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Session Title: Reflections of Emerging Professionals: The Culturally Responsive Path Ahead
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Panel Session 817 to be held in SEGUIN B on Saturday, Nov 13, 10:55 AM to 12:25 PM
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Sponsored by the Graduate Student and New Evaluator TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Jill Jim, Independent Consultant, jilljim2003@hotmail.com
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| Discussant(s):
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| Pauline Brooks, Independent Consultant, pbrooks_3@hotmail.com
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| Abstract:
The guiding principles of the American Evaluation Association call on evaluators to “understand and respect differences, such as differences in culture” and “account for potential implications of these differences” when moving through the cycle of evaluation. Despite the recognized importance of culturally responsive evaluation, much of the field remains unsure about the path an evaluator must take to develop and employ these skills. In February, 2010, four emerging evaluators from historically underrepresented minority groups completed a one-year training and skill building fellowship utilizing culturally responsive evaluation as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evaluation Fellows Program. At agencies across the country, these emerging evaluators sought to engage their work and surroundings through culturally sound methodology. This panel presentation offers insights into the experiences of these emerging evaluators, describes their successes and challenges in applying a cultural lens to their work, and offers suggestions for addressing culture in evaluative practice.
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Seeing the Iceberg Under the Surface: Reflections on Developing as a Culturally Responsive Evaluator
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| Katrina Ellis, University of Michigan, kahe@umich.edu
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Katrina Ellis was a Fellow in the RWJF Evaluation Fellowship Program. She completed her fellowship at HighScope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Michigan and is currently continuing her work there as a Project Coordinator. In this role, she conducts research and evaluations of early childhood programming. Prior to this work, she participated in evaluations of health services as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji. Ms. Ellis earned an M.P.H. and an M.S.W from the University of Michigan in 2008. She is a Senior Fellow in the Melton Foundation, an organization devoted to cross-cultural exchange and collaboration. Ms. Ellis has strong interests in the influence of cultural and social factors on the health of minority and marginalized populations and in participatory research and evaluation methods within these populations. She will begin doctoral study at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in the Fall of 2010.
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Cultural Competence in Philanthropy: Reflections From an Emerging Professional
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| Summer Jackson, Independent Consultant, snjackson22@gmail.com
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Summer Jackson has Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University. She brings a combination of practical and social science research experience to the field of evaluation. Ms. Jackson recently completed the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evaluation Fellowship. During her time as a fellow she worked with the evaluation team at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation as an internal evaluator to increase the evaluation capacity of internal staff and other stakeholders throughout the Foundation. Her professional experience also includes work as an individual and family therapist, anger management group facilitator and research assistant on various national social science projects. Ms. Jackson‘s training includes methods for strategic learning, cultural responsive evaluation, and organizational capacity building. In addition to her experience in these areas, her interests include capacity building in communities of color, issues of social equity, and evaluation in the field of philanthropy.
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Perceptions and Education for Researchers to Work With American Indian Groups to Improve Quality Evaluation Research
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| Jill Jim, Independent Consultant, jilljim2003@hotmail.com
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Jill Jim was a Research Fellow in the RWJF Evaluation Fellowship Program. She completed her fellowship at Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Jill holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Utah. Jill provided research and evaluation to a range of projects relative to public health, health care, and education at Wilder Research. She worked on projects for American Indians during her time at Wilder Research, as well. She is currently working with a diabetes program for the Navajo Area Indian Health Service in Window Rock, Arizona. Jill’s experience and interests and include culturally responsive evaluation, building evaluation capacity, public health, family and youth wellness, health disparities, and American Indian/Alaska Native issues.
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I Have Needs Too: Culturally Responsive Evaluation Meeting the Needs of Nonprofits and Evaluators Alike
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| Domingo Moronta, St Barnabas Hospital, domingomoronta@gmail.com
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Domingo José Moronta is a first-year alum of the RWJF Evaluation Fellowship program where he was placed with the non-profit evaluation and capacity building firm, the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning. Following his experiences as a fellow, Domingo has newly accepted the position Director of Teen Leadership for the St. Barnabas Teen Health Center's Community Based Adolescent Pregnancy prevention program. This work falls in line with his academic history of a MPH in Community Public Health from NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Domingo is also currently consulting on an evaluation of a 12-grantee diabetes care program funded by the New York State Health Foundation. He looks to continue culturally responsive evaluation in the field as a vital indicator of successful solutions to socio-economic issues in the Latino community and the implications of obesity.
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