Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024
I am excited to extend a personal invitation to you to join us at our upcoming Evaluation Conference in the vibrant city of Portland, Oregon, from October 21-26, 2024! This year promises to be one of our most inspiring and engaging gatherings yet!
The Evaluation Conference is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together, share knowledge, and build stronger connections within the evaluation community. This year’s theme, Amplifying Voices,” will be brought to life through a variety of keynote presentations, workshops, and panel discussions led by thought leaders and innovators from across our field.
The lack of engagement of new and emerging perspectives in the evaluation field threatens diversity, sustainability, and the evolution of evaluation. At Evaluation 2024, we want to uplift these voices and encourage evaluators at all stages in their careers to bring forth new ideas, practices, and creative approaches to evaluation.
Portland, known for its eclectic culture, beautiful scenery, and incredible food scene, will serve as the perfect backdrop for our conference. In addition to the professional development opportunities, there will be plenty of time to explore and enjoy all that this unique city has to offer. Our hospitality host, the Oregon Program Evaluation Network (OPEN), an AEA Affiliate, is planning activities and providing resources to ensure a wonderful time in Oregon!
Here are a few highlights you can look forward to:
We are committed to making this conference a memorable and rewarding experience for all our members. Whether you are looking to enhance your professional skills, connect with fellow members, or simply enjoy the spirit of camaraderie, the Annual Conference is the place to be.
Early bird registration is now open through September 9th, and I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to secure your spot at a discounted rate. You can register online by visiting the Evaluation 2024 website.
Not able to join us in-person? Stay tuned for updated on how to purchase recordings of the Presidential Strand sessions (includes all plenary sessions and 12 Presidential Strand workshops).
Thank you for choosing AEA as your professional home, and I look forward to seeing you next month in Portland!
Join AEA in Portland, Oregon, for Evaluation 2024! Break free from your daily routine and spend six days learning alongside your peers, exploring evaluation trends and best practices, browsing over 300 poster presentations, and connecting with authors, educators, and your friends in the evaluation community.
Register by September 9 at 11:59 p.m. ET to save! Members also receive exclusive pricing for this event. Learn more about Evaluation 2024.
Message from the 2024 President of the Oregon Program Evaluators Network (OPEN)
My name is Chari Smith, 2024 President of the Oregon Program Evaluators Network (OPEN). I am excited that the AEA conference will be here this October!
Portland is known by many names, some of which include City of Roses, Bridgetown, Portlandia, and Stumptown. Whatever you call it, there’s something for everyone here whether it’s exploring food cart dining, visiting the iconic rose gardens, enjoying a microbrew beer, or strolling along the Willamette River. To plan your visit, check out our Welcome to Portland Guide, you can view that here.
Our Local Arrangements Work Group (LAWG) has been busy preparing for the upcoming AEA conference to occur this October in Portland, Oregon! A heartfelt gratitude to the many volunteers listed below who are working together to make this conference a memorable one.
I can't wait to welcome everyone to my hometown for what's sure to be a highlight of the year! Let's make it a conference to remember!
Take (and Give) Care,
Chari
Chari Smith, 2024 OPEN President, chari@evaluationintoaction.com
PS. The weather can be unpredictable. In October, temperatures are generally in the 60s during the day; however, it may be sunny one day, and rainy the next. So be prepared and pack layers! Also, be sure to visit the selfie station – here’s a sneak peek!
Oregon Local Arrangements Work Group Volunteers for AEA 2024
Oregon LAWG 2024
Role
Lead(s)
AFFILIATE BREAKFAST COORDINATORS
Frances Hampton, Kristi Manseth
EQUITY AND INCLUSION COORDINATORS
Katie Winters, Amani Austin,
All LAWG members are committed to equity and inclusion and wove attention to these values through their roles
LOCAL AREA COLLABORATIVE (LAC) LIAISONS
Harmonie Nyounai-Herrera, Beenish Mehboob
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Beryl Neequaye
LAWG CHAIR
Chari Smith
INTERNATIONAL COORDINATOR
Matt Honore
Committee
Members
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Jerian Abel
Tryce Taylor
Jason Normand
Deborah Good
Jillian Girard
AFFILIATE PROMOTIONAL TABLE COMMITTEE
Courtney Beckel
Heather Fischer
WELCOMING COMMITTEE
Justin Caouette
Alexis Burnett
Amani Austin
Ann Kanof
Karen Kun
Ponta Abadi
CITY ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Kim Leonard
Shelley Devens
Amy Cordier
Becky Seel
Britt Gadbury Wade
Chelsea Dascher
Eric Einspruch
Katie Winters
Regina Wheeler
Area
Lead
Authors
AEA 365 BLOG
Corey Newhouse
Chelsea Ruder
Crystal Meneses
David Keyes
Jean-Marie Callan
Madeline Brandt
Michele Helman Kendra Lodewick
Nelda Reyes
Steve Patty
Call for Papers: Special Section on Positionality in Evaluation
Elevating the voices of minoritized, marginalized, and underrepresented scholars, practitioners, and community members is a priority for us as Editors of the Ethics, Values, and Culture Section of the American Journal of Evaluation. As such, we are requiring all authors who submit manuscripts to our section to include a positionality statement. Positionality statements allow authors to intentionally reflect on their intersectional backgrounds and articulate their social identities (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religion) that are relevant to their scholarship. Positionality statements also allow readers to contextualize the content within journal articles, which is critical for understanding how data were collected, analyzed, and interpreted.
As positionality statements are relatively new to AJE, but are becoming increasingly common, we are releasing a call for manuscripts about positionality statements in evaluation. We are interested in receiving extended abstracts (500-750 words) from one or more authors who answer the following prompts:
This special section will include a preface from the section editors reflecting on their own positionalities within the field of evaluation. We will also discuss why positionalities are needed for social science inquiry and evaluation. Some topics we will touch on include epistemicide, educational violence, and erasure in academia/evaluation; typical framing of voice and identity in social science inquiry; and upholding the sovereign rights of Indigenous peoples.
We encourage submissions from authors traditionally underrepresented in evaluation scholarship, including those under 40 years of age, those whose first language is not English, those who live outside the U.S., those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, those who are Black, Latine, and/or Indigenous, and those who have a disability. We are also interested in receiving abstracts and reflections from those with many identities that also afford them privilege. Manuscript authors should not only reflect on their minoritized identities, but also their privileged positions in society. We seek authors who will also unpack their positions of privilege by boldly and vulnerably discussing the contexts and pathways that privilege has served them and how they have become allies over time to unlearn, learn, and re-learn how to use their components of privilege to make room, advocate, and support evaluation policy, publishing, funding, and practices that are by, for, and with communities different than them.
Please submit abstracts HERE by September 6, 2024. We will send notifications of acceptance by September 20, 2024. The first drafts of the full manuscript (roughly 2,000 – 3,000 words) will be due December 13, 2024. We expect to go through one round of reviews with section editors and then manuscripts will be sent for peer-review in February or March 2025. We welcome questions or inquiries from interested authors. Section editors will provide copy-editing support for those who are invited to submit a full manuscript.
Click here for example positionality statements from the section editors.
Click here for some resources about positionality.
Your voice matters in shaping the future of AEA! It’s time to vote for the 2025 AEA Board of Directors, who will play an active role in our association’s growth and success. The ballot will close September 20, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.
Open Positions (4) President-elect (1)
Members-at-Large (3)
Learn more about the election and each candidate.
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024 AEA Awards! AEA offers awards in seven distinct areas to recognize truly exemplary performance. Our awards program celebrates accomplishments, excellence in published work, support of the association, advocacy efforts, and career achievement of AEA members.
The award winners will be recognized during each plenary session at Evaluation 2024 in Portland, OR October 21-26.
AEA Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award Lyssa Becho, The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University
AEA Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Practice Award Jara Dean-Coffey, jdcPARTNERSHIPS Julia Coffman, Center for Evaluation Innovation
AEA Robert Ingle Service Award Leah Neubauer, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University William Trochim, Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical
AEA Outstanding Evaluation Award Hanh Cao Yu, Center for Evaluation Innovation
AEA Research on Evaluation Award Melvin Mark, Pennsylvania State University
Learn more about the 2024 recipients.
Congratulations to Evalu8ors Ensemble, the winner of the AEA Student Evaluation Case Competition! The winning team from the University of Arizona includes Hannah Douglas, Yamini Sumalatha Bhukya, Emilia Mbone Roland-Umasabor, and their coaches Adriana Cimetta and Rebecca Friesen.
The team will represent the United States at the World Evaluation Case Competition in November. Learn more about the 2024 team and the competition.
If you would like to participate in the Student Case Competition Working group later this year, know an organization that would be a great candidate for an upcoming case, or would like to be a judge next year, please email scc@eval.org! Additionally, information about next year’s competition will be shared on the AEA website in the new year.
New Directions for Evaluation (NDE):
New Directions for Evaluation releases issue on practicing culturally responsive and equitable evaluation in Latina/e/o communities
Join guest editors Lisa Aponte-Soto, Wanda Casillas, Asma Ali, Saúl I. Maldonado, Daniel F. López-Cevallos for an exploration of frameworks and approaches for evaluation that center the voices of Latina/o/e communities. This issue engages the voices of Latina/o/e communities and evaluators and explores the ways in which culturally responsive approaches might be used to humanize their assets.
LinkedIn
Check out NDE’s new LinkedIn page for up-to-date announcements of NDE events, activities and articles.
Contact NDE Co-Editor-in-Chief Sarah Mason with any questions.
American Journal of Evaluation
We are looking forward to Evaluation 2024 this fall! Many AJE editors will be speaking at this year’s conference. Mark your calendar for these sessions:
Call for author positionality statements for the Ethics, Values, & Culture Section Elevating the voices of minoritized, marginalized, and underrepresented scholars, practitioners, and community members is a priority for us as Editors of the Ethics, Values, and Culture Section of AJE. As such, we are requiring all authors who submit manuscripts to our section to include a positionality statement. Positionality statements allow authors to intentionally reflect on their intersectional backgrounds and articulate their social identities (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religion) that are relevant to their scholarship. Positionality statements also allow readers to contextualize the content within journal articles, which is critical for understanding how data were collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Review more information here.
Call for papers for the Economic Evaluation Section AJE’s Economic Evaluation Section is a space for exemplary methodological and empirical work that deepens our understanding of economic evaluation and the value these methods bring to understanding and guiding policy investments. We invite you to submit manuscripts to our section of AJE describing theories, qualitative as well as quantitative methods, findings, uses, and constructive critiques of cost-inclusive evaluations. Review more information here.
Share your accomplishments with AEA! We are excited to introduce the AEA Publishing Corner, which will spotlight work published by our members. If you have a recent publication or professional accomplishment you would like to share, please submit it here.
Congratulations to Tatiana Bustos for the publication of her most recent publication, Evaluation engagement: Historical perspectives and new directions with community-based participatory research principles, which was co-authored by Oluwafunmilayo Ayeni, and Jessica Saucedo.
AEA is excited to launch our new on-demand course: Introduction to Qualitative Analysis: The Sort & Sift, Think & Shift Approach! This interactive course is designed for beginners and experienced evaluators who are seeking to build their skills and approaches in qualitative analysis. The course uses a hands-on approach, encouraging you to actively participate so the material can be absorbed and used to enhance your practice.
Access Now
November 6 and November 13 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST The eStudy will introduce you to systems thinking and the value of using systems lenses in evaluations. Learn how to design insightful evaluations using system diagrams, system traps and system leverages. Throughout the eStudy, you will gain the skills to build ownership of an organization according to the evaluation results.
Register Now
What's new this month in the AEA Online Career Center? Explore the Online Career Center
AEA would like to recognize and thank some of its most longstanding members. Click here to view individuals who are celebrating 5+, 10+ and 20+ years with the association this month!
AEA would like to welcome those who have recently joined the association. Click here to view a list of AEA's newest members.
AEA is a professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of evaluation in all its forms.
The association's mission is to:
Email: info@eval.org
Phone: 1-202-367-1166 or 1-888-232-2275 (U.S. and Canada only)
Website: www.eval.org