Reflections from AEA and Staff Retreat
At the beginning of November, our team attended the conference for American Evaluator’s Association (AEA) in New Orleans, and combined that trip with our annual staff retreat. AEA’s annual conference is a touchstone in the ever-evolving field of evaluation and allows professionals from a variety of sector and roles to exchange ideas and engage in dialog about the practice and role of evaluation in social change. We spent day one of our trip reflecting, discussing our individual and team values, and thinking about our priorities for the upcoming year, and the rest of the week in workshops and sessions at the conference. Here’s what our team has to say about their experiences:
Alyssa: AEA this year was a treat! After last year’s virtual conference, being in person and in New Orleans was really exciting. The workshops I attended were centered around decoloniality and collective impact. It was refreshing and energizing to spend my days learning with others who are also thinking critically about evaluation. My favorite session was one for emerging evaluators where I was able to gather with other young professionals and dream up a new future for our field.
Amy: Both AEA and our internal conversations gave me lots to consider as we head into Elevate’s 7th(!) year of operation. The sessions I attended were all led by consultants and evaluation business leaders, so the entire week for me was really focused on how to intentionally and sustainably grow and strengthen Elevate. Seems like many leaders are thinking about how to balance the demands of running the business while remaining driven by and committed to their values, and it was great to sit in spaces where we could grapple with that tension. Lots of ideas, lots to do - let’s go!
Brianna: The AEA conference was a great forum to explore the many facets of the evaluation practice and the amazing humans behind the work, moving the needle forward to a more equitable field. I left the conference feeling a call to action for self: to enter into a more grounded, and consistent practice of positionality, maintaining my commitments to human-centric work and seeking transformational change. I look forward to creating guidance around what this will look like for me, and how leading with the nuances of my positionality can bear more transparent and intentional work amongst our team and alongside our clients.
Callie: My favorite part of New Orleans was the atmosphere - not only from the city, but within the conference and within our team! I was able to get to know my team a little more outside of work and was able to learn more about where they came from. I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the conference and the workshops that I took. I was able to converse with others at my table and take part in some really cool and interesting conversations! I’m really looking forward to applying what I learned while at AEA to my everyday work and to doing my part to make our team better!
Jessica: What I appreciated most about AEA this year was talking with so many professionals, evaluators and non-evaluators, about the challenges we face in supporting mission-driven organizations to really embrace learning. It was validating to hear that organizations from across the US and beyond struggle with limited time and resources to engage in data collection and reflection, or navigate competing commitments between what funders require and what their communities are best served by. While it is validating to know we share these challenges, it also shows really clearly that the entire social service sector system is constructed and maintained in a way that pushes organizations to focus on survival, often at the expense of their highest potential impact. I am more curious than ever about how to change the nonprofit sector itself to let go of competing priorities and unapologetically center social change.
Lizzie: Being at AEA was energizing! It’s always exciting to hear about emerging methods and how other evaluators approach their work. I focused on attending breakout sessions focused on advocacy, policy change, and evaluating systems change. It can be difficult to measure and learn about such complex change, but I walked away with new tools and ideas on how to approach the work.
Maria: AEA was a really wonderful experience to be able to connect with other individuals across the globe interested in doing systems change work. I think it was a really great reminder of what is possible when we are in solidarity with one another, and are able to exchange ideas and stories of success or challenges. I was also able to hear about the many tools people are using to do evaluation work, which is exciting to think about in application to our work.