Blog
Musings about capacity building, program evaluation, and data visualization.
Pancreas Ponderings: What T1D Has Taught Me About Eval
Long before we entered the pre-Covid/during-Covid realm, marked by daily monitoring of case counts, testing, hospitalizations, and death tolls, I had my own pre/during world. Like evaluation, this world includes constant monitoring, learning, and adjusting. This post shares five lessons from T1D that are relevant to evaluation.
Unbecoming & reimagining: Leaning into values and fears
This blog post has been a long time coming. I have struggled with voicing my thoughts for a couple of years. I am embarrassed that it took a national crisis and more murders of people of color like Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd for me to lean into the fear and vulnerability to write. I am ashamed that I became afraid to use my voice publicly for justice and equity for fear of losing potential clients when people are losing their lives. I recognize that these fears, while real for me, are a privilege. This guilt, shame, and embarrassment are also privileges — white privilege. I have privilege simply because of the color of my skin, and I need to intentionally and consistently use that privilege to enact change.
Evaluator as Acrobat: The Art of Flexibility
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.
Wearing Many Hats: Where Does the Role of Evaluator End?
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.
Wisdom from the Woods: Everything Looks Scarier in the Darkness
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.
Equal Pay is 41 Years Away: Why Gender Parity Must Be Accelerated
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.