Evaluation Policy Task Force: Call for Applications

Date: Friday, July 7, 2023

Deadline extension: July 28, 2023

The Evaluation Policy Task Force (EPTF), established in 2009, has been the driving force behind AEA’s influence on evaluation-related policy at the federal level. The EPTF is now recruiting new members and invites you to apply.

The EPTF has influenced the understanding and use of evaluation within the federal government in the years since it was founded. In recent years, EPTF has consistently called for attention to and resources for building evaluation capacity within federal agencies. The group has also recommended AEA support for the Administration's position to incorporate Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge as evidence in federal policymaking and contributed to a survey of federal evaluation officials that identified challenges, resources, and opportunities for strengthening evaluation on the federal level. Of note, EPTF created AEA’s Evaluation Roadmap and informed the findings of the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking.

The EPTF is currently chaired by Nick Hart, president of the Data Foundation, who has over a decade of experience working on evaluation policy issues in the federal government. Other EPTF members continuing in 2023 include: Lisa Aponte-Soto, Nicole Bowman, Kerry Bruce (Board liaison), Katherine Dawes, Diana Epstein, Leslie Fierro, Melvin Mark, Kathryn Newcomer, Demetra Nightingale, Gregory Phillips II, and Maurice Samuels (Board liaison).

The Task Force meets monthly for approximately one hour. Applicants may anticipate spending at least an additional hour per month to assist on Task Force statements or other materials, often with a timely response needed. Per the AEA appointment policy, the Executive Committee, the chair of the EPTF, and the Executive Director will review the applications and appoint the new members of the EPTF. As applicants are considered, these criteria will be used to guide the selection process and prioritize eligible candidates:

• Commitment to supporting the mission and goals of AEA.
• Knowledge of and a history of prior involvement with the AEA.
• Background in or related to evaluation policy, and a commitment to improving federal evaluation policy.
• Familiarity with the field of evaluation and capacity to understand and represent the field to others.
• A broad perspective on evaluation and willingness to advocate for the many and diverse views of evaluation.
• Knowledge of the federal, state, local, and Tribal policymaking process and experience with policy development initiatives, particularly interaction with the federal government.
• Representation of all levels of government affected by federal evaluation policy, including state, local, and Tribal evaluation experts.
• Experience with public presentations of evaluation to a variety of audiences.
• Diversity of the Task Force and representativeness of the breadth of members and interests of AEA.
• Ability to work in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Please submit self-nominations, including the reasons why you would like to serve and a description of your relevant experience or qualifications, by July 28 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Please email your submission to evaluationpolicy@eval.org.