
2025 STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
How Can I Get the Most Out of MS Excel?
This workshop will teach participants how to effectively use Microsoft Excel to manage, organize and report data. The session will cover best practices for structuring spreadsheets to better support data analysis and reporting. Attendees will learn essential skills such as data organization, sorting and filtering, and creating data summaries through formulas and pivot tables. Whether you’re new to Excel or looking to sharpen your skills, this workshop offers practical tools to boost your data management capabilities. This session will be held in the computer lab; laptops are not needed.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how to effectively structure data
- Understand recommended formulas for data management and basic analysis
- Know how to use pivot tables to create summary tables
- Learn how to work with data from multiple sources
Presenters:

Brian Simmons, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Dr. Brian Simmons joined the Carl Vinson Institute of Government in 2013, where he is currently a Public Service Faculty in the Survey Research and Evaluation Support Division. He leads the Institute’s survey research team, partnering with organizations to design and implement rigorous evaluation and data collection strategies. As an Excel power user, Dr. Simmons brings advanced expertise in tools like complex formulas, PivotTables, and Power Query to streamline workflows and uncover actionable insights—skills he actively applies in both professional and personal settings.
Session 1 Options
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- Public Impact to Posts – Social Media Strategies to Tell Your Story
- Better Together: Boosting Team Communication through Self-Awareness and Feedback
- Managing Your Own Professional Development
- Microsoft Teams – Tips and Tricks
- Integrating AI and GenAI Solutions into Work Routines
- Introduction to Microsoft’s Power BI
- Using Data to Make a Difference
- Fundraising@PSO: An Overview and Guide to Being Involved
Session 2 Options
- Never Not Working: Why Our Always-On Culture is Bad for Business and How to Fix It
- Making it Click: How to See and Take Great Photos
- Conversations that Count: Thriving Through Workplace Tension
- Retirement 101
- How Can I Get the Most Out of MS Excel?
- Integrating AI and GenAI Solutions into Work Routines
- Introduction to Microsoft’s Power BI
- Navigating Change in the Workplace
- Opportunities for Creative Engagement in PSO