At the American Evaluation Association (AEA), advocacy is central to our mission. We believe that strong evaluation practices and empowered evaluation professionals are essential to advancing accountability, transparency, and learning in policy and practice. Through advocacy, AEA works to ensure that evaluation is recognized as a vital tool for evidence-based decision-making—across government, philanthropy, business, and communities worldwide.
Our vision is to amplify the voices of evaluators, defend the integrity of evidence, and champion policies that uphold equity, rigor, and ethical practice. As a transdisciplinary community, AEA engages with policymakers, partners, and the public to strengthen the role of evaluation in shaping just and effective systems.
Please stay tuned for new opportunities to act, network, and dialogue with your fellow AEA members. In the interim, please share your challenges and opportunities as you see them and let us know your availability to engage in member-driven capacity building around AEA thought leadership by emailing us at evaladvocates@eval.org.
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AEA aims to share monthly updates with members on the association's advocacy efforts and ways to get involved now. In addition to the newsletters below, members will also receive Advocacy Alerts, timely updates when quick action is needed.
AEA is pleased to announce that Denise Baer, Ph.D., has joined us as our new Advocacy Consultant. A long-standing AEA member, Denise brings a wealth of experience in policy and legislative strategy. Her deep knowledge of the evaluation field and commitment to advancing evidence-informed policymaking will help strengthen AEA’s advocacy efforts and amplify the voice of evaluators nationwide. Stay tuned for opportunities to engage with Denise and support AEA’s growing policy initiatives.
"Evaluation helps us as a community solve problems and inform ourselves about 'what works.' Unlike grad school, where you are taught how to select problems based upon the method, evaluation flips this to apply the most rigorous methods based upon real-world problems. My passion is strengthening our community of practice and thought leadership to support good governance and link grassroots communities to their leaders." - Denise Baer, Ph.D.