Blog
Musings about capacity building, program evaluation, and data visualization.
Adopting Inclusive and Non-Violent Language: Part 1
This 2-part post will share my experiences adopting more inclusive and non-violent language into my work. Part 1 (this one) will discuss inclusive and strengths-based language while Part 2 will discuss non-violent language.
How Am I? I’m Sitting in the Suck
“How are you?” Ugh this question makes me cringe. My answer to this is usually “fine.” And not because I am. I am most certainly not fine right now. As an evaluator, I am a professional question asker. And yet personally, the hardest question for me has been to depend on others and ask for help. To show up as fully human in all spaces and let others know my experience.
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.