Oregon Program Evaluators Network upcoming events

Empowerment Evaluation: A Community Engagement Approach by Dr. David Fetterman (Thursday, May 07, 2026)

Thu, 07 May 2026 19:00:00 GMT

OPEN will be hosting a virtual presentation titled "Empowerment Evaluation: A Community Engagement Approach" by Dr. David Fetterman.

Empowerment evaluation is a community involvement approach to evaluation. It is aimed at learning and improvement. Empowerment evaluations help people learn how to help themselves and become more self-determined by learning how to evaluate their own programs and initiatives. Key concepts include a critical friend (evaluator helping to guide community evaluations), cycles of reflection and action, and a community of learners. Principles guiding empowerment evaluation range from improvement to capacity building and accountability. The basic steps of empowerment evaluation include: 1) mission: establishing a unifying purpose; 2) taking stock: measuring growth and improvement; and 3) planning for the future: establishing goals and strategies to achieve objectives, as well as credible evidence to monitor change. An evaluation dashboard is used to compare actual performance with quarterly milestones and annual goals. The role of the evaluator is that of a coach or facilitator in an empowerment evaluation since the group is in charge of the evaluation itself. Empowerment evaluation produces measurable outcomes. Social justice-oriented case examples are presented, ranging from eliminating tuberculosis in India to fighting for food justice throughout the United States. Additional examples include empowerment evaluations conducted with high-tech companies such as Google and Hewlett-Packard, as well as work conducted in rural Arkansas and squatter settlements in South Africa.

More about our presenter:

Dr. David Fetterman has been honored with the prestigious Visionary Award for his transformative contributions to artificial intelligence and social justice. A true trailblazer, he possesses the unique ability to foresee and harness both human and digital potential, unlocking pathways for the greater good that others have yet to envision. His pioneering work in integrating advanced technologies—including videoconferencing, wearable devices, voice recognition, and artificial intelligence—has set a new standard for innovation.

As the founder of empowerment evaluation, Dr. Fetterman has empowered countless individuals around the globe to turn their aspirations into reality. His influential initiatives have revitalized struggling academic institutions, bridged the digital divide in marginalized communities, curbed the spread of tuberculosis in India, and championed food justice in the United States. Dr. Fetterman’s unwavering commitment to social equity highlights the profound impact of visionary thinking, inspiring future generations to continue the vital work of addressing systemic injustices through the lens of technology.

Dr. Fetterman is a distinguished global leader in the field of evaluation and consultation, serving as the president of Fetterman & Associates, an internationally renowned firm that operates in over 18 countries across diverse sectors. From townships in South Africa to cutting-edge technology firms like Google and Hewlett-Packard, his firm has made a profound impact worldwide. With 25 years of distinguished service at Stanford University, Dr. Fetterman has held pivotal roles, including faculty member at the School of Education, Director of Evaluation at the School of Medicine, and senior administrator. He is a past president of both the American Evaluation Association and the American Anthropological Association’s Council on Anthropology and Education.

Dr. Fetterman also shares his expertise as a faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He previously served on the faculty of Claremont Graduate University and the California Institute of Integral Studies. Fetterman was also a Principal Research Scientist at the American Institutes for Research, contributing groundbreaking work in the evaluation field. Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Fetterman has received numerous prestigious honors from academic associations, reflecting his exceptional contributions to both scholarship and practice.

His TED Talk on self-determination has garnered global attention, amplifying his influence as a thought leader. A prolific author and editor, Dr. Fetterman has penned nearly 20 seminal books, including Empowerment Evaluation and Social Justice, Empowerment Evaluation and the Digital Villages: Hewlett-Packard’s $15 Million Race Toward Social Justice, Qualitative Approaches to Evaluation in Education: The Silent Scientific Revolution, Excellence in Ethnography: Step by Step (4th Edition), and Equality: A Qualitatively Different Perspective on Gifted and Talented Education. His work continues to shape the landscape of social justice, evaluation, and education.

Recent Books:

Fetterman, D.M. (2023). Empowerment Evaluation and Social Justice: Confronting the Culture of Silence. New York: Guilford Press.
Fetterman, D.M., Kaftarian, S., and Wanderman, A. (2014). Empowerment Evaluation: Knowledge and Tools for Self-Assessment, Evaluation Capacity Building, and Accountability (Second Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Honors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8HONBPolCk

Recent TED Talk:

Empowerment Evaluation: Searching for Self-Determination and Results.

*OPEN online events are typically not recorded. However, we encourage presenters to share information and resources from their session after the event to everyone who registered in case you were not able to attend.

IEA, Beyond the Numbers - Using Data to Tell Your Story (Friday, May 15, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Grounded in principles of utilization-focused evaluation, this session highlights how evaluators can enhance the use of their work through effective data storytelling. Participants will explore methods for aligning data with stakeholder needs, addressing common interpretation challenges (e.g., overreliance on averages or misattributed causality), and presenting findings in ways that are both credible and actionable. Emphasis is placed on increasing the accessibility and use of evaluation results to support learning and improvement.

Presenter: Dr. Jamie Garwood, MPA, PhD.

Registration link: https://www.indianaevaluation.org/event-6552872

The code for affiliate group members is: I6ZBYSYN

OSU Virtual Evaluation Office Hour (Friday, May 15, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:00:00 GMT

The Oregon State University Evaluation Consortium is hosting a Virtual Evaluation Office Hour. This free event is open to anyone with evaluation questions or an interest in learning from others. Participants will meet with OSU evaluation experts in topic-based breakout rooms, allowing for collaborative discussion and shared learning. Breakout rooms will be: Social Policy, Public Health, STEM, and PreK-12 Education & Programming.

To register and join the Zoom: https://beav.es/EvalOfficeHour

For further queries: jenny.case@oregonstate.edu

Professional Peer Networking (PPN) - AANHPI Research Professionals Affinity Space (Monday, May 18, 2026)

Mon, 18 May 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Sylvia Pu, invites you to attend an upcoming 1.5-hour Professional Peer Networking (PPN): AANHPI Research Professionals Affinity Space.

Do you work in research, such as evaluation, policy research, and data analytics? Do you identify with Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander heritage, or collaborate with AANHPI communities? Join the affinity space to build meaningful connections, exchange ideas, and support each other!

PPN is an ongoing series of free Zoom speed networking events. The space is created for professionals to meet and network with others in your field in rounds of one-on-one meetings to share your work, learn from others, and build relationships.

Having a meeting conflict but interested in attending a future

meetup? Sign up here to receive announcements about future PPN

events.

Hope to see you there!

Best,

Sylvia Pu, Ph.D.

Principal | Sylvia Pu Consulting

Visit website.

Connect via LinkedIn.

Four Types of Cost-Inclusive Evaluation and Nine Types of Findings: Which is Best? (Wednesday, May 20, 2026)

Wed, 20 May 2026 19:00:00 GMT

OPEN will be hosting a virtual presentation titled "Four Types of Cost-Inclusive Evaluation and Nine Types of Findings: Which is Best?" by Brian Yates, Ph.D.

This introduction to cost-inclusive evaluation (CIE) portrays, with examples from 50 years of CIEs, a) four types of CIE, b) four positive findings of the nine possible in CIE, and c) what is the best type of CIE and the best finding from CIE. Cost, cost-effectiveness, benefit-only, and cost-benefit analyses are all called “Cost Studies” by different interest groups. The best CIE can be argued to be the one that helps the most interest groups achieve their goals best, with the least expenditure of limited resources such as time, space, equipment, travel, and communications. Often this is cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analysis. Of the nine possible findings from a basic CIE comparing a program to a counterfactual, only four can be positive for a program. Of the four “good” findings, one poses additional questions for the evaluand. Methods of answering this question also are illustrated with lived evaluation experience.

More about our presenter:

A member of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) since its inception, founder of the Costs, Effectiveness, Benefits, and Economics (CEBE) Topical Interest Group (TIG) in 2004, and Treasurer and Board member of AEA 2008 through 2013, Brian Yates received his Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in 1976. He began including costs in evaluation as a graduate student. His 108 publications to date include 6 books, peer-reviewed and invited articles, book chapters, and a 124-page manual for cost-inclusive evaluation published by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse. He joined the full-time faculty of American University in Washington DC in 1976 and retired in 2025 as Professor Emeritus. He continues an active consulting practice.

Resistance Research to Fight Authoritarianism, Race Forward (Thursday, June 04, 2026)

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Authoritarianism is growing. Learn how research can name harm, stop violence, and support justice.

In response to the rise in authoritarianism, movement researchers are responding and fighting back across multiple methods. This teach-in webinar is for movement researchers and evaluators, community organizers and advocates fighting authoritarianism and repression on the ground, racial equity practitioners, and liberation leaders in organizations and communities.

This teach-in webinar is for movement researchers and evaluators, community organizers and advocates fighting authoritarianism and repression on the ground, racial equity practitioners, and liberation leaders in organizations and communities.

Dabbling in the Data: Hands-On Data Analysis Activities for Teams (Friday, June 05, 2026)

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

OPEN will be hosting a virtual presentation titled "Dabbling in the Data: Hands-On Data Analysis Activities for Teams" by Corey Newhouse from Public Profit.

As evaluators, we are at our best when interest holders use our findings to get better at what they do; meaning making with data is a powerful way to achieve this goal. Data analysis can seem like a daunting task for many in mission-driven organizations, requiring specialized knowledge and years of training. Public Profit wrote Dabbling in the Data: A Hands-On Guide to Participatory Data Analysis to give evaluators, and the folks they work with, a jumpstart in interpreting data collaboratively.

In this one-hour virtual workshop, participants will preview select Dabbling activities, ranging from "get to know your data" to more in-depth approaches. We'll discuss the ways in which participatory data analysis promotes more rigorous evaluation practice by engaging interest holders in meaning-making. Participants will start their own Dabbling action plan to apply what they have learned to their own work.

More about our presenter:

Corey Newhouse got her start as a teacher at Summerbridge Cincinnati in the early 1990s and has been involved in educational equity and social justice movements ever since. She founded Public Profit to build a team that would seamlessly blend social science research methods, organizational change strategy, and a deep commitment to supporting changemakers. Corey’s formal training is in program evaluation, education policy, and statistical analysis. Prior to launching Public Profit in 2007, Corey was a Senior Policy Associate with Children Now, supporting the policy team with data and evaluation, and as an Associate with HTA, a strategy and fundraising consulting firm. Corey earned her MPP at UC Berkeley and her BA at Columbia College.

As the Founder and Principal of Public Profit, Corey leads the team’s strategic direction, external relationships, and business development. In addition, Corey serves as an internal thought partner to project teams, assisting with the design of Public Profit’s engagements in evaluation, capacity building, and strategic program design. She is co-author of Public Profit’s Creative Ways to Solicit Stakeholder Feedback and Dabbling in the Data, and a contributor to Evaluation Failures: 22 Tales of Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned (Sage Publications). She is a co-editor of the volume, Measure, Use, Improve! Data Use in Out-of-School Time (Information Age Publishing).

*This event will be recorded. All registrants will be sent the recording and any other resources shared after the event.

Engaging Communities and Sharing Power in Decolonizing Evaluation (Thursday, July 09, 2026)

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:00:00 GMT

OPEN will be hosting a virtual presentation titled "Engaging Communities and Sharing Power in Decolonizing Evaluation" by Minji Cho, Ph.D.

This session introduces key principles of decolonizing evaluation and guides participants through a scenario-based application exercise. Aligning with the 2025 AEA conference themes of Transforming Evaluation, Engaging Communities, and Sharing Leadership, this session challenges dominant and imperial evaluation norms and expands perspectives by centering relationality, reciprocity, and self-determination in evaluation practice. Participants will critically examine how power dynamics shape evaluation design, data collection, and interpretation. Through facilitated discussion, they will explore principles and strategies for meaningful community engagement, power-sharing, and ethical, just evaluation practices. This session will help participants both learn and unlearn – equipping them with practical approaches to transform evaluation ecosystems in ways that are inclusive, ethical, and community-driven.

More about our presenter:

Minji Cho is a program and policy evaluator with a Ph.D. in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods. She has a background in social work and international development, specializing in decolonizing international development program evaluation and local-driven methodologies.

5 Things to Know Before You Launch Your Program: Strategy, Data, and Governance (Thursday, July 09, 2026)

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:00:00 GMT

OPEN will be hosting a virtual training titled "5 Things to Know Before You Launch Your Program: Strategy, Data, and Governance" by Dr. Danielle Lemi, PhD, Kapwa Sol Insights.

In the rush to meet a pressing community need, many mission-driven teams launch programs without a plan to ensure they have the right data to show their impact or the necessary board alignment to ensure sustainability. As a result, staff often lack the data to make real-time decisions, while board members are left unsure of how the new initiative fits the organization's strategic vision or fiduciary responsibilities.

After attending this 90-minute micro training, you will be able to:

Clarify the outcome you're driving towards and ensure it aligns with the Board’s strategic plan.
Understand the distinction between the Board’s role in governance (approving the "why" and "what") versus the staff’s role in management (executing the "how").
Identify the specific data you need to collect to not only improve the program but also report on ROI and impact to the Board.
Determine the key decision points throughout the program's lifecycle and identify which require Board consultation versus staff authority.
Identify all stakeholders affected by these decisions—from program participants to board directors—and how to keep them engaged.
Receive a checklist for program launch readiness that includes a "Board Questions & Answers" prep sheet.

More about our presenter:

Dr. Danielle Lemi, PhD, is the Founder & Principal of Kapwa Sol Insights.

Kapwa Sol Insights provides executive-level research governance for civic, political, and advocacy organizations undertaking high-stakes research initiatives. We work with executive leaders responsible for ensuring that major research investments advance institutional strategy, inform consequential decisions, and contribute meaningfully to the field. By formalizing purpose, defining decision authority, and aligning research to organizational priorities before execution accelerates, Kapwa Sol Insights transforms research initiatives into strategic assets that strengthen institutional positioning, clarify accountability, and support decisions that hold up under scrutiny. For inquiries, visit https://www.kapwasolinsights.com

In-Person Networking Event (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:30:00 GMT

OPEN is organizing an in-person networking and social event at Migration Brewing - Glisan Brewpub.

This is a great opportunity to connect with peers, share best practices, and learn from each other's experiences. Whether you are a seasoned evaluator, a newcomer to the field, or just curious about program evaluation, you are welcome to attend this informal and friendly event. We’ll have a fun icebreaker activity to get conversations flowing.

This event is free for both OPEN members and non members. The event is also no-host (i.e. pay for your own food and drinks). Please register so we have an idea of how many people to expect.