Steal this Idea: Reporting on Relief Programs with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Thursday, September 17 at 11 a.m. MT
Mari Edwards and Rachel Hauber are responsible for overseeing Tennessee’s Hurricane Helene Block Grant, funded by the USDA and administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Together, they share their strategies for building the strong reporting structures that underpin their program.
Learn how they shaped their reporting strategy to keep their internal team on track while also communicating a clear story to leadership and partners.
They share:
- What it took to build the right data dashboard
- How to fill in the blanks before the structure is ready
- Top KPIs to track to inform leadership and key team members
Rachel Hauber, MPH, PMP is an accomplished program and project management professional with more than 15 years of experience leading strategic initiatives across the public health, government, and health technology sectors. She currently serves as Project Manager for the Hurricane Helene Agricultural and Timber Relief Fund, a disaster recovery block grant funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. In this role, Rachel leads efforts to provide critical recovery assistance to agricultural and forestry landowners across eight counties in Upper East Tennessee that experienced significant impacts from Hurricane Helene in 2024. She oversees program implementation, coordinates key program activities, and helps ensure relief funds are administered efficiently, transparently, and in accordance with federal and state program requirements. Through this work, Rachel supports Tennessee’s agricultural and forestry communities as they recover, rebuild, and restore operations following the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.
Mari Edwards serves as a Project Auditor, Monitor, and Coordinator with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, where she plays a key role in overseeing the Hurricane Helene Agriculture and Timber Relief Fund. Working in partnership with the USDA, Mari supports the management of Tennessee’s Hurricane Helene Block Grant by designing and implementing reporting structures, consulting on technical components of the grant application build, and ensuring that data flows accurately and reliably across the program. Her work includes developing effective dashboards, identifying core KPIs, and shaping systems that keep internal teams aligned while providing clear, meaningful reporting for leadership and partners. Mari brings a practical, systems‑focused perspective to grant administration, ensuring programs are both compliant and operationally strong.