Date: Monday, July 31, 2023
From AEA Executive Director Anisha Lewis
Once upon a time, associations did not have to worry about external factors like pandemics having significant impact on their existence. Times have changed, and the last few years have been rough for many organizations, including AEA. However, AEA has fared much better than most, and we can continue to thrive when it comes to our events.
In 2020 and 2021 we hosted successful virtual conferences. In 2022, we hosted our first in-person conference since 2019 in New Orleans, and it was a smashing success with over 2700 attendees.
In approximately 12 weeks, AEA will convene in Indianapolis for our 2023 Annual Conference, and we are counting on your participation to be part of our success story. Our conference theme is The Power of Story, which will be addressed through many innovative lenses.
The majority of our conference program sessions can be found in our online searchable program, including professional development workshops, breakout sessions, ignite sessions, birds of a feather, poster presentations, think tanks and symposiums. To register, view the program or other get information visit the Evaluation 2023 website.
Below are a few highlights of this year’s conference:
While the state of Indiana has recently passed restrictive legislation that does not align with our values, please note that due to our logistical specifications and criteria, it is very difficult to find convention space in a city or state that supports all of our ethical values. We will explore opportunities to collaborate with the Local Affiliate to determine ways in which AEA and our membership can support advocacy efforts.
I invite you to join us on Thursday, August 24th at 2pm EST for a special Town Hall to learn about our conference site selection process and how we are balancing our criteria with state laws.
In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you at Eval23, and please contact us at info@eval.org if you have any questions.
From Esther C. Nolton, PhD, MEd
Who are we, if not storytellers? As evaluators, we have the responsibility and privilege to discover and share stories—our own or others’. These stories extend beyond the experiences of any one person or group to capture a holistic picture with many perspectives. That is, our stories often include a rich array of intrinsic and extrinsic factors and contexts that influence human behavior and experiences. Dr. Corrie Whitmore’s theme for the AEA conference this year, The Power of Story, accounts for all the ways in which stories influence evaluations and evaluations influence stories.
As a member of the 2023 AEA Presidential Conference Committee, I have had the unique opportunity to really sit with and appreciate the nuances of this year’s theme with my fellow Committee members. As a TIG leader and proposal reviewer for several TIGs, I also had the opportunity to see the creative ways in which evaluators interpreted and leveraged the theme to elevate their stories or experiences with stories. From this vantage, I came to realize and appreciate that the theme fully encompasses AEA’s mission as an organization that strives to “improve evaluation practice and methods, increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession, and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action.”
This theme offers presenters and attendees boundless opportunities to explore the utility of stories in evaluation. In addition to considering the different types of stories that are shared, the Committee has been attentive to the ways in which stories are used. During our planning discussions, committee members brought diverse perspectives about the instances, applications, and value of stories in their practice. The versatility of stories and storytelling in evaluation is manifested in thinking about stories as method, testimony, identity, and/or evidence. For example, evaluation as storytelling, stories as inquiry, the storied history of evaluation, stories of evaluators’ experiences, evaluators’ stories about their positionality and identity, stories as a form of communication and dissemination, stories as data, evaluation in service of stories, and stories as sources of credibility.
The Committee has not only generated various perspectives on the production and use of stories, but we also designed innovative avenues for storytelling before, during, and after the conference. Storytellers and listeners will engage in an exciting line up of Presidential Strand presentations, plenary keynote sessions, a story slam event, and a video project. In alignment with AEA’s values, you can expect high-quality, culturally responsive content from voices across the globe that facilitates the continual development of evaluation professionals. Reflective of the Committee itself, we have thoughtfully included diverse voices and perspectives of speakers from underrepresented groups that represent a range of thought and approaches to evaluation. The sessions are intended to be accessible and relatable to attendees at any stage in their career and, hopefully, will be refreshing and inspiring to all who participate.
Despite our planning efforts, we also hope and expect that attendees will seek additional non-structured, organic ways to share stories during and far beyond the dates of the conference. May the conference simply be a way of igniting ideas for storytelling and that stories will continue to flow from and through you in ways that you may not even realize they can. Thank you for sharing your stories, AEA members and friends, I look forward to hearing them!
Deadline: August 11, 2023, 5:00 PM EST
AEA is sharing a Request for Proposals for an evaluation consultant. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the AEA Board’s effectiveness under Policy Governance, identify gaps, and generate recommendations to improve effectiveness and identify any gaps in executing responsibilities. Ideally, the evaluation will also yield questions, recommendations, and templates that can be used in future Board evaluations.
Proposals should be compiled in PDF format and emailed to the AEA Board Evaluation Task Force at boardeval@eval.org. Lean More
AEA is seeking submissions for a firm, group or individual consultant to assist the AEA Board of Directors with developing the Association’s strategic plan. The length of this consultancy is from August 2023 to December 2023. The consultant awarded this contract is expected to support the Board in developing a strategic plan that will help the Board meet the goals of the association.
Please send a letter of interest, proposal, and supporting documentation electronically in a PDF format to rfp@eval.org. You may also send any questions about the RFP or process; we will circulate all questions and responses (anonymously) to all prospective facilitators. Learn More
Summer is almost over, but there is still time to partake in AEA’S Summer Learning Series! Check out our August workshop schedule:
Findings as Fuel: Power Your Organization's Learning With Evaluation Data Tuesday, August 1, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST
Introduction to Independent Consulting Friday, August 4, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
Basics of Using Theory to Improve Evaluation Practice Thursday, August 10, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST
Reducing Harm in Evaluation Practices Friday, August 18, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST
Evaluation 2023 registration is open! We are thrilled to present this year's conference on October 9-14, 2023 in Indianapolis, IN. Evaluation 2023 will include 300+ sessions covering a variety of timely topics. You can view the full program online and customize your conference schedule. If you are unable to join us in person, attend digitally and receive access to all Plenary and Presidential Strand sessions.
Need help requesting funding for Evaluation 2023? AEA has put together a Justification Letter to help you make your case to your employer for financial support to attend Evaluation 2023! Use these talking points, cost and benefit outlines, and sample email language to support your case. Learn More
Deadline: August 13, 2023, 11:59 PM EST
Submit a proposal to an upcoming special issue of New Directions for Evaluation (NDE) on Open Science in Evaluation. Dana Linnell, Ph.D., and Travis R. Moore, Ph.D., are seeking chapter proposals that broadly discuss open science as it relates to evaluation. Articles do not have to be empirical, but authors should be prepared to share any data or materials related to their articles, exemplifying open science practices. Interested authors should submit a proposal to the guest editors by 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, August 13. Questions about abstracts and whether proposals might be a good fit can be sent to the co-editors prior to August 13. Please read the full call for proposals for more information and contact information.
Deadline: August 31, 2023
AEA is seeking volunteers to join the Core Documents Task Force. This Task Force will be made up of 5-8 members and will be charged with managing the Board core documents plan and updates. AEA core documents include the AEA Guiding Principles, Evaluator Competencies, and Cultural Competence Statement. The Task Force will develop a work plan to review the list of core documents and develop an initial set of recommendations for the Board to review in spring 2024. Learn More
If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit a letter of interest, along with a CV by August 31, 2023 to alewis@eval.org.
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.
This month we are spotlighting Nadini Persaud and Brian T. Yates who recently published Cost-Inclusive Evaluation: Planning It, Doing It, Using It. This book is published by Guilford Press.
International Evaluation Events
There are numerous international evaluation events taking place in the coming months. You can find more international events on the Better Evaluation website.
Australian Evaluation Society 2023 AES International Conference Brisbane, Australia, 25–29 September 2023 Learn More
Asia-Pacific Evaluation Association 4th APEA Conference & Evalvisionasia 2023 Manila, Philippines, 4–7 December 2023 Learn More
Save the date- African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) 11th AfrEA International Conference Kigali, Rwanda, 18–22 March 2024 Learn More
U.S. Evaluation Events
The Claremont Evaluation Center (CEC) professional development workshops will be taking place this August. These workshops are taught by leading academics and seasoned practitioners, and cover critical current issues including promoting DEI in the workplace, successful 21st-century leadership, using AI in education and evaluation, and well-being interventions. Learn More
Sign up for upcoming sessions in our Digital Knowledge Hub!
Using Word and Excel to Analyze Qualitative Data
Presenter: Seth Tucker, Evaluation Analyst, TCC Group Dates: September 21 and 28 from 12:00-1:30 PM EST
Learn how to conduct rigorous qualitative analysis using familiar tools like Microsoft Word and Excel in this interactive eStudy. Discover the steps and definitions needed to organize and analyze qualitative data efficiently and effectively without the need for coding software. Register Now
AEA Focus Group eLearning Course
Course Facilitator: Rhonda Williams, PhD
Have you ever been tasked with obtaining feedback from a group of stakeholders? Do you have an interest in improving your strategies for focus groups? Have you thought about improving the coordination and planning for others to share their thoughts?
Purchase the Focus Group eLearning Course to:
Access Now
Introduction to Evaluation 101
Introduction to Evaluation 101 is designed to teach you fundamental evaluation skills, allowing you to maximize the use of your evaluation and drive it home for the end user.
Purchase the Introduction to Evaluation 101 eLearning Course to:
AEA members receive discounts from certain publishers. Use the special codes below during your next purchase:
What's new this month in the AEA Online Career Center? The following positions have been added recently:
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+, 20+, and 30+ 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