EvaluLand

This month I chat with Brittany Dernberger about her evaluation background and practice. Brittany Dernberger is a sociologist and gender inequality expert who has led research, evaluation, and organizational learning across academia, philanthropy, government, large international NGOs, and small nonprofits. Brittany currently leads global initiatives to measure systems-level change at CARE and co-chairs the American Evaluation Association Systems in Evaluation Topical Interest Group. Learn more about Brittany’s work at http://brittanydernberger.com/. Access CARE’s completed Systems-Level Impact evaluations at https://careevaluations.org/evaluation/keywords/systems-level-impact/. The AEA Systems in Evaluation TIG paper on Principles for Systems Thinking in is available at https://www.betterevaluation.org/sites/default/files/SETIG-Principles-FINAL-DRAFT-2018-9-9.pdf. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

This month I talk with Allison Prieur about her experiences as a graduate student in evaluation and running a business. Some resources mentioned or suggested for listeners: * Logic of evaluation (https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/evaluation-social-betterment/201810/the-application-the-logic-evaluation-the-real-world) * Evaluation of logic in practice (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2019.101681) * Destination Dissertation (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442246140/Destination-Dissertation-A-Traveler's-Guide-to-a-Done-Dissertation-Second-Edition) * Allison Prieur's LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonprieur) Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

In this episode, I chat with Corey Newhouse and Jessica Manta Meyer, both from Public Profit, about how to make evaluation capacity building sticky for the organizations we work with. Some resources mentioned: TIERS Framework (https://aea365.org/blog/ie-tig-week-laura-beals-and-rachel-albert-on-tiers-a-tool-for-allocating-evaluation-resources-at-nonprofit-agencies/) Tipping Point Community (https://tippingpoint.org/) Irvine Foundation (https://www.irvine.org/) Change Cadet (https://www.changecadet.com/) NonProfit AF (https://nonprofitaf.com/) article on capacity building does not work (https://nonprofitaf.com/2020/10/capacity-buildings-necessary-existential-crisis/) Info on the Public Profit’s evaluation cohort (https://www.publicprofit.net/Driving-Toward-Impact) Contact information: info@publicprofit.net About Corey: Corey got her start as a teacher at Summerbridge Cincinnati in the early 1990s and has been involved in educational equity and social justice movements ever since. She founded Public Profit to build a team that would seamlessly blend social science research methods, organizational change strategy, and a deep commitment to supporting changemakers. As the Founder and Principal of Public Profit, Corey leads the team’s strategic direction, external relationships, and business development. In addition, Corey serves as an internal thought partner to project teams, assisting with the design of Public Profit’s engagements in evaluation, capacity building, and strategic program design. She is co-author of Public Profit’s Creative Ways to Solicit Stakeholder Feedback and Dabbling in the Data, and a contributor to Evaluation Failures: 22 Tales of Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned. She is a co-editor of the volume, Measure, Use, Improve! Data Use in Out-of-School Time. About Jes: Jessica began her career as a peer volunteer on a national youth talkline providing referrals and support to youth in crisis. Challenged by what she heard on the talkline, and by some of her own experiences with the health care system, she developed an interest in health education, equity and advocacy, which launched a career in the social services sector. Eventually, Jessica combined that with a lifetime love of numbers and inquiry, which led her to program evaluation. Prior to joining Public Profit, Jessica had several years of experience creating, directing and evaluating a range of youth development, LGBT, and health programs. Her work has run the gamut of nonprofit and social service roles including nonprofit finance, human resources, development and agency-led evaluations. Jessica directs many of the projects at Public Profit. She designs evaluation studies, develops project strategy, and manages implementation including all aspects of data collection, analysis, and reporting. An expert facilitator, Jessica also facilitates large stakeholder meetings and evaluation capacity building trainings, and provides evaluation coaching to clients and staff alike.

In this episode, I chat with Michael Moses about theory-based approaches for navigating complexity, adaptive management, participatory strategy, and actions to shift power. Things and resources mentioned: Systems thinking in evaluation (https://www.bobwilliams.co.nz/ewExternalFiles/Wicked.pdf) (including a discussion of complexity) - Bob Williams and Sjon Van't Hof Outcome mapping (https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/approaches/outcome-mapping) and outcome harvesting (https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/approaches/outcome-harvesting) and emergent learning (https://emergentlearning.org/) Emergent Learning (https://emergentlearning.org/) (including before action reviews, after action reviews, emergent learning tables, and more approaches for supporting collective learning and action) Strategy Testing (https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Strategy-Testing-An-Innovative-Approach-to-Monitoring-Highly-Flexible-Aid-Programs.pdf) - Deborah Ladner and the Asia Foundation Kat Haugh (https://www.katherinehaugh.com/) - visual facilitation, sensemaking, and notetaking Learning to Make All Voices Count Initiative - Summary (https://www.makingallvoicescount.org/supporting-local-learning-adaptation-understanding-effectiveness-adaptive-processes) and full paper (https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/20.500.12413/13351/MAVC_RR_Moses%20FINAL.pdf) Cynara training on Decolonizing M&E and Research (https://cynara.co/trainingstore/decolonize), led by Michelle Lokot (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/michellelokot) Contact information: Michael Moses mmoses@encompassworld.com (mailto:mmoses@encompassworld.com) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-moses-a9bb9616/) About Michael Moses: Michael Moses is a strategist, facilitator, and evaluator with over 12 years of experience working with public and private sector partners to achieve social impact. He advises foundations, companies, governments, and nonprofits in their efforts to design and implement strategies for advancing change, including by capturing and using data to navigate the complex systems in which they work. In doing so, he helps changemakers learn how to improve programs and organizations, adapt, and over time, strengthen their impact.

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Tatiana Elisa Bustos on community-based participatory research (CBPR). We talked about what it is, how it compares to research and other similar forms of inquiry, and how to get started doing CBPR. Disclaimer: Views expressed here are personal and not reflective of the speaker's respective employers or agencies. Contact information Dr. Tatiana Elisa Bustos tbust002@gmail.com (mailto:tbust002@gmail.com) @TElisa72 (https://mobile.twitter.com/telisa72) https://www.linkedin.com/in/tebustos/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tebustos/) About Dr. Bustos Dr. Tatiana Elisa Bustos knows that community partner engagement is key to understanding social issues. She’ll share her experience applying community-based participatory research approaches. Dr. Bustos innovates outside the box ways to do research that invite community participation, improving programs through implementation with a social justice lens. As a 1st generation college student and the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants, equity is deeply important to her. She is an author and award-winning researcher. She leads professional development workshops on implementation science and community based participatory research. She received her PhD in Community Psychology from Michigan State University, an MS in Psychology from Nova Southeastern University, and a BA in Psychology from Florida International University. Connect with her on LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tebustos/) Dr. Bustos also appeared on The Sci-Files on Impact 89FM and Beyond the Manuscript, the podcast of Progress in Community Health Partnerships. Resources Professional Organizations * Society for Community Research and Action (http://scra27.org/) * American Evaluation Association Connect (http://comm.eval.org/search?executeSearch=true&SearchTerm=community+based+participatory+action+research&l=1) (CBPR search) * Community Psychology TIG (http://comm.eval.org/communitypsychology/home) Training Institutes * https://www.detroiturc.org/programs-expertise/cbpr-capacity-building (https://www.detroiturc.org/programs-expertise/cbpr-capacity-building) * https://www.detroiturc.org/about-cbpr/online-cbpr-course (https://www.detroiturc.org/about-cbpr/online-cbpr-course) * https://www.mitrainingcenter.org/courses/cbprs0218noce (https://www.mitrainingcenter.org/courses/cbprs0218noce) Toolkits * https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/evaluate/evaluation/intervention-research/main (https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/evaluate/evaluation/intervention-research/main) Journals * Global Journal of Community Psychology (https://www.gjcpp.org/) * American Journal of Community Psychology (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15732770) * Collaborations: A Journal of Community Based Research and Practice (https://collaborations.miami.edu/)

In this episode, I provide a brief overview of the #Eval22 conference, describe the schedule at a glance, and provide tips for getting the most out of the conference. I hope to see you in New Orleans! Say hi to me at the conference to get an EvaluLand nametag ribbon. Eval22 Resources Register to attend the AEA Annual Business Meeting (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Annual-Business-Meeting) on November 3 at 2pm ET; a recording will be made available after the meeting. Register to attend TIG virtual meetings (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Topical-Interest-Groups) before and after the conference See the conference schedule at a glance (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Schedule-At-A-Glance) or the entire searchable program (https://evaluation.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/2/sessiongallery/schedule?dayId=13&searchParams=%7B%22pageIndex%22%3A0,%22sortMode%22%3A%22SessionName%22,%22sortDirection%22%3A%22Ascending%22,%22sortByFieldId%22%3Anull,%22displayMode%22%3Anull,%22filterByFieldValues%22%3A%5B%5D,%22filterByTextValue%22%3Anull,%22filterByFavorites%22%3Afalse,%22filterByScheduleRoomIds%22%3A%5B%5D,%22filterBySessionTypeIds%22%3A%5B%5D,%22filterByScheduleDayIds%22%3A%5B%5D,%22filterByScheduleTimeSlotIds%22%3A%5B%5D,%22isScheduleOtherEventSearchAllowed%22%3Atrue%7D) Learn more about the professional development workshops (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Workshops) offered Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday prior to the conference Attend all the social events (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Social-Events) at the conference: poster exhibit & meet the authors reception, TIG fair & reception, and the silent auction to benefit international presenters Attend all the plenary sessions (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Plenary-Sessions) and presidential strand sessions (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Presidential-Strand) focused on the theme of the conference (https://www.evaluationconference.org/About/2022-Theme) and watch the virtual pre-conference presidential town hall series (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Programs/Virtual-Pre-Conference-Presidential-Series) that occurred in the months leading up to the conference Check out the resources for attendees (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Attendees/Attendee-Resources), including guide to New Orleans, Zoom background options, PowerPoint templates, marketing toolkit, and tips for social media Check out the speaker resources (https://www.evaluationconference.org/Speakers/Presenter-Resources), including information about rooms and materials, printing and shipping, and the potent presentations information (https://www.eval.org/Education-Programs/Potent-Presentations) Check out the floor plan for the Exhibit Hall (https://floorplan.dc.smithbucklin.com/fxfloorplan/22AEA/exfx.html#floorplan), including the exhibitors, posters, and TIG fair This LinkedIn post by Sylvia Pu, PhD has a ton of great comments about how to get the most out of the conference (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sylviapu_aeaconference-aea-activity-6985348540688433152-ssj1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop)

I talked with Dr. Tamara Hamai of Hamai Consulting about contracting, subcontracting, and independent consulting in evaluation. We discussed the minor differences between contracting and subcontracting, cleared up a common misconception of what subcontracting relationships are like, how to get into subcontracting, and tips for setting up contracts. Contact information: Tamara Hamai Hamai Consulting assistant@hamaiconsulting.com https://sustainableimpact.co About Dr. Tamara Hamai: Tamara Hamai, Ph.D., has dedicated her career to empowering organizations and rebuilding our global systems to encourage children’s holistic growth and well-being, from prenatal through the completion of higher education – especially those who are most vulnerable and facing the greatest challenges. In 2008, she founded Hamai Consulting as a platform to help organizations increase their impact, stability, and strength to make a bigger impact in children’s lives. Dr. Hamai’s work spans most aspects of child development, such as early childhood education, higher education, child welfare, parenting and discipline, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences. She has previously been featured by KTLA, KPIX CBS San Francisco, ABC 7 News, NBC Radio, American Psychological Association, Western Psychological Association, Institute for Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, American Evaluation Association, National Head Start Association, and several blogs. She is also a reviewer and on the Editorial Board for publications such as the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, Journal of Sexual Abuse, and the Journal of Child Custody. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

This episode I chatted with Carrie Tanasichuk and Harry Daley about how they have been using theories of change as their main process for facilitating strategic planning with non-profits. In the episode, they also mentioned: * The Community Foundation of Saint John’s impact measurement and evaluation principles (https://thecommunityfoundationsj.com/impact/) * The Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change (https://www.theoryofchange.org/pdf/TOC_fac_guide.pdf) * The Miles Nadal (https://www.mnjcc.org/) JCC Theory of Change (https://changeopenly.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/TOCsample-MNjcc_TheoryofChange.pdf) About Carrie and Harry: *Carrie Tanasichuk *(Twitter DrCarrieTee (https://twitter.com/DrCarrieTee) & carrie@sjfoundation.ca (carrie@sjfoundation.ca)) has 16 years of experience in evaluation. She is passionate about using her expertise to help organizations demonstrate impact, improve, and innovate. She has worked across sectors (non-profit, for-profit, government) in diverse areas, including poverty reduction, youth development, criminal justice, health promotion and screening, and technology. She has a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan. Harry Daley (harry@sjfoundation.ca (harry@sjfoundation.ca)) was born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick. He has dedicated his personal and professional life to working with organizations that focus on poverty reduction and amplifying the youth voice. He has used evaluation as a tool for designing experiential and participatory youth programming and believes evaluation is an integral aspect of program design and facilitation rather than something that lives outside the programs. Harry has a Bachelor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Leadership from the University of New Brunswick’s Renaissance College. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

This episode I chatted with Bradlie Nabours about how he got into the field of evaluation and his experience applying for evaluation jobs. He also talks about his evaluation experience and provides great tips on applying for jobs in the evaluation space. Job search & application recommendations: Don’t give up. Know your worth. The job process is difficult, but don’t settle and remember it doesn’t reflect necessarily on you. Keep applying! Don’t limit yourself in what positions you look for. Expand your horizons. Network like your life depends on it! This includes having an online presence and building and leveraging connections with people in your field such as through LinkedIn, EvalYouth (LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/evalyouth-north-america/) & Twitter @evalyouth_na (https://twitter.com/evalyouth_na)), and your professors! Be a versatile applicant. Build your resume. Seek out learning opportunities to grow as a professional. Be willing to experiment and try new things. Contact information: Email: bradlietnabours@gmail.com (bradlietnabours@gmail.com) Twitter: bradn98 (https://twitter.com/bradn98) LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bnabours About Bradlie Nabours: Bradlie is a perinatal health program evaluator at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St.Petersburg, Fl. He works for a federal Healthy Start program focused on reducing adverse perinatal outcomes for black women and their families. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Public Health from Georgia Southern University and completed his Master’s in Public Health with a graduate certificate in Maternal and Child Health from the University of South Florida. He started his evaluation journey while in grad school where he worked as a graduate assistance on the evaluation of a non-profit family violence prevention program. While in grad school his research focused racial disparities in birth outcomes which led him to start his career at the intersection of his research interest and evaluation. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

On this episode, I’m chatting with Dr. Tristi Nichols about her work conducting international evaluation and her journey into the international and evaluation spaces. Resources: Footprint evaluation (https://www.betterevaluation.org/en/footprint-evaluation-webinar) OECD DAC Criteria for Evaluation Framework (https://www.oecd.org/dac/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.htm) List of websites to find international evaluation: * https://www.ungm.org/ type “evaluation” in the title bar [for UN only] * https://reliefweb.int/ or https://reliefweb.int/jobs * https://www.evalcommunity.com/ Contact information: Tristi Nichols tnichols@manitouinc.com 914-414-8288 @tristiempo https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtristinichols/ Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

On this episode, I’m chatting with Dr. Ayesha Boyce about the evaluation job market. Ayesha provides a ton of great insights and information about how to search for jobs, what to consider when looking for jobs, and tips for being a strong job candidate. Ayesha was previously on the podcast discussing "teaching evaluation and supporting students and colleagues of color (https://evaluland.fireside.fm/4)." Contact information: Ayesha Boyce Email: ayesha.boyce@asu.edu Twitter: @AyeshaBoyce Website: https://education.asu.edu/about/people/ayesha-boyce About GUEST: Ayesha Boyce is currently an associate professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University. She also co-directs the STEM Program Evaluation Lab (http://www.stemprogramevaluation.org). Boyce’s scholarship focuses on attending to value stances and issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, cultural responsiveness, and social justice within evaluation—especially multi-site, STEM, and contexts with historically marginalized populations. She also examines teaching, mentoring, and learning in evaluation. She has evaluated more than 55 programs funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), US Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, and Spencer and Teagle foundations. Boyce is a 2019 American Evaluation Association Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award recipient. In her teaching and mentorship, Boyce encourages students to develop a strong methodological foundation, conduct studies based on democratic principles, and promote equity, fairness, inclusivity, and diversity. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

On this episode, I’m chatting with Eric Persaud about evaluation at the National Institutes of Health, including his work in the Worker Training Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. We also talked about his dissertation, how he got into the field of evaluation, and his experiences in conducting evaluation in general. About Dr. Eric Persaud: Eric Persaud received his doctorate in Public Health at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, State University of New York-Downstate Health Sciences University. He focuses on evaluating and researching training programs related to preparing workers for emergencies and disasters, and hazardous workplaces. He has been involved in evaluation and research associated with fentanyl and first responders, opioids and the workplace, and protecting workers from COVID-19. You can reach Eric Persaud at Eric.Persaud@NIH.gov You can learn more about the NIEHS Worker Training Program at https://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/about_wetp/index.cfm Resources: Biosafety and infectious disease occupational health training from the NIEHS Worker Training Program: A Historical look at capacity building that supported a COVID-19 response. Eric Persaud, Deborah Weinstock, Demia S. Wright. Journal of Emergency Management. 2022. (https://www.wmpllc.org/ojs/index.php/jem/article/view/3172/3440) Opioids and the Workplace Prevention and Response Awareness Training: Mixed Methods Follow-Up Evaluation - Eric Persaud, Aimee Afable, Laura A. Geer, Paul Landsbergis, 2021 (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10482911211010343) COVID-19 Biosafety Training and Infectious Disease Response Evaluation Report. NIEHS Worker Training Program. 2021. (https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=13421) Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

This episode I chatted with Jan Noga about systemic design thinking. There’s a wealth of resources and information provided below! Contact information: Jan Noga Jan.Noga@pathfinderevaluation.com www.pathfinderevaluation.com About Jan Noga: Jan Noga is an independent evaluation consultant based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford in developmental and counseling psychology with specialization in early and middle childhood and a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati in instructional design and technology. Jan has worked in the non-profit and public sectors in human services and education for more than 30 years in roles spanning teaching, research, policy, and program planning and evaluation. As a program evaluator, Jan has planned and conducted both large and small-scale evaluations and provided organizational consulting and capacity building support to clients. She has also taught courses and workshops on such topics as systems thinking, systemic design thinking, research methods and techniques, program planning and development, and survey design and analysis. Jan has been a member of AEA since 2000 and was one of the founding members of the Systems in Evaluation TIG, serving as program chair and then TIG chair from 2004-2012. She is particularly interested in the use of systems approaches as a foundation for design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of change efforts in the human service and education arenas. Systems Thinking Resources for Evaluators: Hands on resources: * Williams, Bob. 2020. Systemic evaluation design: A workbook. Available for download from https://bobwilliams.gumroad.com/ * Williams, Bob. 2021. Systems diagrams: A practical guide. Available for download from https://bobwilliams.gumroad.com/ Good for starting out * Anderson, V. & Johnson, L. (1997). Systems thinking basics: From concepts to causal loops. Waltham, MA: Pegasus Communications. * Meadows, D.H. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing. * Ramage, M. & Shipp, K (2009). Systems Thinkers. New York: Springer. * Sweeney, L.B. & Meadows, D. (2010). The systems thinking playbook. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing. * Williams, B. & Hummelbrunner, R. (2011). Systems concepts in action: A practitioner’s toolkit. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. * Williams, B. and Imam, I, eds. (2007). Systems concepts in evaluation: An expert anthology. Point Reyes, CA: EdgePress. * Williams, B. and Van’t Hoft, S (2016). Wicked solutions: A systems approach to complex problems. Available at http://bit.ly/1SVoOH3 Good for more advanced reading: * Bamberger, M, Vaessen, J., & Raimondo, E. (eds.) (2016) Dealing with complexity in development evaluation: A practical approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. * Cabrera, D., Colosi, L., & Lobdell, C. (2008) Systems thinking. Evaluation and Program Planning, 31(3), 299-310. * Cabrera, D. & Cabrera, L (2015). Systems thinking made simple: New hope for solving wicked problems. Odyssean Publishing. * Capra, F & Luisi, PL (2016). The systems view of life: A unifying vision (6th printing). New York: Cambridge University Press. * Checkland, P. (1999). Systems thinking, systems practice. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Cunliff, E., (2002) Connecting systems thinking to action, The Systems Thinker, 15(2), 6-7. * Eoyang, G.H. & Holladay, R.J. (2013) Adaptive action: Leveraging uncertainty in your organization. Stanford: Stanford Business Books. * Karach, R, (1997) How to see structure, The Systems Thinker, 8(4), 6-7. * Patton M.Q. (2010). Developmental evaluation: Applying complexity concepts to enhance innovation and use. New York: Guilford Press. * Patton, M.Q., McKegg, K., & Wehipeihana, N., eds. (2015). Developmental evaluation exemplars: Principles in practice. New York: Guilford Press. * Senge, P. (1990) The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday. * Stroh, DP (2015). Systems thinking for social change. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing. * Ulrich, W & Reynolds, M (2010). Critical systems heuristics. In: Reynolds, Martin and Holwell, Sue eds. Systems approaches to managing change: A practical guide. London: Springer, pp. 243–292. * von Bertalanffy, Ludwig. (1950). The theory of open systems in physics and biology. Science, * 13, 23-29. * von Bertalanffy, Ludwig. (1968). General systems theory. New York: George Braziller, Inc. * Wolf-Branigin, M. (2013) Using complexity theory for research and evaluation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Some other resources: * International Society for Systems Sciences * https://aea365.org/blog/systemic-design-thinking-for-evaluation-of-social-innovations-a-pd-for-intermediate-and-advanced-evaluators-by-jan-noga/ * http://www.epreconsulting.com/SETIG%202018%20Principles.pdf * https://systemic-design.org/ * https://modus.medium.com/what-the-is-systems-design-e005c1e9fef8 * https://rsdsymposium.org/ * Martin Reynolds Open University Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

This episode I chat with Martha Brown, PhD about trauma-informed evaluation, but more specifically about how we as evaluators can help organizations become more trauma-informed. We talk about trauma, the SAMHSA model of trauma-informed work, and much more! Martha talked about trauma-informed evaluation also on the Glass Frog podcast with Debbie Gowensmith and on the Community Possibilities podcast. Other resources mentioned include the AEA365 series on trauma-informed evaluation and the Center for Victims of Torture. For an introductory, self-paced course to learn more about trauma and what it means to be trauma-informed, visit https://www.rjaeconsulting.com/becoming-trauma-informed-how-to-apply-the-principles-of-trauma-informed-care-to-your-life-work-and-community- Suggested donation is $75-99 - special module for evaluators. Contact information: martha@rjaeconsulting.com About Martha: Martha Brown is president and founder of RJAE Consulting and an active member of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). She received her doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction from Florida Atlantic University in 2015 and is an accomplished author, evaluator, program designer, presenter, trainer, and teacher. Dr. Brown’s research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and edited books. She also authored the best-selling book, Creating Restorative Schools: Setting Schools Up to Succeed, available from Living Justice Press. She has presented at numerous national and international conferences on the topics of educational policy reform, restorative justice, arts education, and culturally responsive evaluation. Martha’s content expertise is in trauma informed organizations and practices, restorative justice, and arts evaluation. She brings a unique blend of creativity, caring, passion, and technical skills to her work. Martha utilizes a restorative approach to her work as an evaluator, always placing relationships at the center of her work. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

I chat with Libby Smith and Tiffany Tovey, two of the three hosts of the Radical Re(imagining) (https://radicalreimagining.com/) podcast, to chat about what felt radical about the 2021 AEA virtual conference. We'd love to hear from you! What felt radical to you about the conference? Feel free to add your reflections on LinkedIn or Twitter. Be sure to use the #Eval21 hashtag, and tag us in your reflections! Twitter accounts: * @RadReImagining (https://twitter.com/RadReImagining) * @workwithlibby (https://twitter.com/work_with_libby) * @Tiffany7001 (https://twitter.com/Tiffany7001) * @EvaluLand (https://twitter.com/EvaluLand) * @danawanzer (https://twitter.com/danawanzer) Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

Jennifer Puma and I talk about project management in evaluation, including how she manages evaluation projects from start to finish and how she brings her project management training into her organizations and with the clients she works with. We discuss things like scoping projects (https://www.evalacademy.com/new-products/program-evaluation-scoping-guide), setting up ad hoc meetings, how project management aligns with various types of budgeting approaches, and so much more! Also, be sure to check out the Glass Frog Podcast (https://glassfrog.us/podcast/), which is another evaluation-related podcast (https://evaluland.fireside.fm/other-eval-podcasts) that I highly recommend! As a reformed management consultant, Jennifer (https://glassfrog.us/staff_trusted/jennifer-puma/) leverages more than 15 years of consulting and project management experience to manage program evaluations and research projects at Glass Frog (https://glassfrog.us/). Her functional specialty is in the development and practical application of theories of change and evaluation frameworks. Jennifer holds a B.A. degree from The College of New Jersey and a M.P.A. degree from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband and ridiculous rescue dog, Sammy. Here is the John Oliver clip that Jen mentions as well: Nothing Good Happens in Excel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S46yX42IqaA). As Jen says, "When it comes to project management, we do some of our work in Excel and share with clients but are careful to check in, first, about their level of comfort with Excel. John Oliver's observation is funny because it's true." Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

Jennifer Bisgard and I talk about project management in evaluation, including how she manages evaluation projects from start to finish and useful tools in her company's practice. Jennifer has a wealth of information in her over 20 years of experience leading evaluation projects, and I learned a lot about how to better do this work from her. Khulisa has a wonderful library of resources including blog posts about QASP (https://www.khulisa.com/lesson-5-make-sure-that-the-data-you-collect-throughout-the-evaluation-process-is-high-quality-but-remains-private/), analyzing WhatsApp data (https://www.khulisa.com/a-step-by-step-guide-on-analyzing-whatsapp-data/), and using rubrics (https://www.khulisa.com/guest-blog-the-value-of-contribution-and-evidence-rubrics-for-evaluations/). Every Tuesday they publish #EvalTuesdayTip (https://www.khulisa.com/thought-leadership/eval-tuesday-tips/). Ms Jennifer Bisgard co-founded Khulisa Management Services (https://www.khulisa.com/) in 1993. An expert in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and organisational development, she leads evaluations and capacity building assignments in the Education, Power, and Democracy and Governance sectors. Khulisa has about 100 staff, based in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lusaka, Mbabane, and Bethesda. Prior to establishing Khulisa, Jennifer was the Senior Education Specialist at USAID/Pretoria from 1988 to 1993. Ms Bisgard has served on boards for the: African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) (https://afrea.org/), International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE) (https://www.ioce.net/) and South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) (https://www.samea.org.za/home). She is a current board member of BetterEvaluation (https://www.betterevaluation.org/). Jennifer co-authored a chapter of “Evaluation Failures: 22 Tales of Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/evaluation-failures/book260109)” published by Sage Publishers in August 2018. The book, edited by Kylie Hutchinson, includes a forward by Michael Quinn Paton. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Change and Development from Johns Hopkins University. She is an American but has been in South Africa for 33 years. She is married to Marc (a dual Dutch-South Africa citizen) and has three boys: Zuko (adopted, now 23); Dylan (18) and Thomas (14). The family is completed by Border Collie, Riley and Africanis (https://southafrica-info.com/arts-culture/africanis_original_dog_africa/), Milly. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

Elizabeth and I discuss her new independent consulting business (Elizabeth Grim Consulting LLC (https://elizabethgrim.com/)) and how she meets clients where they are, builds capacity and relationships, and leans into her values in the work. We also discuss Brene Brown's values exercise (https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Values.pdf) and another version of the exercise as a card deck (https://bestself.co/products/core-values-deck), how we've embraced new ways of thinking about the world, and reporting in evaluation. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

_Note: Sorry for the poor audio quality on my end. Recording is hard... _ Nina and I discuss her incredible journey through evaluation from research analyst to independent consultant to founder and principal of her own evaluation consulting firm, Intention 2 Impact (https://www.intention2impact.com/). We discuss starting up her business and how that's been going. Along the way, we also discuss her evaluation background, including her dissertation-in-progress on entrepreneurship in evaluation. Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/

I'm interviewed by James Pann, PhD (https://evalnetwork.com/about-me/) about my latest research on evaluation study in the American Journal of Evaluation. We discuss the difference between research and evaluation, the pros and cons of professionalization, the definition of evaluation, and other evaluation related topics. Link to the article in AJE (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1098214020920710) Link to the YouTube video of the interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLcYU9xptwU) If you've got ideas for the podcast, or would like to be a guest on the podcast (students, practitioners, scholars, and others are all welcome!), then please email me at dana@danawanzer.com Music by Matt Ingelson, http://www.mattingelsonmusic.com/