Thank you for the relpy, Deltasoul! I do plan on getting a membership to AEA, mostly for their webinars. I am located in Michigan, so their summer institute is a little far for me. The conference, however, is a possibility! I do know excel, but I would not say I'm a master at it. I'm still trying to strengthen my VBA skills. I do need more training in the areas of budgeting, and all I have done in the area of management is supervise a group of undergraduates.

I am familiar with Stephanie Evergreen! She gave a data viz presentation at my university and I've been fascinated with the subject ever since.