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May 2016Vol 19, Issue 5
Message from the President - Why Evaluation and Design? 
From John Gargani, 2016 AEA President

For many, the word design conjures up images of sleek cars, elegant interiors, and high fashion. What do these things have to do with evaluation? Very little. That is not to say evaluators don't have style. Heck, we invented the "data-nerd-cool" style long before there were apps, iPhones, the internet, or even desktop computers.

 
In This Issue
International Partnership Program Highlights
Diversity
Potent Presentations Initiative
Policy Watch
International Policy Update
Editorship Nominations Sought
Announcing the 2015 AEA Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award Winner
AEA Call for Awards Nominations
New Jobs & RFPs
Quick Links
International Partnership Program Highlights 
From Denise Roosendaal, AEA Executive Director 

AEA has offered the International Partnership Program (IPP) for two years. In these two years, three partnerships were approved for funding.
 
In March 2015, Washington Evaluators invited members of the National Monitoring and Evaluation Network of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Monitoring and Evaluation Community of Practice (MonEvCoP) of Tajikistan to come to Washington, D.C. to share operational and organizational experiences. Two representatives from these organizations shared what they have learned and consulted with a wider audience of U.S.-based evaluators at a presentation for their membership, government agency representatives, universities, and consulting firms.


Diversity - Call for Applications: AEA Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program (GEDI) 
From Zachary Grays, AEA Headquarters 

DEADLINE: Monday, June 20, 2016 

AEA welcomes applications for its Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program that provides paid internship and training opportunities during the academic year. The GEDI program works to engage and support students from groups traditionally under-represented in the field of evaluation.

Continue reading 
 
Potent Presentations Initiative - Put Your Best Feet Forward 
From Sheila B. Robinson, Potent Presentations Initiative Coordinator 

Greetings, Potent Presenters! Have you given much thought to the role your body plays in your presentation? You may think you appear cool as a cucumber on stage, behind the podium, or in the front of the room, but your hands, feet, and face cannot be trusted to keep your secret if you're shaking and quaking on the inside. Even if you do feel calm and confident when you present, does your body tell a consistent story to your audience?

 
Policy Watch - EPTF Renewed and Looking Forward 
Oros
From Cheryl Oros, Consultant to the Evaluation Policy Task Force (EPTF)

With spring comes renewal, and the Evaluation Policy Task Force (EPTF) is updating its work plan and has added several new members on three-year terms. You may want to consider working on the EPTF Board in the future as part of your contribution to the field of evaluation or becoming involved in current efforts. 

 
International Policy Update - 
Help Us to Implement the First-Ever Global Evaluation Agenda

From Mike Hendricks, AEA Representative to the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE), with contributions from Jim Rugh, EvalPartners Co-Coordinator

EvalPartners, the global movement to strengthen evaluation (an important movement in which AEA plays a vital role) has recently published the first-ever global evaluation agenda. It's titled Global Evaluation Agenda 2016-2020, often shortened to EvalAgenda2020, and in our humble opinion, this Agenda is required reading for anyone interested in evaluation, whether international or domestic. You can read either the full report or just the seven-page executive summary, but we urge you to read at least one. AEA is also tracking various other international activities on our International Connections webpage.

 
The American Evaluation Association Seeks Nominations for the Editorship of New Directions for Evaluation
New Directions for Evaluation (NDE), a quarterly sourcebook, is an official publication of AEA. NDE publishes empirical, methodological and theoretical works on all aspects of evaluation. NDE issues may focus on any topic relevant to evaluation as a practice, profession or discipline. The following illustrate potential foci for NDE:
 
  1. Evaluation practice such as approaches, methods, or techniques that can be applied. For example, the use of templates, case studies, or survey research;
  2. Professional issues of importance for the field of evaluation. For example, the use of evaluation or locus of evaluation capacity;
  3. Societal issues that explore the implications of intellectual, social, or cultural developments for the field of evaluation. For example, poverty, disparities, or globalization;
  4. Exemplars that advance and celebrate excellence in evaluation practice or teaching; and
  5. Evaluation theory including the philosophical groundings of evaluation or conceptual issues in evaluation. For example, the bases for justifying evaluative conclusions or explications of core concepts like validity.
 
The editor's responsibilities and duties include soliciting proposals for guest-edited issues, accepting and rejecting proposals and manuscripts based on their quality and suitability for NDE, appointing an editorial board to review NDE proposals, guiding proposals for issues through a peer-reviewed process, overseeing revisions to proposals and issues, and working with the publisher on production matters. The publisher is responsible for all production aspects of NDE. The editor will receive modest editorial support of $10,000 per year to cover costs of postage, telephone, photocopying, and other direct expenses.
 
Nominees should meet the following criteria:
  • Have a record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals or scholarly books
  • Have a record of evaluation practice
  • Possess strong managerial and organizational skills
  • Have been a member of AEA for at least three years
  • Demonstrate a commitment to AEA's values
  • Have relevant experience in the editorial process, such as serving as a guest or section editor for a book, journal, or other scholarly publication or service as an editorial board member
  • Have adequate institutional support to host journal operations
Self-nominations and nominations of others are welcome. We welcome nominations from individuals and from a pair of colleagues who wish to serve as coeditors. Nominees may be asked to submit supplemental materials or to participate in an interview.
 
Because NDE is a thematic journal, it has an extended lead time between the review of a proposal for an issue and its publication. Thus, we are seeking considerable overlap between the current and new editor to allow both for transfer of process knowledge as well as shepherding of issues throughout the process by the new editor that will be published under her or his tutelage. The deadline for nominations is August 15, 2016. Appointment of the new editor will be made by the AEA Board of Directors no later than October 25, 2016, so that he or she may meet with the current editor at the 2016 AEA Conference in Atlanta and learn from the current editor and the journal publisher prior to taking over as editor-in-chief on January 1, 2018.
 
Candidates should send a letter of nomination, including curriculum vita and the names of three references who can speak to the quality of candidate's editorial experience via email to Denise Roosendaal, AEA executive director, at [email protected]. Please feel free to contact Robin Miller, chair of AEA's Publications Working Group, with any questions about the NDE editorship or the process of selection at [email protected].
 
Announcing the 2015 AEA Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award Winner
AEA honored seven individuals at its 2015 Awards Luncheon in Chicago. Honored this year were recipients in six categories who are involved in cutting-edge evaluation/research initiatives that have impacted citizens around the world. We will spotlight each award winner in upcoming issues. In this issue, we extend our congratulations to Young Mi Kim. 
 
Young Mi Kim, Senior Research and Evaluation Associate, Jhpiego
2015 AEA Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award
 
Dr. Kim has over 30 years of experience in research and evaluation. She has worked on research and evaluation to improve the quality of healthcare and health communication in over 25 countries in Asia (e.g., Afghanistan, Indonesia), Latin America (e.g., Mexico, Peru), the Near East (e.g., Egypt, Turkey), and Africa (e.g., Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa). She is currently senior research and evaluation associate at Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. She also is a member of the faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Heath (JHSPH), International Health Department. Previously, she was the senior advisor for research and evaluation for 19 years at the Johns Hopkins University, Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and a senior faculty associate at the Department of Health, Behavior and Society (HBS), JHSPH. Dr. Kim is well known for her contribution to frontline research and evaluation that advances knowledge and practice for improving the quality of service and communication of healthcare workers as well as for empowering communication by clients and community members. Her work has encompassed diverse client populations (youth, couples, men, and women), service areas (family planning, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and cervical cancer prevention), and regions (Asia, Latin America, Near East, and Africa). Dr. Kim has also worked extensively with organizations in developed and developing countries to improve their capacity for writing journal manuscripts. In 2005-2006, she held a leadership position in the American Public Health Association (APHA) as a chair of the Population, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health (PFPRH) section. In 2003, USAID recognized her outstanding contribution to research and promotion of best practices for improving quality of care with a MAQie (Maximizing Access and Quality) award. From 2002 to 2008, Dr. Kim collaborated closely with WHO in field testing and evaluating of WHO's decision-making tools for family planning counseling for the general population and people living with HIV/AIDS. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Korean. She lives in Paris.
 
Dr. Kim had the following to say about receiving the award:
 
"This award means a lot to me personally and professionally. I am honored to be recognized by my peers. More importantly, the award reminds me of the kindness and help I have received throughout my career from my colleagues in developing countries, who gave me the opportunity to learn about program evaluation at first hand. Finally, this award acknowledges the dedicated efforts made by Jhpiego to improve program evaluation and will serve as an inspiration for the future."
 
AEA Call for Awards Nominations - Last Call - Deadline: Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Nominations are now being accepted for the eight American Evaluation Association Awards. Please take this opportunity to acknowledge outstanding colleagues and outstanding work. Through identifying those who exemplify the very best in the field, we honor the practitioner and advance the discipline.
 
Aside from the Ingle Award, all awards are open to non-AEA members as a way to recognize contributions to the field. Self-nominations are accepted but should also be supported by a recommendation from an AEA member.
 
AEA awards recipients will be recognized at Evaluation 2016, to be held October 24-29 in Atlanta. The awards presentation will take place during the Awards Luncheon at the annual meeting. Recipients are announced in the American Journal of Evaluation and each winner will receive a complimentary year of membership to the American Evaluation Association.
 
All nominations must be completed and received in the AEA office by Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in order to be considered. Learn more here.
 
New Jobs & RFPs from AEA's Career Center
What's new this month in the AEA Online Career Center? The following positions have been added recently: 
  • Applied Research and Program Evaluation Director at University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (Boston, Shrewsbury, and Hadley, Massachusetts)
  • Learning and Evaluation Director at Latin American Youth Center (Washington, D.C.)
  • Senior Evaluator/Evaluation Associate at SmartStart Evaluation and Research (Irvine, California)
  • Research Assistant at Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services (Pasadena, California)
  • Manager of Data and Reporting at Larkin Street Youth Services (San Francisco, California)
  • Senior Research Specialist at University of Illinois at Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Evaluation and Learning Manager at First 5 Monterey County (Salinas, California)
Get Involved
Welcome, New AEA Members!
Click here to view a list of AEA's newest members.  
About Us 
AEA is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of evaluation in all its forms.
 
The association's mission is to:
  • Improve evaluation practices and methods.
  • Increase evaluation use.
  • Promote evaluation as a profession.
  • Support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action.
phone: 1-202-367-1166 or 1-888-232-2275 (U.S. and Canada only) 
website: www.eval.org

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