The Evolution of Evaluation: Meeting the Moment

In collaboration with Washington Evaluators

Tuesday, September 16 at 5pm ET

Where: 2001 K Street NW, 3rd Floor North
Washington, D.C. 20006

 

FREE REGISTRATION

Please note that this is an in-person event in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. There are no plans for this session to be offered virtually at this time.

 

The evaluation field is experiencing a time of significant transition. In the wake of recent changes across the federal government—including the reduction or elimination of key evaluation offices, roles, and contracts—many evaluators are asking: What now?

This panel brings together experienced voices from across sectors to explore how evaluators can rise to meet this moment with resilience, creativity, and renewed purpose. Rather than focusing solely on what has been lost, this conversation will center on what is emerging. Panelists will share innovative approaches to evaluation practice, evolving roles for evaluators in systems and communities, and fresh approaches to demonstrating impact in complex environments.

In addition to the panel discussion, there will be opportunities for attendees to ask questions of the panel and network with fellow evaluators during a reception following the discussion. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just beginning your evaluation journey, this event will offer inspiration, practical strategies, and a vision for how evaluators can continue to drive equity, learning, and accountability in a changing world.

Thomas Archibald

Executive Director & Associate Professor, Virginia Tech

Thomas Archibald is the Executive Director of the Center for International Research, Education and Development at Virginia Tech, where he is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. A winner of the 2017 American Evaluation Association (AEA) Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award, he received his PhD in Adult and Extension Education from Cornell University in 2013. He served as a Board Member of AEA from 2022-2024 and as an associate editor of Evaluation and Program Planning from 2019-2025.

Katherine Dawes

Senior Fellow, Data Foundation; Adjunct Faculty, George Washington University

 Katherine Dawes retired as the Evaluation Officer at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Katherine is regarded as an expert in the history of federal evaluation policy and advocate for Lean Management in government. She is known for building coalitions across sectors to develop methods and capacity for environmental program evaluation and continuous improvement. Katherine is a Senior Fellow with the Data Foundation and teaches program evaluation as an Adjunct Professor at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University. She holds a dual master’s degree in public administration and geography from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.

Rodney Hopson

Interim Dean and Professor, School of Education, American University

 Rodney Hopson, PhD is an accomplished scholar, academic leader and thought partner who serves as Interim Dean and Professor, School of Education at American University.  Hopson received his doctorate from the Curry School of Education, the University of Virginia, with major concentrations in educational evaluation, anthropology, and policy, and sociolinguistics.  Funded by philanthropic and governmental agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation, W.K.Kellogg Foundation and other local and international funders, Hopson’s cumulative work is driven by a quest to emphasize the transformative possibility of developing mechanisms that promote educational and social equity through the development of communities of practice in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways to broaden participation for those often forgotten and underserved in schools, community, social systems, and the larger society.  Hopson is the founding Program Director of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) Program and the former 2012 AEA President.

 

Mark Schneider

Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

 Mark Schneider is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He served as the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences from 2018-2024. Before joining IES, Schneider was an Institute Fellow and Vice President at the American Institutes for Research. He also served as the Commissioner of Education Statistics from 2005-2008 and is Distinguished Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Stony Brook University.

Robert Shea (Moderator)

Chief Executive Officer, GovNavigators

 Robert Shea is Chief Executive Officer of GovNavigators. Before launching GovNavigators, Robert was National Managing Principal, Public Policy, at Grant Thornton. Robert has more than 25 year history of working to improve government performance. He recently served on the Commission for Evidence-based Policymaking. Robert served as associate director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, as senior management counsel for the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and, before that, as legislative director for Congressman Pete Sessions. He also served on the staff of House Committee on Government Reform. He has a J.D. from South Texas College of Law and a B.A. from Connecticut College. He recently joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Biden Center.

 

 

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