2010 EEN AEA Event
The Environmental Evaluators Network: Quality in an Era of Results-Based Performance
Overall Abstract
In June 2010 the 5th annual Environmental Evaluators Networking Forum will host 250 domestic and international representatives from government agencies, foundations, consulting firms, non-profits, academia, and international institutions to discuss the effects of an era of results-based performance on the quality of environmental program and policy evaluation.
In the format of a panel discussion, key staff from sponsor organizations of the Forum will share and discuss:
• The current state and future of the quality of environmental evaluation in terms of opportunities, challenges, skills, tools, and methods; and
• The relationship between the Environmental Evaluators Network and the quality of evaluation at their respective organizations.
The purpose of this session is to provide the audience with a better understanding of current trends in environmental evaluation and describe how the Environmental Evaluators Network has evolved to address issues of evaluation quality.
Relevance Statement
In June 2010 the Environmental Evaluators Network (EEN) hosts its 5th annual Forum in Washington, DC. In this proposed session, key staff from sponsor organizations of the Forum will continue advancing the field of environmental evaluation by sharing and discussing:
• The current state and future of environmental evaluation in terms of opportunities, challenges, skills, tools, and methods; and
• The relationship between the Environmental Evaluators Network and the quality of evaluation at their respective organizations.
Through this proposed session the audience will gain a better understanding of the field of environmental evaluation and have the opportunity to engage in discussions with presenters about how they are applying the collective experience and knowledge of the EEN to improve the quality of evaluation in their organization and personal practice.
Cosponsors of the EEN Forum include the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and The George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.
Five years ago, the EEN was created to support the development of the practice and theory of environmental program and policy evaluation through more systematic and collective learning among evaluators and users of evaluation.
The EEN, through its events, products and services, brings together evaluators and users of environmental evaluation, both domestic and international, from government agencies, foundations, consulting firms, non-profits, academia, and international institutions who are well poised to contribute to advancing the field as well as explore and articulate the significance of the emerging era of results-based performance on the quality of environmental evaluations.
The EEN has grown significantly, in numbers and diversity, since its inception. Canada will be hosted their third regional EEN event in September 2010, and a new regional events in Europe and the Pacific Islands are scheduled in 2011.
This network is now focusing on how the era of results-based performance affects evaluation quality. What must be done to improve the quality of evaluations to meet the requirements and desire for better and more accessible evidence of program and policy effectiveness?
The purpose of this session is to provide the audience with a better understanding of current trends in environmental evaluation and describe how the EEN has evolved to address issues of evaluation quality.
In summary, session attendees can expect to engage in a discussion with panelists from leading environmental organizations about the current issues affecting the practice, theory and policy of evaluating programs and policies. The presenters will encourage the audience to share experiences related to evaluation quality within their own practice or organization with the aim improving the EEN and furthering the field of environmental evaluation.
The Environmental Evaluators Network and Improving the Quality of Evaluation at the Environmental Protection Agency
Presented By: Matt Keene
Telephone: 202-566-2240
Email: Keene.Matt@epa.gov
Affiliation: Environmental Protection Agency
Other Authors:
Katherine Dawes
Phone: 202-566-2189
Email: Dawes.Katherine@epa.gov
Affiliation: Environmental Protection Agency
Presentation Abstract/Description:
Matt Keene is a social scientist working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Evaluation Support Division. As a lead coordinator of the Environmental Evaluators Network (EEN) and the annual EEN Forum, Matt will present an overview of the June 2010 EEN Forum, summarize the major themes discussed during the event and introduce key future goals and opportunities for the network. As a staff member of EPA’s evaluation unit, Matt will discuss the value of the EEN’s products and services to EPA’s strategic goal to increase the Agency’s capacity for quality program measurement and evaluation.
Lessons Learned from the First Five Years of the Environmental Evaluators Network
Presented By: Matt Birnbaum
Telephone: (202) 595-2461
Email: Matthew.Birnbaum@nfwf.org
Affiliation: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Presentation Abstract/Description:
The Environmental Evaluators Network started informally six years ago through discussions between several evaluators working in the environmental arena and affiliated with AEA. As the network has grown over the past six years, its annual international meeting in Washington, DC has more than doubled in size as increasingly diverse organizations and disciplines become aware of the network and recognize its potential value. Regional network events have started up in Canada and events are soon to be launched in Europe and the Pacific Islands. This presentation will be based on interviews with key stakeholders affiliated with EEN to identify major contributions and challenges to assessing its achievements and future strategic issues impacting its future direction, including assessing its niche with larger umbrella organizations like AEA.
In Search of Quality and A Commitment to Evaluation: The Environmental Evaluators Network and NOAA
Presented By: Kate Barba
Telephone: 301-563-1182
Email: Kate.Barba@noaa.gov
Affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Other Authors:
Cassandra Barnes
Phone: 301-734-1190
Email: Cassandra.Barnes@noaa.gov
Affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Ginger Hinchcliff
Phone: 843-7401184
Email: Ginger.Hinchcliff@noaa.gov
Affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Presentation Abstract/Description:
Kate Barba works for NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management as Chief of the National Policy and Evaluation Division. As a NOAA organization co-sponsor of the EEN, Kate will highlight key findings from the 2010 EEN event that address concerns for enhanced quality in environmental evaluation with an emphasis on professional development and capacity building in federal environmental programs. Building upon the EEN experience, Kate will discuss how NOAA has initiated the development of an evaluator network within the agency, with mention of the challenges and opportunities inherent to this process. To complement internal capacity building, NOAA has developed training modules in program design and evaluation, targeted primarily to program partners in coastal states to foster quality in program design and evaluability.
Fourth Presenter
Kathryn Newcomer
Affiliation: The George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration
