OPEN APRIL 2024 NEWSLETTER.pdf

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September_2023_OPEN Newsletter.pdf

August 2023_Oregon Program Evaluators Network.pdf

OPEN's DEIJ Committee is committed to changing how evaluators approach program evaluation, and new DEIJ Committee Chair Frances Hampton believes in change.

"The evaluation process is historically discriminatory, as seen in some of our evaluation practices. You also don't see many non-White evaluators or diversity in the field. I believe racism is woven into processes, and it's our job to intervene intentionally and unweave those negative threads by adding threads of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice as part of the new evaluation process."

The DEIJ Committee is single-minded about structural biases that influence evaluation and processes: this committee seeks to advance OPEN's DEIJ knowledge and skillset through continued education, implementing cultural competence in decision-making, and addressing disparities within underrepresented groups relevant to systemic assessments. The goal is to maintain ethical standards of professionalism by advocating for equity, inclusion, and justice for diverse groups impacted by program evaluation. 

If you are interested in joining the DEIJ committee, please contact us!

RFP: Small Qualitative Research Project

OPEN is seeking to contract with a student or new evaluator for a small qualitative research project.

In 2021, OPEN conducted two visioning sessions with membership to learn about preferences for the future of the organization. These sessions resulted in qualitative data that needs to be organized and reported out. 

Deliverables 

Deliverables for this project include a data file with raw data organized by theme along with a summary document highlighting potential action items for the organization based on the session data. 

Contractor will facilitate a working session with the current OPEN council to describe the key findings and deliverables.  

Timeline

The project is estimated to take between 15-20 hours. Work should be concluded by 4/29.

Compensation

Compensation is between $25-$30/hr, depending on experience.

To Apply

Please send a letter of interest and resume to info@orgeonval.org.

Outgoing OPEN President Kristi Manseth provides a review of OPEN's achievements in 2021.

The 2021 OPEN Council’s key focus was a strategic decision to invest in a membership management software, allowing the organization to develop a more modern website while streamlining communications. This transition also included a significant cleaning of OPEN contact lists. 

In 2021, OPEN offered 15 virtual events attracting nearly 1000 ticket reservations. Events included presentations by evaluation practitioners and program partners, tips and tricks for using R, evaluation journal clubs, and student-focused discussions. Two visioning sessions led by current and former OPEN presidents provided information that can inform the strategic direction of the organization moving forward.  

The special projects liaison focused on DEIJ work, which has transitioned into a small committee for 2022. A DEIJ resource list was compiled and is available on the OPEN website. 

The communications officer increased OPEN’s online presence through the reactivation of existing Facebook and LinkedIn pages as platforms for publicizing events and offerings. 

In 2021, we sold 92 regular memberships and 17 student memberships. Of the regular memberships sold, 58 were new members and 34 were renewals. 

OPEN had approximately the same revenue and expenses during the year, which was the goal of the council during a challenging year of solely virtual events. Revenue was generated from non-member event ticket sales and membership sales and renewals, while expenses included general administrative costs to ensure OPEN "kept its lights on" and maintained its status as a professional member organization.

The 2021 OPEN council consisted of seven members: President, President-Elect, Finance Officer, Events Officer, Communications Officer, Special Projects Liaison (DEIJ), and a Student Liaison.

As a member-driven organization, OPEN only exists with the leadership and efforts of members like you! To ensure the continuation of OPEN, we need to fill a number of 2022 OPEN Council positions, including the DEIJ Liaison role. Submit an Interest Form today to be a part of what's next!

Below, OPEN's 2021 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Liaison, Andrea Steigerwald, shares her thoughts on the DEIJ role and responsibilities, and how an incoming 2022 DEIJ Liaison might craft their own experience in the position. This was her second year on the OPEN Council; in 2020, Andrea served on the OPEN Events Committee.

My name is Andrea Steigerwald, and I have been a part of the OPEN council for two years: first on the events team and this year as the diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) liaison. 

The DEIJ Liaison role was first created in 2021 to advance OPEN's DEIJ efforts. While the DEIJ Liaison helps move this important work forward, advancing DEIJ within OPEN is ultimately the responsibility of the entire OPEN council.

My Tenure as DEIJ Liaison

I stepped into this role because I am passionate about culturally responsive and equitable evaluation, and wanted to learn more about what it means in practice. I reached out to evaluation organizations (i.e., organizations like OPEN in other states) across the US and Canada to hear more about lessons learned in their approach to DEIJ and anti-racism work. Attending the monthly Local Affiliate Collaborative (LAC) meetings helped me build these cross-state connections. I valued the input from the Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation learning community and virtual coffee dates with OPEN community members who reached out to talk about DEIJ complexities in their work. I organized an Evaluation Journal Club focused on inciting social change, which led to the beginnings of a DEI resource list shared out with the community.

Moving Forward

What has become clear to me is that advancing DEIJ is not a linear or fast-moving "initiative", but rather a mindful, action-oriented, and often slow, ongoing process that often involves some missteps. This year, we had great listening sessions, facilitated by past OPEN presidents, that provided rich feedback from the OPEN community to inform strategic planning and DEIJ efforts next year.

A year into this work, this role is still taking shape as we reflect on how to turn DEIJ inwards and rethink OPEN's internal structures and strategic planning. Moving forward, the hope is that this role evolves into a DEIJ committee that will work together, actively listen, and help the OPEN Council take the next steps. 

I want to emphasize that this role is fluid, and whoever steps into this role next, please reshape it and take it in new directions! 

Time Commitment

A monthly OPEN meeting, LAC meeting, phone calls with organizations and members, and compiling resources put me at about 5-10 hours a month -- The time commitment depends on what you choose to work on.

Please reach out if you want to learn more; we want to hear from you!

Author Andrea Steigerwald has been involved with OPEN for over two years as an active participant, an events committee member, and now as the Special Projects Liaison on the 2021 OPEN council. Her special projects role is focused on advancing DEIJ efforts and holding space for more leadership to emerge in this area. Andrea hopes to engage in conversations with the OPEN members and other affiliates about their DEIJ work and anti-racist commitments, to organize listening sessions to hear more from the OPEN community, and to center equity in OPEN's strategic planning. She has a lot to learn and would love to hear from you! 

Add to our OPEN List of DEI Resources!

Exciting update: We have compiled an OPEN List of DEI Resources to share with you!

This list is meant to provide resources related generally to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, in addition to tools for culturally responsive and equitable evaluation and research with culturally specific groups.

We hope to a) offer our community these resources so that we can foster our own learning and each "do the work" to understand and advance DEI in our evaluation practice and b) elevate the scholars and practitioners who have often been left out of conversations about our roots and the "tree of evaluation".

We honor the authors and creators of these works and are grateful to them for sharing their expertise, experience, questions, and deep knowledge with us!

We acknowledge this list is incomplete, and there is room to grow!

We invite you to submit any additional resources to this list by filling out this quick form on the OPEN Resources page. Please note: If the resource you are sharing is not your own work and is not published or been made available to the public, please make sure that you have the author's permission to share before submitting. Thank you! 

If you have any questions about this list, please contact Andrea.