Each day I spend on the trail, walking, running, or hiking teaches me something about myself and the universe. One of the most important lessons I have learned is the art of flexibility. Understanding how to navigate dynamic systems is a key part of successful evaluation capacity building projects.
Evaluators wear many different hats, which vary depending on the evaluation approach as well as the stage of the evaluation cycle. Over the years, evaluation theorists have debated the role of the evaluator. Campbell classifies the role of evaluator as methodologist, Scriven says judge, Stake says facilitator, and Wholey says educator (Luo, 2010). Today, evaluators often straddle all of these roles in addition to new roles brought with advancing technology and globalization such as designer and marketer. Other hats include data analyst, project manager, grant writer, strategic planner, coordinator, educator/teacher, coach, and facilitator.
I haven't written in a while. I could attribute that to the fact that work has been busy or that I’ve been spending my free time traveling and exploring. These are true statements. But the real reason is that I’ve been afraid. A recent camping trip and time on the hiking trails reminded me of how a little perspective can change your mindset. So I'm leaning into the fears and getting curious about the questions. Onward.
March 8 was International Women's Day, which is a time to celebrate the achievements of women and a call to action for gender parity. Despite recent progress for women in the workplace and politics, alarming disparities persist. This post is a call to action for investing in women and accelerating gender parity.
March 8 marks International Women's Day, which is "a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women." While many iconic leaders will be celebrated, there are other local leaders who deserve recognition. This post shares how three groups of women have impacted the trajectory of my life.
