Since 1972, Performance Associates has helped a wide range of clients in business and government improve the performance of their employees. As an experienced industrial-organizational psychology consulting firm, we have the expertise and services to assist companies in maximizing their success in recruiting, selecting, training, retaining, and promoting the best employees.
We employ approximately 20 professionals, all of whom possess both advanced degrees and work experience in a range of fields including industrial-organizational psychology, clinical psychology, labor economics, mathematic, statistics, management, and engineering. With this broad knowledge base, we are able to assign our consultants to projects that correspond to their expertise.
Principal in the firm is Mark. A. Jones, Ph.D., mjones@performanceassocs.com. Dr. Jones, a founding partner of Performance Associates, has over 35 years of experience in employment consulting. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and received his doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology at the University of Memphis in 1975. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Society of Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Dr. Jones' belief in providing solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of each client permeates the firm's work. Unlike some companies, Performance Associates does not rely on boilerplate, favorite processes, or the latest fad in responding to client needs. As evidenced by his past awards for creativity from the Society for Human Resource Management, Dr. Jones looks beyond conventional solutions when a situation calls for a unique strategy, method, or tool. He is a strong advocate of research-based or evidence-based practices, and he has conducted over 300 validation studies in his career. He encourages clients to evaluate the firm's work in terms of economic results. For example, employment tests developed by Performance Associates should produce a measurable outcome in terms of improved performance in areas such as sales, tenure, or productivity.
Assessment of professional and leadership talent is one of the core services provided by Performance Associates. Britt Thomas, Ph.D., bthomas@performanceassocs.com, coordinates this division and has nearly 15 years of experience consulting with organizations in the private and public sectors. He is a 1995 graduate of the industrial-organizational doctoral program at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Thomas joined Performance Associates in 1996. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Society of Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
The firm's employee assessment division has conducted several thousand individual assessments of professional/managerial candidates and operates our assessment center program. Our expertise in leadership assessment provides an additional option for employers seeking to hire, retain, and promote the best employees.
Validation of customized testing and personnel programs within organizations is another core service. This division of the company is under the direction of Ginger Whelan, Ph.D., gwhelan@performanceassocs.com, who joined Performance Associates in January 2007 after serving 18 years with Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. As Director of Employee Metrics and Staffing at Harrah's, Dr. Whelan was responsible for the design and deployment of the company's selection and recruitment programs, performance appraisals, and employee surveys. She also conducted engagement and retention research for all levels of the organization. Harrah's twice selected Dr. Whelan as a finalist for the Chairman's Award.
Dr. Whelan received her BS in Psychology at the University of Georgia and her Master's degree from Hollins College. She completed her doctorate in Applied Psychology in 1996 at the University of Memphis. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the American Psychological Society.
For more information about our services, please call or email us.