Here's a visual representation of what I'm looking at in the file. So this is where I'm looking at the data validation for the drop-downs in Report.

Attached Images

scrn-Excel References.png (99.4 KB, 17 views)

lOrg and lRepPer are Named Ranges, used here because Data Validation doesn't allow using Table references (You get error, when you replace e.g. =lOrg with =tOrg[OrgName] in Data Validation Source. The same happens with Conditional Formatting, but when I remember correctly, with Conditional Formatting Names don't work also - you can use only cell references).

To see all defined Named Ranges (and defined Tables, ODBC Query dataranges, defined Print Areas etc.), select from Menu Formulas and open Name Manager. To see how a name listed in Name Manager is defined, select a name and then Edit (some objects listed in Name Manager, like defined Tables, you can't edit here).

Here I used my own naming convention for Named Ranges. Names beginning with "n" are usually Named Values (like nPI = 3,14...), or fixed Named Ranges (like nName = Sheet1!$A$1 or nName = Sheet2!$A$2:$X$10000). Names beginning with "d" are dynamic Named Ranges (like dName = OFFSET(Sheet1!$A$1,1,,COUNT(Sheet1!$A:$A),10) or dName = tTable). And a specific group are single column dynamic Names defined for using as Data Validation List sources - those are beginning with "l" like ones used here. The reason is, that so are Names grouped in Name Manager. Sometimes I have some 30-40 different names defined for workbook, and it is annoying to search for them over whole Name Manager.

tOrg[OrgName] is that an array reference sort of deal? Where OrgName is substituted with cell values? How exactly does it exclude the first row?

On sheet Organizations is defined table tOrg (I entered field names (header row) and formatted columns. Then I defined Data Validations in column OrgType for some number of rows. Then I selected all headers plus rows where I defined Data Validation, and with selection active I selected from Insert menu Table. Checked "My data has header row" and clicked OK. A Table was defined and a menu pane Design was activated. At left of menu pane I set the name for Table (the default is something like Table1) to tOrg. You can see Table settings, when you select any cell in table and activate then Design menu.

With defined Table, you can use table syntax in formulas.
TableName refers to datarange of Table;
TableName[#All] refers to whole Table (headers + datarange);
TableName[#Headers] refers to header row of Table;
TableName[FieldName] refers to datarange of specific field/column of Table;
TableName[@FieldName] refers to field value on same row with cell you entered the formula;
etc.

So tOrg[Orgname] returns all entries from field Orgname of Table tOrg.

Edit. Differ tables (which you could create in all versions of Excel), and Tables, which were introduced in Excel2007.
Edit. The only downside is, that you can't use tables, when you want to share the workbook. But I avoid Excel sharing anyway whenever possible.

Like using the share function? Because it's on a network drive, other people will be able to access it.

When thy need to access it to read information it is OK. For this the sharing is not needed.

When sharing is used, then several users can open the workbook simultaneously, the user who opened the workbook as first locks it, and when first user closes workbook, the next user can save changes (at least it was something like this until Excel2016 - now MS made changes to this feature I am not familiar with at all).

When the workbook is not shared, any number of users can open it simultaneously too, but none of users opening it as 2nd or further simply can't save it. In case only one user/a couple of users is entering new contacts, the only problem will be the workbook being locked for this contact info administrator, when someone else is looking for info at same time.

A possible solution is to have a master workbook, where contact info is entered by contact info administrator. and every non-administrator user has his/her own workbook, which reads contact info from master workbook using ODBC query, which is refreshed whenever the workbook is opened, or when the user refreshes the query at will. With this design, the Master workbook is always available for editing.

No one accessing it should need more than read access. But, even if they do, as you said, as long as the current write-access account closes the session, they should be able to.