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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:

  1. Learn how to effectively structure data
  2. Understand recommended formulas for data management and basic analysis
  3. Know how to use pivot tables to create summary tables
  4. 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.