Chari Smith of CRSmith Consulting and long-time OPEN member was interviewed in the November edition of the American Evaluation Association newsletter. Asked why she belongs to AEA, she said, “As a sole proprietor, I don’t have anyone down the hall to run a question by, or discuss methods. AEA, and the local chapter OPEN, is my connection to the evaluation community. I appreciate learning about evaluation trends, new tools, and approaches so I can continually improve my own practice.”