Each of our invited speakers will touch on a different layer of communication, facilitation, and interpersonal effectiveness -- leveraging their different experiences and perspectives to create a space of learning among evaluators from across disciplines. In addition to our invited speakers, the 2020 Annual Conference will entail breakout sessions led by local experts, as well as an opportunity for membership to share back. More details are available under the Conferences tab, or you can register here.
Rakesh has been the director of OPE since 2002. He is committed to promoting confidence and accountability in state government through evaluation. Under his direction, the office has received many awards, including the American Evaluation Association’s 2016 Outstanding Evaluation Award and 2011 Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Government Evaluation Award. He is also the recipient of 2016 Donald and Alice Stone Outstanding Practitioner Award from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). Rakesh contributes to the field of evaluation through service on (1) the editorial advisory board of the American Journal of Evaluation, (2) the board of the ASPA Center for Accountability and Performance, and (3) the advisory board of the Rucks Group, a research and evaluation firm based in Dayton, Ohio. Recently he wrote a chapter for the book Evaluation Failures, published by Sage (2019). His chapter was titled, “I Didn’t Know I Would Be a Tightrope Walker Someday: Balancing Evaluator Responsiveness and Independence.” In the past, he served on the American Evaluation Association’s board of directors, the editorial advisory board of New Directions for Evaluation, and the US Comptroller General’s Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards. Follow Rakesh on Twitter: @RakeshMohanEval |
Sheila B. Robinson, Ed.D of Custom Professional Learning, LLC, is an educator, consultant, writer, and program evaluator. She facilitates workshops on program evaluation, presentation design, survey design and data visualization, and works with clients to design surveys, presentations, and professional development courses. She is the author of Designing Quality Survey Questions (SAGE Publications, 2018), and Professional Development Program Evaluation For the Win! How to Sleep Well at Night Knowing Your Professional Learning is Effective (Frontline Education, 2018). Sheila is an active American Evaluation Association member where she is Lead Curator and content writer for AEA365 Tip-A-Day By and For Evaluators, their daily blog on program evaluation, Coordinator of the Potent Presentations Initiative (p2i), Chair of the Professional Development Workgroup, Chair of the Awards Workgroup and past Chair of the Pre-K-12 Educational Evaluation TIG. Follow Sheila on Twitter: @SheilaBRobinson |
Libby Smith (she/they) is an organizational healing facilitator, as an experienced and holistic evaluator and educator she excels at the human component of research and evaluation. Never one to shy away from crucial conversations, Libby deftly balances accountability and compassion. Her work focuses on building equity and accessibility through personal growth & embodiment practices. Libby uses all of these skills to provide intersectional and liberation-forward guidance to organizations and clients seeking transformative change. She is an AEA Board member, works at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and is auntie to 10 year old twin girls. Follow Libby on Twitter: @work_with_libby |
