Date: Friday, November 22, 2024
Thank you for allowing me to serve as the 2024 President of AEA, it has truly been a pleasure. I hope that I have represented and served you well during my tenure.
During this year my primary focus has been to work with the board on the development of the AEA Strategic Plan which will guide us over the next three to five years. The framework was approved by the board this week and a Strategic Plan Implementation Task Force is being established to move the plan forward.
My additional focus areas during 2024, along with the AEA Board of Directors and staff, have been to increase opportunities for the voices of new and emerging evaluators to be heard, increasing AEA membership and examining how we can better meet the needs and interest of members and diversification of revenue streams.
I am particularly proud of the 2024 AEA conference where we had over 3,100 attendees and four awesome keynote presentations. The following new and experienced evaluators were recipients of the President’s Award and were acknowledged for their contributions to the field of evaluation representing the Evaluation 2024 theme: Angela Suarez, Anne N. Waswa, Corbin J. Standley, Debra Rog, Dominica McBride, Jessica Tufte, John Lavelle, Nicole Bowman, Paida Chikate, Pamela Caudill Jordan, Stephanie Mui and Vo Ram Yoon. A special thank you to Brandon and Michael Patton for this year’s conference song in honor of the conference theme.
During 2024 I believe we have strengthened our relationships with the African Evaluation Association (AfreA), the Candiana Evaluation Society (CES) and the European Evaluation Society (EES), and as we move into 2025, we are examining how we build upon past relationships and establish stronger collaboratives around the world.
I ask that you join me in supporting the work of AEA by making a pledge to the President’s Annual Funding Campaign. You can support the campaign and select the area of giving by clicking on the donate button on the AEA website.
I would like to thank Past President Corrie Whitmore and board members Tom Archibald, Monica Ruiz-Casares and Katherine Tibbetts for their service to AEA over the past three years, we appreciate you and I appreciate the support you have given me this year.
Again, thank you for electing me to serve as the 2024 President. I look forward to continuing to on the board next year as Past President and I hope to see you in Kansas City in 2025 – we will have more AEA swag!
By Nathan Varnell, Consultant for Evaluation Policy Task Force
The American Evaluation Association announced results from a recent survey which found that federal evaluation officials made significant progress implementing the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act in recent years. According to participants of the survey, implementation of the Evidence Act greatly enhanced the influence of evaluation in key areas of federal agency decision-making. Developed in partnership with the Data Foundation, Measuring Progress: 2024 Survey of Federal Evaluation Officials provides insights into the evolving role of federal evaluation officers and the opportunities that remain for further institutionalizing evidence-building cultures. The full open access report, including recommendations for the evaluation community, is available on the Data Foundation’s website.
We are thrilled to share the highlights of Evaluation 2024, which took place in beautiful Portland, Oregon! This year’s conference brought together 3,122 attendees, showcased 300 posters, and featured 312 sessions, each contributing to the vibrant dialogue and exchange of ideas.
The theme, “Amplifying and Empowering Voices in Evaluation,” resonated throughout the event, especially in the Presidential Strand presentations. These sessions reflected the commitment to inclusivity and empowerment, and we are excited to announce that all Presidential Strand sessions were recorded and will be available for purchase later this year.
One special highlight was the debut of the Evaluation 2024 theme song, set to the tune of Tracy Chapman’s iconic “Fast Car.” With heartfelt lyrics by Michael Quinn Patton and Brandon Patton, and a powerful performance by Brandon Patton, the song premiered during the “Learning from Failure” session on October 24, 2024.
Watch the Full Video
Check out Evaluation 2023’s theme song, “The Power of Story”.
Thank you to everyone who made Evaluation 2024 an incredible success. Your energy, insights, and commitment continue to inspire the evaluation community. We can’t wait to see you again next year!
Last month, AEA hosted an in-person and virtual annual business meetings. The meetings focused on AEA’s accomplishments in 2024 and the new initiatives we are looking forward to in 2025. Members of the AEA Board were on hand to answer questions from members and provide further insights into AEA’s priorities. If you missed either meeting, you can watch the virtual recording here.
AEA relies on the generous donations of our community to offer year-round programing, resources, and community engagement to members and the evaluation community at large. Your donation, no matter the size, makes an impact in bringing evaluation programing to 5,000+ professionals, including students, evaluators underrepresented in the field, and international evaluators, who may not otherwise have access to these resources.
As we approach the giving season, please consider a donation to AEA to improve our programs and ability to serve you, our members.
Make a Gift
President's Annual Funding Campaign
At Evaluation 2024, AEA President Felicia Bohanon announced the new giving campaign, the President's Annual Funding Campaign.
With your generous, tax-deductible pledge of $500 annually over the next five years, you’ll directly support key initiatives that strengthen our profession, enhance member services, and expand opportunities for learning and collaboration. Felicia has pledged to donate $500 over the next five years and invites you to as well.
Learn More
AEA is now accepting applicants for volunteer opportunities in 2025! To apply, complete the application form and select your top three choices for Working Group selections by Friday, January 3, 2025. AEA relies on volunteers for their expertise and vision in driving the association forward.
The Following Working Groups are Recruiting Volunteers in 2025:
Learn more about volunteering with AEA.
The CDC has released the 2024 CDC Program Evaluation Framework, an update to the 1999 framework, which has been a vital resource for conducting high-quality program evaluations since it was first published 25 years ago. We are proud to share that Elena Luna, GEDI alumi from the 2018 cohort, supported this effort.
The 2024 framework maintains the simplicity and flexibility of the 1999 framework, while introducing key updates. The most substantial innovation is the addition of three cross-cutting actions that are foundational to incorporate into evaluation planning and implementation emphasizing collaboration, advancing equity, and using findings.
The updated framework can be used across a wide array of contexts, including emerging and evolving ones by anyone involved in program evaluation efforts. The framework can be used alone or in conjunction with other evaluation approaches, tools, or methods to conduct high-quality evaluations, build evidence, understand programs, and support evidence-based decision-making to improve program outcomes.
CDC is releasing the new framework as a MMWR Recommendations and Reports (announcement below). The new framework demonstrates CDC’s commitment to drive equitable, timely, and high-quality program evaluations that help CDC’s programs and partners achieve public health outcomes. In addition, the CDC is posting an Action Guide that is as a complement to the CDC Program Evaluation Framework and serves as a how-to guide for planning, designing, and implementing evaluations in a practical way.
Join the LaRED (Latinx Responsive Evaluation Discourse) TIG as they celebrate 10 years as a TIG. Formed in 2014, the goal was to form a community of scholars and practitioners focused on culturally responsive and equitable evaluation with the Latinx community. This comunidad was created to inspire evaluators dedicated to social justice and fair evaluations, and to encourage new ideas, critiques, and analyses of current evaluation practices within the Latinx community. The framework of this community aims to transform mainstream narratives and discussions into collective learning and adaptation, promoting empowerment and solidarity to address real-world challenges. (Aponte-Soto et al. 2024)
Learn more about LaRED and their 10 year journey through their LaRED 10th Anniversary poster and their recent aea365 post here.
“LaRED establish a jumping off point for Latinos and Latinas in AEA to be able to start to move towards contributing at a more significant level to the direction of AEA. I mean both in terms of exercising leadership, ultimately being ultimately being elected to the board, to executive office, being participatory and even being the leads of some of the larger, more influential committees, and working groups.” — Arthur E. Hernández
New Directions for Evaluation (NDE):
New Directions for Evaluation releases issue on Evaluating Evaluation Capacity Building
Join guest editors Megan López and Lyssa Wilson Becho (2024 AEA Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Awardee) for an exploration of how to effectively evaluate evaluation capacity building (ECB) interventions, what criteria to measure, and which approaches to take. Articles in this issue speak to the theory, methods, and application of ECB evaluation, and the issue ends with a call to action for the future. Reminder–AEA members have access to all NDE issues by logging in to the AEA website with their username and password.
Call for Junior Editors
Dr. Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead and Dr. Sarah Mason are pleased to announce the kickoff of the second year of the New Directions for Evaluation Junior Editor program!
Call: tinyurl.com/NDEJuniorEditor2024
Application: tinyurl.com/NDEJuniorEditor2024App (Must have a google account to complete the form.)
Deadline: December 13, 2024, at 5:00 pm (U.S. Pacific Standard Time)
NDE Mini Mic Interviews
During Evaluation 2024, New Directions for Evaluation Junior Editors recorded mini mic interviews with attendees. These will be released over the coming months. So, be sure to follow NDE’s LinkedIn and Instagram pages. The first one is already posted to both sites!
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 AEA member Sebastian Lemire and co-authors, Allan Porowski, Kaity Mumma for the publication of their whitepaper, How We Model Matters – Visualizing Program Theories, published by Abt Associates.
Mark your calendars! Evaluation 2025 is happening November 10–15, 2025, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, MO.
Next year’s conference theme, Engaging Leaders, Sharing Leadership, will explore innovative shared leadership approaches and how evaluators can effectively distribute knowledge, data, and stories to create lasting community impact.
Visit the AEA website for more details about Evaluation 2025, including registration information and hotel rates. We can’t wait to see you there!
The organizers of the 2025 national Canadian Evaluation Society Conference, virtual C2025, invite all professionals from the public, private, not-for-profit and academic sectors to submit their proposals for presentations, professional development workshops, and thematic meetups. All proposals must be aligned with the C2025 theme and sub-themes.
The call for proposal will close on December 2, 2024, by 11:59pm Pacific.
Join the Arizona Evaluation Network February 5-6, 2025, for their Annual Conference Workshops. Workshops will include core topics of Next Gen Evaluation with interactive, hands-on sessions from Dr. Ayesha Boyce, Dr. David Fetterman, and Dr. Michael Quinn Patton.
Want to present at the Arizona Evaluation Network's 2025 annual conference? Abstract submissions are due on December 5. Click here for more details.
Check out AEA’s 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.
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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.
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