Strategic Plan Process

In 2015 the Institute developed our first strategic plan and objectives covering the years 2015-2020. Due to the unfunded legislative changes mandated in Senate Bill 1326, and uncertainty of future funding, the decision was made to not make updates to the strategic plan. The strategic planning process was again delayed in 2021, after the Institute received a legislative appropriation of recurring 10 million dollars to meet the requirements set in Senate Bill 1326, as previously mandated. The impact of this new legislation compelled Institute Leadership to reevaluate the Institute’s goals and priorities and to map out a strategic planning process made of careful and deliberate steps. Leadership worked to identify specific goals and objectives that would define the vision for our priorities and way of work, as well as measurable strategies to guide our activities and decision-making.

To support us in this endeavor, in 2022 the Institute hired an external consultant to develop a comprehensive approach to strategic plan development. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis was conducted, and interviews were held with external and internal stakeholders. In addition, at an Institute retreat in the fall of 2022, staff engaged in a review of the draft 2023-2028 Strategic Plan to ensure the Institute had insight and input from all perspectives . The contributions from these activities allowed Institute leadership to finalize a strategic plan framework that includes guiding principles, goals and objectives, and specific strategies. The resulting plan is designed to incorporate our expanded emphasis on the workforce, while maintaining our position as a research-based institute.