The American Evaluation Association in 2014: What’s Your Visionary Evaluation?

Day 2: Sept 23, 2013 • 2:30pm • Greenhouse

• Download AE.13.rf.AEA2014ConfTheme.9-20.doc

 

By Matt Keene, EPA; Beverly Parsons, InSites

During this informal discussion facilitated by AEA 2014 President Beverly Parsons and Program Chair (aka self-proclaimed VP) Matt Keene, we’ll chat about the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) theme and annual conference in 2014. Specifically, we want to discuss your ideas about ways to weave together the environment and sustainability with AEA’s mission to improve evaluation practices and methods, increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession, and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action. WARNING! You may have to pretend to be a fish.

Matt studies and communicates about the merit, worth and significance of EPA programs and policies for the purposes of improvement and accountability. Matt also coordinates the Environmental Evaluators Network (www.environmentalevaluators.net; @enviroevalnet), which aims to advance the field of environmental evaluation through more systematic and collective learning. He is the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) 2014 Program Chair (aka VP to the P!), where he assists AEA’s (www.eval.org) mission to improve evaluation practices and methods, increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession, and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action. In addition to all of that evaluation, Matt also has fun with his family tending their garden, Furlough Furrows (missingthefruit.tumblr.com), and designing/building a home (watching mostly) outside Washington, DC.

Applying theories of system change is a passion of Beverly Parsons’ career. She is Executive Director of InSites, a non-profit research, evaluation, and planning organization. She focuses on evaluating multi-year, multi-site initiatives that involve formal and informal social systems across sectors. She works nationally and internationally. Beverly is President-elect of the American Evaluation Association. She holds a PhD in Educational Research and Evaluation, a BS in Medical Technology and a certificate in Sustainable Business.

• A list of all presentations at the 2013 EENP Forum