate understanding of the concepts and use of the practices, and a final exam.
Locke, who joined the agency in 2019, has been instrumental in both bringing additional resources and enhancing processes to meet the needs of individuals and families in Aroostook County. She has a deep understanding of the community needs and is passionate about making Aroostook County a better place to live and work. She is an Aroostook County native and resides in Mapleton with her husband, Chris, and their two teenage children.
“I am eager to incorporate the knowledge that I have gained through this process into the work we do at ACAP each and every day. As a ROMA implementer, I am committed to the elements of ROMA and ensuring that we are continually assessing the needs of the community and the programs and services that we offer to meet those needs,” said Locke.
The use of Results Oriented Management and Accountability was mandated though an amendment of the Community Services Block Grant Act of 1998, through which ACAP, as a community action agency, receives funding to change the lives of County residents for the better and help communities to become better places to live.
Community action agencies are change agents, not simply service providers. They focus on the transition to self sufficiency. Through the use of ROMA, agencies are to project the number of services they will provide and the number of people to be served, as well as results that will be achieved while working on community revitalization and building agency capacity.
ACAP continues to serve more than 14,000 Aroostook County residents annually.
