The first Congress Teaching and Educational Practice Award recognised a teaching approach developed jointly by Cleopatra Charles from Rutgers University–Newark, in the USA, and Margaret F. Sloan, from James Madison University, USA. Their method is “Evaluating the Intangible Value of the Arts Using FACE Metrics”. stresses how combining the Performance Measurement Cycle, SMART goals, multiple evaluation types, and the FACE framework (Finance, Artistic Value, Community, Engagement), turns evaluation into a story of mission, impact, and accountability.
Cleopatra Charles
Cleopatra Charles is an Associate Professor with expertise in nonprofit finance, philanthropy, and civic engagement in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University, where she has been since 2010. During 2019-2020 she was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in the Department of Civil Society Studies at Charles University in the Czech Republic, and in 2021-2022 she was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the National University for Public Service in Hungary.
Dr. Charles brings deep regional knowledge and longstanding academic and professional connections in Central Europe. Her work bridges theory and practice, focusing on how civil society organisations navigate post-communist transitions and democratic challenges.
A significant part of Charles' work lies at the intersection of nonprofit management and the arts and cultural sector. Her research examines how cultural and nonprofit organisations can maintain financial health while fulfilling their missions, and how governance and financial decisions influence organisational sustainability. In 2024, she co-authored Financial Leadership for the Arts: Sustainable Strategies for Creative Organizations with Margaret F. Sloan, a practical and research-informed resource for arts leaders, students and practitioners.
Margaret F. Sloan
Margaret F. Sloan is Director and Professor in the School of Strategic Leadership Studies at James Madison University in the United States, where she also serves as an advisor in community and nonprofit leadership. She is additionally associated with the National Center for Nonprofit Enterprise. . Prior to teaching, she worked in the nonprofit sector for ten years in a variety of management roles with a focus on arts management, youth programs, and resource development.
Before entering higher education, Sloan worked for ten years in the nonprofit sector in a range of management positions, with experience spanning arts management, youth programmes and resource development. This professional background has remained an important part of her approach to teaching and research, particularly in connecting academic knowledge with the practical challenges faced by nonprofit and cultural organisations.
Her research and teaching interests include nonprofit leadership, financial management, organisational sustainability, collaboration and community engagement. She has contributed to research on nonprofit organisations and public-sector relationships, including work examining collaborative leadership and the changing relationship between nonprofit organisations and government agencies.
