Dr. Ashford-Hanserd - The Face of AEA
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Name: Dr. Shetay Ashford-Hanserd
Why do you belong to AEA? I was first introduced to AEA by one of my mentors, Dr. Liliana Rodríguez-Campos. As part of my doctoral studies at the University of South Florida, I enrolled in Dr. Rodríguez-Campos’ evaluation certificate program, and I’ve been a member ever since. When I first joined, I was intrigued by the plethora of connections and resources that AEA provides, which convinced me to remain a member. I have had the opportunity to meet prominent scholars, thought leaders, and book authors in the field of evaluation. I also enjoy the numerous opportunities for networking during and after AEA conferences, and the online AEA community, which provides numerous resources for practitioners, educators, and researchers alike. What is the most memorable or meaningful evaluation you have been a part of? I had the opportunity to conduct a metaevaluation at a youth technology literacy program that focused on bridging the digital divide of at-risk youth. Since metaevaluation is an evaluation of an evaluation, I used the Program Evaluation Standards developed by the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation to determine how well the standards were met (i.e., feasibility, propriety, and accuracy). I was enriched by this experience because I had the opportunity to utilize my knowledge and experiences as a certified evaluator to make a judgment, based on defensible criteria about sound and accountable contributions of an existing program evaluation. Since I have 13 years of experience in the IT industry as a training program manager and consultant, I also glean from my industry experiences to inform evaluations of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs. What advice would you give to those new to the field? I highly recommend that all new members take full advantage of the resources and networking opportunities that AEA offers at the annual AEA conference, AEA summer institute, and the AEA 365 blog. I also encourage new and existing members to seek mentorship opportunities as they become available. These AEA 365 blog has a wealth of knowledge shared by evaluators. They can learn about new and current evaluation practices and gain access to resources that may be used in their everyday work. Additionally, I have learned so much at AEA conferences and the Summer Evaluation Institute by attending pre-conference workshops and workshops presented during the AEA. Most recently, I attended the AEA Summer Evaluation Institute 2018 and pre-conference workshops during the Evaluation 2018 conference while serving as AEA Minority Serving Institution Fellow, which is a program led by Dr. Arthur Hernandez. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on culturally-responsive evaluation (CRE) facilitated by Rodney K. Hopson and Karen E. Kirkhart. The Face of AEA features the association's members - sharing their background, why they joined and what some of their most memorable experiences have been. Know someone who should be interviewed? Email the AEA editor, Kristin Fields, at kfields@eval.org.
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