Our 29th annual conference was a success! Thank you to our sponsors and the Michigan evaluation community for your support!

monique inez liston served as the keynote speaker for the 2024 conference. The theme for this year's conference was Together for Change: Evaluation for Systems-Level Transformation.

Date: May 9th-10th, 2024

Location: In-person 

Thursday

Pre-Conference Workshops

dr. monique liston, Dignity Work: Building A New Grammar Book for Equity, Justice and Liberation in Systems-Level Evaluation

Holli Schlukebir, Data visualization in practice: Using Canva to produce professional-looking reports for free!

Friday

Keynote: monique inez liston, Can I say again how alive your being alive makes me feel?": Afrofuturist Intimacies in Systems-Level Evaluation

Description: In this keynote address, we delve into the intersection of Afrofuturism and systems-level evaluation, exploring the profound intimacies embedded within these realms. Drawing inspiration from the evocative quote, "Can I say again how alive your being alive makes me feel?" by Barbara Christian, literary theorist, to Audre Lorde, writer, and poet, this presentation navigates the transformative potential of Afrofuturist principles in reimagining evaluative practices within complex systems. Through an engaging blend of theoretical discourse, experiential narratives, and visionary perspectives, attendees will embark on a journey of discovery into the ways in which Afrofuturism can infuse evaluation processes with intimacy, action, and transformation. Through this discussion we focus on evaluation being not just a tool of analysis but a conduit for developing deep relationships and nurturing collective flourishing toward transformational systems change.

Session A: Danielle Gritters and Angela Gillisse, Cross-Sector Partnership Evaluations: An Unhoused Chronic Condition Project Case Study

Session B: Jonathan Tsao, Evaluation of a State-Wide Health Equity Project Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Session C: Colleen Graber, Craig Van Vliet, Nathalie Winans, Cross-Sector Partnership Evaluations: An Unhoused Chronic Condition Project Case Study

Session D: Ouen Hunter, Rachal Etshim, Aubrey Dull, The Magic of Theory of Change: From Actions to Impact

Session E: Da Sha Stockton, Jen Torres, Karie Morgan, Using Data to Inform Systems Change Attempts and Measuring Their Impact

Session F:  Deja Taylor and Koren Dennison, Asset Mapping for Community Building: An Alternative Dignity-Based Approach to Needs Assessments

Session G: Ignite Sessions 

Ignite Sessions are dynamic and succinct presentations lasting 15 minutes each, designed for practitioners and students of evaluation to share valuable tips and tricks they've discovered.

Ignite 1:Jordan Powell, Beginning Within: Evaluating Our Application of Data Justice Principles

Ignite 2: Jasmine Ulmer, Familiarity and Innovation in Participatory Evaluation Design: Interdisciplinary Methodological Considerations

Ignite 3: Jenika Towana Scott, Innovate to Empower: Crafting New Tools & Techniques for Equitable Evaluations

Ignite 4:Diana Curtis, Community-Owned Implementation and Evaluation of Evidence-Based Interventions Targeting Cancer Disparities

Session H: Jonathan Tsao, Utilizing Samhsa’s Integration Framework to Develop a Primary and Behavioral Health Integration Self-Assessment Toolkit

Session I: Margaret Hargreaves, Introduction to Equitable Systems Change Evaluation Framework Theory and Practice