FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lisa Schellenberg, lschellenberg@eval.org, 312-673-5415

AEA ANNOUNCES 2015 AWARD WINNERS

Recognition ceremony scheduled Friday, November 13 at Evaluation 2015 in Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL (11.6.2015) – The American Evaluation Association (AEA) will honor seven individuals for their outstanding work over the past year at its annual awards luncheon to be held on Friday, November 13, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. CT, in conjunction with its Evaluation 2015 conference in Chicago, IL. AEA is an international professional association that comprises more than 7,000 members worldwide. Honored this year will be recipients in six categories who have been involved with cutting-edge evaluation and research initiatives that have influenced citizens around the world.

"AEA awards annually recognize exemplary contributions to the evaluation profession," notes AEA's President, Stewart I. Donaldson. "The awardees this year exemplify the absolute best of evaluation theory and practice and dedicated service to the field, discipline, and association. It is a great honor for AEA to be able to recognize outstanding evaluation work both nationally and internationally."

Join us in congratulating the recipients of AEA's 2015 awards:

Kathleen Bolland, Assistant Dean, School of Social Work, University of Alabama

2015 AEA Robert Ingle Service Award

(awarded posthumously)

Kathleen Bolland's contributions to AEA over the past 20 years epitomize the concept of service. Bob Ingle himself would have written a letter of support for her to receive the award created in his honor. Dr. Bolland held visible positions in service of AEA including Board Treasurer, as moderator of the AEA Listserv Evaltalk, and serving in countless quiet ways on advisory boards and in TIGs. Kathy was a person whom AEA leadership could call on to help out whenever a task needed to be done thoroughly and in time; she contributed to the smoothness of more than one transition time for the organization; a team player, she offered reasoned and actionable ideas that have shaped AEA. She began and served as "owner" of the association's electronic discussion list EVALTALK and shepherded the list until her death last February 23^rd. Kathy helped ensure an environment that was civil and welcoming for AEA members and non-members alike. As Kathy herself put it in an AEA365 blog, 'In 1995, during the first week of operation, 25 people subscribed; now there are over 3000 subscribers." Kathy had a long career as a researcher and faculty member at the University of Alabama, where she taught in the School of Social Work.

"Kathy was the face of AEA for many years before we had professional staff.  It's likely that more people had interactions with Kathy through EvalTalk, especially in the early years of AEA, than with anyone else," says Sharon Rallis. "That she was always welcoming, engaging, supportive, ethical, and responsive contributed to both AEA's growth in membership and the quality of discourse that has become the hallmark of AEA.  Kathy pioneered and nurtured AEA's organizational culture of responsiveness and quality."

Stephanie Evergreen, Principal, Evergreen Data & Evergreen Evaluation

2015 AEA Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award

Dr. Stephanie Evergreen is a sought-after speaker, designer, and researcher. She is best known for bringing a research-based approach to helping evaluators better communicate their work through more effective

graphs, slides, and reports. She holds a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University in interdisciplinary evaluation, which included a dissertation on the extent of graphic design use in written evaluation reporting. Dr. Evergreen has trained evaluators worldwide through keynote presentations and workshops, for clients including Verizon, Head Start, American Institutes for Research, Brookings Institute, and the United Nations. Her work has led her to partner with evaluation luminaries like Michael Quinn Patton, Jane Davidson, Patricia Rogers, Michael Scriven, David Fetterman, Gail Barrington, and Rakesh Mohan. She is co-editor and co-author of two issues of New Directions for Evaluation on data visualization. She writes a popular blog on data presentation at StephanieEvergreen.com. Her book, Presenting Data Effectively: Communicating Your Findings for Maximum Impact, was published by Sage in Fall 2013 and was #1 in Social Science Research on Amazon in the U.S. and U.K. for several weeks. Her second book will be published in Spring 2016.

Evergreen explains, "This award is really for all of us. It is a testament to our collective understanding that presenting data effectively is an integral part of evaluation use."

Stafford Hood, Sheila M. Miller Professor of Education, Professor, Curriculum & Instruction and Educational Psychology, Founding Director, Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2015 AEA Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award

Stafford Hood is the Sheila M. Miller Professor of Education and Founding Director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (http://crea.education.illinois.edu) in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he also holds appointments as Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Psychology. He has also held appointments as the Associate Dean for Research and Research Education in the College of Education and Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Hood was also the founding Co-Director of the annual national conference on the Relevance of Assessment and Culture in Evaluation that was sponsored by the College of Education at Arizona State University from 2000 to 2007. He has served on many national advisory boards and committees including the Educational Testing Service's Visiting Panel for Research, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Technical Advisory Committee,  American Indian Higher Education Consortium's NSF funded "Building an Indigenous Framework for STEM Evaluation" project, and Robert Woods Johnson Foundations Evaluation Fellowship program to name only a few. His professional service also includes Co-Editor of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) journal Educational Researcher Features Section and editorial boards of the AERA journals Review of Educational Research and American Educational Research Journal. He also currently serves on the editorial boards of the American Evaluation Association's journals American Journal of Evaluation and New Directions for Evaluation. He was selected as a Fellow of the American Council on Education in 2001.

Prior to his appointments at the University of Illinois he served as Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Psychology in Education in the College of Education at Arizona State University, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology faculty at Northern Illinois University and as an Assessment Specialist and Program Evaluator for the Illinois State Board of Education. (Springfield, Illinois).  He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Masters in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Ph.D. in Education (emphases Administration, Policy Studies, and Evaluation) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Hood's recent scholarly publications have primarily focused on the importance of culture/cultural context in program evaluation, educational assessment and computer based instruction and assessment.  He recently co-edited a book with Drs. Rodney Hopson (George Mason University) and Henry Frierson (University of Florida-Gainesville) entitled: Continuing the Journey to Reposition Culture and Cultural Context in Evaluation Theory and Practice (2015, InfoAge Publishing Co.). In 2014 he received an honorary appointment as Adjunct Professor in the School of Education Studies at Dublin City University (Dublin Ireland).

"I am honored and humbled to receive the 2015 AEA Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award. I regard this award as a testament to those upon whose shoulders I have stood throughout my journey as an aspiring culturally responsive evaluator; as well as a recognition of my CREA colleagues who have remained steadfast throughout our shared journey."

George Julnes, Professor of Public and International Affairs, University of Baltimore

2015 AEA Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award

George Julnes, Professor of Public and International Affairs at the University of Baltimore, has been teaching and writing about, as well as conducting, evaluations for 25 years.  He served a three-year cycle as an elected board member of the American Evaluation Association (2012-2014) and serves on the two official publications of the American Evaluation Association. He is a section editor (Professional Values and Ethics) of the American Journal of Evaluation and a member of the editorial board of New Directions for Evaluation. He is also on the editorial boards of Evaluation and Program Planning, and the International Review of Public Administration.  In addition, he has contributed as an evaluator and/or consultant for many government agencies, including the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, U.S. Dept. of Education, U.S. Social Security Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

Julnes explains, "The Paul F. Lazarsfeld Theory Award is so special to me because of the people who were awarded it previously—considering the contributions of past awardees is both humbling for me and inspiring for our evaluation community."

Nancy MacPherson, Managing Director, Evaluation, The Rockefeller Foundation

2015 AEA Enhancing the Public Good Award

Nancy joined The Rockefeller Foundation in 2008 as Managing Director of Evaluation responsible for developing and managing the Foundation-wide M&E system, including monitoring the outcomes and impact of the Foundation's work. Prior to her work with the Foundation she set up and managed the Program and Project Evaluation and Performance Assessment System for the World Conservation Union (IUCN) based in Geneva, Switzerland. Nancy has worked for more than 25 years in international development evaluation in Asia and Africa with a range of organizations including the United Nations, multilateral and bilateral agencies and not-for-profit organizations. She has played a key role in the establishment and nurturing of a number of global and regional development evaluation professional associations, notably, the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS), the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) and the South Asia Community of Evaluators (COE). Nancy was also a member of the teaching faculty for over 10 years at the World Bank's summer International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET). Ms. MacPherson holds a master's degree from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Switzerland, Canada and the USA.

"Throughout my career in international development in the multilateral and not-for profit sectors and more recently in philanthropy I have worked to empower developing country evaluators to play leadership roles in shaping development agendas and investments. This award honors that aim, and I am grateful to the AEA for their recognition of the importance of developing country evaluation capacity and leadership in impacting the lives of the majority of the world's population," Nancy MacPherson.

Young Mi Kim, Senior Research and Evaluation Associate, Jhpiego

2015 AEA Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award

Dr. Kim has over 30 years of experience in research and evaluation. She has worked on research and evaluation to improve the quality of health care and health communication in over 25 countries in Asia (e.g., Afghanistan, Indonesia), Latin America (e.g., Mexico, Peru), the Near East (e.g., Egypt, Turkey) and Africa (e.g., Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa). She is currently Senior Research & Evaluation Associate at Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. She also is a member of the faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Heath (JHSPH), International Health Department. Previously, she was the Senior Advisor for Research and Evaluation for 19 years at the Johns Hopkins University, Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and a Senior Faculty Associate at the Department of Health, Behavior and Society (HBS), JHSPH. Dr. Kim is well known for her contribution to frontline research and evaluation that advances knowledge and practice for improving the quality of service and communication of health care workers as well as for empowering communication by clients and community members. Her work has encompassed diverse client populations (youth, couples, men, and women), service areas (family planning, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and cervical cancer prevention), and regions (Asia, Latin America, Near East, and Africa). Dr. Kim has also worked extensively with organizations in developed and developing countries to improve their capacity for writing journal manuscripts. In 2005-2006, she held a leadership position in the American Public Health Association (APHA) as a chair of the Population, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health (PFPRH) section. In 2003, USAID recognized her outstanding contribution to research and promotion of best practices for improving quality of care with a MAQie (Maximizing Access and Quality) award. From 2002 to 2008, Dr. Kim collaborated closely with WHO in field testing and evaluating of WHO's decision-making tools for family planning counseling for the general population and people living with HIV/AIDS. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and Korean. She lives in Paris.

"This award means a lot to me personally and professionally. I am honored to be recognized by my peers. More importantly, the award reminds me of the kindness and help I have received throughout my career from my colleagues in developing countries, who gave me the opportunity to learn about program evaluation at first hand. Finally, this award acknowledges the dedicated efforts made by Jhpiego to improve program evaluation and will serve as an inspiration for the future," explains Young Mi Kim.

William Shadish, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Merced

2015 AEA Research on Evaluation Award

William R. Shadish is the Distinguished Professor and Founding Faculty at the University of California, Merced. He received his bachelor's degree in sociology from Santa Clara University in 1972, and his M.S. (1975) and Ph.D. (1978) degrees from Purdue University in clinical psychology, with minor areas in statistics and measurement. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in methodology and program evaluation at Northwestern University from 1978-1981. His current research interests include experimental and quasi-experimental design, the empirical study of methodological issues, program evaluation, and the methodology and practice of meta-analysis. He is author (with T.D. Cook & D.T. Campbell, 2002) of Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference, (with T.D. Cook & L.C. Leviton, 1991) of Foundations of Program Evaluation, (with L. Robinson & C. Lu, 1997) of ES: A Computer Program and Manual for Effect Size Calculation, co-editor of seven other volumes, and the author of nearly 200 articles and chapters.  He was the founding Secretary-Treasurer of the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology (2005-2010) and was its 2014 President. He is 2015 President of the Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology. He was 1997 President of the American Evaluation Association, winner of the 1994 Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award for Evaluation Theory from the American Evaluation Association, the 2000 Robert Ingle Award for service to the American Evaluation Association, the 1994 and 1996 Outstanding

Research Publication Awards from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the 2002 Donald T. Campbell Award for Innovations in Methodology from the Policy Studies Organization, the 2009

Frederick Mosteller Award for Lifetime Contributions to Systematic Reviews from the Campbell Collaboration, and the 2011 Ingram Olkin Award for Lifetime Contributions to Systematic Reviews from the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Associate Editor of American Psychologist, past Associate Editor of Multivariate Behavioral Research, and past editor of New Directions for Evaluation. 

"I am deeply honored to receive this award. AEA shaped my career more than any other professional organization, with mentors and great colleagues, and with the opportunity to learn how to serve the needs of Society," said William Shadish.

AEA congratulates all of the 2015 award winners. We look forward to celebrating with you at Evaluation 2015. To learn more about the AEA awards visit www.eval.org.

About AEA

The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association and the largest in its field. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products and organizations to improve their effectiveness. AEA's mission is to improve evaluation practices and methods worldwide, to increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action. For more information about AEA, visit www.eval.org.