Can You Keep Up?
Kathy decided to join WE in 1992 because she wanted to meet and learn from other evaluators. She states, "I have met many wonderful evaluators whomI admire and have learned much from. I am grateful for the volunteers who keep WE running and am extremely impressed at the le vel which WE operates-it’s fantastic.”
Dr. Newcomer uses her evaluation skills in all aspects of her life. Although she received a BS and MA from the University of Kansas and a PhD from the University of Iowa, she encouraged all four of her children to create their own legacy and make George Washington their Alma Mater. She identified the 96% discount on tuition and scientifically concluded that was definitely the way to go.
When Kathryn isn't busy working on her intellectual fitness and serving as the ‘mayor’ of the Trachtenberg School, you can catch her staying active and kicking butt. She attends kickboxing, body combat or body pump classes daily.
If you think you can keep up with Dr. Newcomer, you can reach her at newcomer@gwu.edu.
Washington Evaluators is proud to announce the first recipient of the new Volunteer of the Year Award is Nick Zyznieuski. The award recognizes members of the organization who make significant contributions to the success of the organization and for the benefit of the Washington, DC evaluation community.
In 2017, as a member of the program committee, Zyznieuski launched and coordinated the new Washington Evaluators Mentor Minutes program. The initiative is designed to encourage other members to engage with other in short-term mentorship relationships.
"Through Nick's service, the Mentor Minutes initiative has provided an outlet for evaluators to learn from those in their community and to build personal and professional connections," Program Chair Giovanni Dazzo wrote in Nick's nomination. "These benefits are in line with our mission of strengthening the evaluation community in Washington, DC."
The Mentor Minutes initiative was approved by the Board of Directors in 2016 as a proof of concept, and fully launched in 2017 with 10 successful mentor-mentee pairings.
"We are proud of Nick's leadership on this initiative and thank him for recognizing the important role mentoring has in strengthening our evaluation community," said 2017 Washington Evaluators President Nick Hart. "We look forward to Nick's continued engagement as a leader in Washington Evaluators in the months and years ahead."
Zyznieuski is currently a monitoring and evaluation specialist at the Dexis Consulting Group in Washington, DC. He holds a masters degree from the University of Kentucky and a bachelors degree from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.
NOMINATIONS DUE: 11:59PM ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2017
This fall, two elected positions on the Washington Evaluators Board of Directors are open for election: President-Elect and Secretary. Current Washington Evaluators members in good-standing are invited to submit nominations for other members (with their consent) or for themselves to washeval@gmail.com.
Nominations will be accepted for the following positions:
· President-Elect (one-year term; three-year commitment)
· Secretary (two-year term) -- Recommended skills: Notetaking, record keeping
Responsibilities for both positions are described in the Washington Evaluators by-laws.
Nomination Instructions: In the subject line of the email, please include the phrase "2018 WE Election Nomination." Nominations should include a one paragraph description of the individual's qualifications (250 word maximum) and a one paragraph vision for the position if elected (250 word maximum). All nominations must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Tuesday, October 17, 2017.
Election Process: Nominees will be invited to a call with Washington Evaluators Board members to discuss their interest in the position and qualifications on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 (date to be confirmed immediately following October 11, 2017 Board Meeting).
Shortly after this call, the Board will approve the ballot. The ballot will be made available to Washington Evaluators members immediately after approval. Voting will commence through 11:59 PM on October 25th. Election results will be announced the following week.
Questions About the Election: Questions about the election process or candidate eligibility may be sent by email to washeval@gmail.com. Please include the phrase “Election Question" in the subject of the email.
Three Continents Down, Four to Go!
She's evaluating the world, one continent at a time. Meet Rabab, an independent evaluation consultant who implements evaluations in international development in the Middle East/Africa, Asia and NorthAmerica; soon we will be reading about her travels to the remaining four continents! This Monitoring and Evaluation specialist primarily works in the education, democracy and governance sectors and occasionally train donor staff and local program staff on evaluation methods.
Ms. Saab completed her undergraduate studies at Lebanese American University earning a degree in Mass Communication. Thereafter, she received a Master of Arts in education from the American University of Beirut.
As a long time member of AEA and having a passion for meeting new people (especially within the evaluation field), it was only natural to cast her three year membership with the Washington Evaluators.
WE's professional enhancement programs and opportunities to network with others in the international development field keeps her coming back. Moreover, her commitment to volunteering on the program planning committee.
When she isn't busy evaluating and monitoring the world you can catch Rabab enjoying nature. Taking walks in the park and relaxing on the beach are some of her most favorite ways to wind down. If you want to learn more about this world renown evaluator, you can reach her at Rababsaab@gmail.com or connect with her on LinkedIN.
Members of Washington Evaluators will be participating in the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) fall conference, Evaluation 2017, here in Washington, DC from November 6-11. At least 97 Washington Evaluators members will join the conference as presenters, panel chairs, group leaders, and discussants in over 170 sessions. These presentations collectively cover every time slot of the conference, exclusive of plenary sessions.
A list of the Washington Evaluators members participating in AEA sessions in any capacity is provided below (as of Oct. 2, 2017). Please refer to the official AEA conference program for all final session dates and times.
If you are a Washington Evaluators member and your presentation is not listed here, let us know at washeval@gmail.com.
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Pre-Conference Workshop - Two Day (Mon/Tues)
Pre-Conference Workshop - One Day (Tues)
Pre-Conference Workshop - Half Day (Wed AM)
Pre-Conference Workshop - Half Day (Wed PM)
Wednesday Concurrents 1:45pm-2:30pm
Wednesday Concurrents 2:35pm-3:15pm
Wednesday Opening Keynote 3:15 pm-4:15 pm
Wednesday Concurrents 4:30pm-6:00pm
Wednesday Concurrents 6:15pm-7:15pm
Wednesday Posters, 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday Concurrents 8:00am-9:00am
Thursday Concurrents 10:30am-11:15am
Thursday Concurrents 11:30am-12:15pm
Thursday Birds of a Feather, 12:15 pm-1:15pm
Thursday Concurrents 1:15pm-2:00pm
Thursday Concurrents 2:15pm-3:00pm
Thursday Concurrents 3:15pm-4:15pm
Thursday Concurrents 4:30pm-5:15pm
Thursday Topical Interest Group Business Meetings (1), 5:15pm – 6:00pm
Topical Interest Group Business Meetings (2), 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Friday Concurrents 8:00am-9:30am
Friday Concurrents 11:00am-11:45am
Friday Concurrents 1:45pm-3:15pm
Friday Concurrents 3:30pm-4:15pm
Friday Concurrents 4:30pm-5:15pm
Friday Concurrents 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Friday Concurrents 6:30pm-7:15pm
Saturday Concurrents 8:00am-9:00am
Saturday Concurrents 9:15am-10:00am
Saturday Concurrents 10:15am-11:00am
Saturday Concurrents 11:15am-12:00pm
Post-Conference Workshop - Half Day (Sat PM)
Whatever Sevetra Peoples does, she executes it with style, class and grace. Work included. Ms. Peoples currently works for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This George Washington University graduate has been with the department for nearly five years within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Her roles and responsibilities include serving as a liaison to the Office of Health Policy team, members of the Department, and external stakeholders to coordinate the review and analysis of regulations and research as they relate to Medicare and Medicaid health insurance coverage. Her MPH also allowed her to work closely with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for three years within the Center for Mental Health Services to perform an environmental assessment of the Child Mental Health Initiatives for System of Care Grantees.
Her evaluation work with SAMHSA is most profound as she researched and evaluated their System of Care Grantees readiness to incorporate a nutritional component into their program. Her interests include brain development, performance, and growth (focusing on nutrition).
Refusing to sleep on a great opportunity, she joined WE the same day she learned of us- July 20, 2017. Sevetra cast her membership because it is a great way to connect with and learn from other evaluators. She believes, "As opportunities arise, we can support one another during our efforts."
So far, the WE leadership team has been extremely supportive in helping me to become integrated in the "Evaluator" scene. They are successful in their outreach and the information within the Weekly Digest is most beneficial."
When Sevetra isn't hard at work, she's working even harder traveling the world and empowering youth as a mentor with Brainfood DC (An after school program for DC teens to learn life skills through participation in cooking demonstrations). Most importantly, since the age of seven, she has been gracing the stage as a performer of the great techniques of ballet, modern, jazz, and tap dance. She showcases her talent during the holidays at a local church with family and friends. If you want to learn more about Ms Peoples, follow her on Twitter @connectwithvee or connect the old fashion way at peoples.sevetra@gmail.com.
Washington Evaluators is pleased to announce three recipients of the 2017 New Professional Scholarship. The scholarship aims to support new professionals in integrating evaluation practices and approaches within their respective organizations.
“Through this scholarship opportunity, Washington Evaluators hopes to strengthen the sustainability of the evaluation community, by recruiting and helping to educate the next generation of evaluators,” said Washington Evaluators President Nick Hart. “The awardees reflect a growing desire in the DC community to embed evaluation in all types of activities and we look forward to their continued participation in the field.”
The scholarship was established in 2017 by the Washington Evaluators Board of Directors and designed through a task force led by Tamarah Moss from Howard University.
“We are excited to expose the awardees to integrated evaluation practices and approaches featured at the American Evaluation Association's annual conference and to their participation in our local evaluation community," Moss said.
Join us in congratulating the recipients of the Washington Evaluators 2017 scholarships:
Each will be participating in the American Evaluation Association's fall conference to learn more about our evaluation community, practices, and network.
In addition, Washington Evaluators is pleased to announce that $600 has been raised to support the Paul L. Johnson Scholarship Fund. The funds will support five graduate students working toward a degree in evaluation, or an evaluation-related field in attending the American Evaluation Association's fall conference.
Dr. Kathy Newcomer was Washington Evaluators President from 1995 to 1997. She is currently serving as the President of the American Evaluation Association. This message is reprinted from the EVALTALK Discussion List.
I am absolutely delighted with the respect given evaluation in the final report of the Commission on Evidence-Based Policy and want to thank our AEA Evaluation Policy Task Force (EPTF) for their input into the deliberations and report. Under George Grob's leadership with Cheryl Oros' support, our EPTF ensured AEA provided useful and relevant input. AEA was covering the Commission closely, as strong evaluation policy is so very critical – now more than ever. Special recognition goes to AEA's EPTF member and Washington Evaluators' President Nick Hart who served as the Policy Director of the Commission and who has a very good understanding of the field of evaluation which is reflected in the final report. The emphasis placed upon the importance of an evidence-building community, and the need for leadership and strengthened evidence-building capacity in the federal government are especially significant for us all. On September 21st AEA and Washington Evaluators will be hosting an event to discuss the implications for evaluation practice of the Commission’s recommendations, and we have invited many other professional associations with whom we have partnered during the Commission’s deliberations to join us in our session. This link provides information on the location and timing of the event: http://washingtonevaluators.org/event-2642961 In addition, a presidential strand session at our annual conference will be devoted to the Commission’s findings and recommendations with the Commission’s chair and co-chair speaking, and this session will be live-streamed (pro bono) for anyone who will not be in attendance at the conference. I am extremely proud of AEA’s role in ensuring the great attention placed on evaluation by the Commission! And relatedly, our AEA Competencies Task Force has made great strides. The draft competencies they had drafted (on AEA’s website) provide a sound basis for professionalization of our profession. The Task Force has taken an extremely deliberative and inclusive approach to validate the competencies, which will be culminating with a survey of our members very soon. I take great pride in the comprehensive and careful approach to professionalization our Competencies Task Force has taken under the wise leadership of Jean King! Thank you! Both AEA’s Evaluation Policy Task Force and Competencies Task Force are comprised of many AEA members who work strategically and consistently on behalf our members to support our profession! Warmest regards,
Kathy Newcomer, AEA 2017 President
Bad to the Bone
On the day he was born... it was obvious that Dr. Brian Yates was "bad to the bone".... but in a goodway. He's a tenured professor and cost-inclusive researcher and writer (for 41 years) by day, and a free-spirited motorcyclist that hits the open road with his Honda Goldwing whenever he gets a chance.
Dr. Yates is a full-time tenured professor in the Department of Psychology at American University. He uses his doctorate degree from Stanford to teach online courses in Health Psychology, Theories of Personality, and Self-Management. His staff of graduate students conducts research on the relationships between the types, amounts, and value of resources consumed in providing human services, and the outcomes of those services. Some of the outcomes they measure are improved psychological health, reduced drug use, and enhanced quality of life. Other outcomes they examine are hoped-for reductions in use of health and criminal justice services, as well as increased earnings. Dr Yates' team conducts, presents, and publishes cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses for human services, broadly defined. When asked about casting his membership with WE he states, "I wanted to have often and locally what I only got once a year at the AEA conference: camaraderie, support, and inspiration from fellow evaluators of diverse sorts." WE has provided opportunities for him to learn more about different types and applications of evaluation. It also gives his graduate students opportunities to connect with other students doing evaluation throughout the Metropolitan area. In closing, he states "Life-work balance is really important.
I enjoy working hard, but my personal relationships are essential."
That is evident as he lives life to the fullest by riding his motorcycle into the sunset, learning the guitar and indulging in hand-dancing with his lovely partner at all the great Washington DC venues.
