Date: Monday, September 13, 2021
Dear AEA Members,
To celebrate 35 years as an association, AEA is highlighting members that have made an impact within the association and industry. Take a look at some of the recent spotlights you may have missed:
AEA is excited to celebrate our 35th year as an association in 2021! Since our inception in 1986, we have strived to advance evaluation as a profession and provide a space for community amongst a diverse group of evaluators. AEA is standing tall after 35 years, even amid the second year of a global pandemic; we think that is worth commemorating.
We want you to join in the celebration! Send us a few sentences on what AEA means to you or your team by tagging us at @aeaweb on Twitter and Facebook, or on LinkedIn, or email cstokes@eval.org. Take pictures using the AEA Zoom backgrounds (Option 1, Option 2, and Option 3) during committee, TIG, or your own team meetings and send them to us for a chance to be featured in an upcoming AEA Newsletter!
We look forward to seeing you celebrate our anniversary.
In the AEA Board’s August two-day meeting, a few of us were in-person for the first time in many months, and most others joined virtually. We were hosted at the SmithBucklin HQ offices in Washington, DC, with as many COVID-prevention precautions as we could take in place. A key focus of our meeting was an environmental scan of trends that influence evaluation and AEA. We heard an excellent briefing on the work of the Evaluation Policy Task Force (EPTF) about the “eco-system of evidence,” and how federal evaluation managers need to work across the spectrum of evaluative services, including ways to focus on learning, harvest big data sets, and ways to ensure inclusive evaluation practices that reach underserved people in our communities. We considered discussions in the world of philanthropy about equity-focused evaluation and the need for credible, visual, and clear evaluations. This month, we will turn our attention to global developments in evaluation, including but not limited to, government evaluation capacities, GLOCAL evaluation, and sustainability.
There is so much taking place in our profession within AEA and beyond that we must consider as we think ahead on how best to serve our members today and in the future. Our tent is wide, and it also has some boundaries delineated by our mission, guiding principles, and competencies. There is room here for social science and applied evaluation practice. And there is room to grow in how we promote ethical, inclusive evaluation and how we conduct evaluation in a world that relies on big data to inform policies.
With this broader discussion in mind, we turned our attention to AEA’s strategic plan and budget. Our staff and AEA Board Treasurer helped us to understand the tradeoffs and uncertainties they manage day-to-day, and we are grateful for their help given to us to be good stewards of AEA’s funds.
We are excited about our imminent AEA Annual Conference on “Meeting the Moment” and can’t wait to see you there.
Respectfully,
Tessie Catsambas Past President and Board Secretary
Advance your career and further your evaluation understanding at Eval21 Reimagined: A Virtual Experience! Join us November 8-12 for another year of learning, connecting, and idea-sharing. Here are some of the most highly rated benefits of last year's virtual experience, that will carry on in 2021!
The Eval21 Reimagined virtual platform allows you to easily build a customized agenda for the event and designate sessions to watch on your own time. Unlike the in-person conference, you will have access to select sessions after the event, through January 31, 2022. Use the searchable program to review all sessions and see which sessions will be recorded.
Sessions will include a mix of think tanks, panels, lectures, breakout discussions, and more. Topics will cover the subjects that interest you most, including: Data Visualization; Collaborative, Participatory & Empowerment Evaluation; Use & Influence of Evaluation; and International & Cross Cultural Evaluation.
Explore the searchable program here.
While we all miss seeing each other in-person, Eval21 Reimagined provides plenty of opportunities for face-to-face interaction. The virtual platform allows attendees to set up one-on-one, private meetings with peers. You can also set up meetings with a group of attendees, send messages through the attendee directory, and engage in real-time conversation through session chat boxes.
Plus, connect further via Topical Interest Group (TIG) annual meetings to meet members with similar interests. We encourage you to make the most of the virtual event to meet and learn from a global community, uninhibited by travel logistics.
Learn more about Eval21 Reimagined and register today!
AEA invites you to a town hall discussion: "AEA's Fiscal Health: A Transparent Overview." Hear from Executive Director Anisha Lewis and Treasurer Felicia Bohanon to learn how the association is performing financially during the ongoing pandemic.
The town hall will provide an in-depth overview of our most recent fiscal year-end status, investments, revenue, and expense trends. We will also discuss new initiatives and paradigm shifts to boost funding of our programs and operations.
Learn more about the town hall and register to join us on Friday, September 24 at 1:00 p.m. EDT. This town hall will be recorded and added to AEA website for future viewing.
Please forward questions that you would like to be addressed at the town hall to info@eval.org.
Did you know your AEA membership gives you exclusive access to the American Evaluation Association Career Center? Are you new to their field of evaluation and are in need of resources to help you land your dream job? Are you simply looking for a change or are interested in exploring other job opportunities?
Head over to the AEA Career Center for the resources you need to help you land your dream job! Where to start? Your resume! This is your first impression to potential employers – and as a job seeker, it should be current and stand out from the competition. AEA is here to help you:
The American Evaluation Association Resume Critique service allows you to get your resume reviewed by experts with the same critical attention as potential employers. These experts will ensure your resume outlines your strengths and emphasizes vital skills to increase your chance of getting an interview.
Learn more about other AEA member benefits.
In need of a new podcast series to listen to during your workday, commute, or just for fun during your free time? The AJE podcast series dives deeper into selected articles published in American Journal of Evaluation (AJE). Each episode will include an interview with the author to uncover insights form each article.
Start listening now!
AEA members can receive a 20% discount off of select Oxford University Press social work and research method titles when they order through the website www.oup.com/academic using the discount code AEA20.
Clinical Assessment for Social Workers - Clinical Assessment for Social Workers provides a wide range of standardized assessment tools, derived from different perspectives, to give readers greater flexibility in information gathering and intervention planning. Incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods, the authors encourage readers to approach assessment as both an art and a science. They advocate for discovering the balance between scientific, evidence-based approaches and the development of personal practice wisdom.
Practical Implementation in Social Work Practice - Practical Implementation in Social Work Practice is a helpful guide that showcases the benefits of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), with an emphasis on the implementation of high-quality interventions. The book expands on the EBP process from the applied and practical lenses, beginning with an overview of the process of EBP and the relationship between EBP and implementation. Within the chapters, readers will find specialized insight, practical industry tips, and adaptable implementation frameworks and tools to use on their own.
Guilford Press is happy to offer AEA members a 30% discount off the list price of all Guilford titles—plus free shipping (U.S. & Canada) to enhance their work, teaching, training, and research. To see new and recent books, visit your special page at: www.guilford.com/aea. Receive the 30% discount and free shipping by using the promotional code: AFAEA.
AEA members can receive a 20% discount off Routledge products by ordering through the website using the discount code AEA20. Of particular interest to AEA members may be the books in the Comparative Policy Evaluation series (Ray C. Rist, Ed.), most recent title: Changing Bureaucracies: Adapting to Uncertainty, and How Evaluation Can Help – Burt Perrin and Tony Tyrrell Eds.).
The Digital Knowledge Hub is an online platform featuring professional development opportunities for evaluators, by evaluators. See eStudies available for purchase like the ones below.
Looking for a crash course in evaluation? Purchase the Introduction to Eval 101 on-demand course!
Created with the assistance of Tom Chapel, Chief Evaluation Officer for the CDC, Eval 101 provides an overview of the evaluation framework. This hands-on, self-paced eLearning course uses case studies and simulations to teach the step-by-step framework for program evaluation. The tools and insights learned from Eval 101 will empower you to use evaluative thinking effectively and make an immediate and practical impact on your evaluation practice.
Purchase Now.
As an AEA member, you have access to our library of Coffee Breaks. These short, 15-20 minute webinars are great for sharing lessons with your students or other colleagues, while you are apart.
In celebration of our 35th Anniversary, AEA is introducing new Coffee Break conversations featuring AEA leadership interviewing luminaries in our field. These luminaries are longtime members of AEA and have had inspiring careers in evaluation. In our first conversation, AEA’s President-Elect Veronica Olazabal interviewed longtime AEA member and leader in evaluation, Michael Quin Patton. Watch the recorded conversation. We look forward to continuing to celebrate AEA’s rich history and our 35th anniversary with these Coffee Break Conversations. We will be developing more conversations with diverse points of view and representation in the coming months.
Watch Now
In this section, we spotlight events of interest to the AEA community, suggested by fellow members. Please note these events are not sponsored by AEA. If you would like to suggest an upcoming event, email Cady Stokes, AEA newsletter editor, at cstokes@eval.org.
The Sixth International CREA Conference Interrogating Cultural Responsiveness against the Backdrop of Racism and Colonialism (Chicago September 29 -October 1) is only a week away with increasing excitement about our being together in person and virtually. We are pleased to announce Dr. Patty Loew (Northwestern University) as our opening keynote speaker. Dr. Loew is Director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research at Northwestern University and a professor in the Medill School of Journalism. She is a citizen of Mashkiiziibii- the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe.
Below you'll find a brief overview of the conference with more in-depth details here.
September 29, 2021
September 30, 2021.
October 1, 2021
Further details on the keynote/plenary speakers can be found here.
We continue to refine our planning internally and with the Palmer House to meet our high standards for a healthy environment as well as an outstanding conference.
Learn more.
TEI has delivered evaluation training courses to over 10,000 new and seasoned practitioners to elevate their evaluation and research practices. These courses may be of great interest to American Evaluation Association members looking to sharpen their evaluation skills through high-quality instruction from experts in the field. Participation in TEI courses may also be applied to our professional certificates in evaluation.
Join us for our fall program (September 20 – October 1, 2021) for an opportunity to sharpen your evaluation skills, learn new data collection methods, explore new evaluation approaches, and expand your knowledge of evaluation foundations.
You can view all available Fall 2021 courses on our website. Course offerings range from an introduction to assessing and developing your evaluator competencies to a deeper dive into collaborative approaches to evaluation and applied measurement for evaluation.
Please visit our website or contact us at tei@cgu.edu for more information or to learn more about our early bird and multicourse discounts. You can also join our mailing list to receive updates about future TEI programs.
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.