Evaluation is about accountability and continuous learning and improvement. Too often, accountability is framed only as being accountable to an agency’s funders and boards. In this session, we will discuss about how we are most accountable to communities most directly impacted by oppression and how to center them in our evaluative and learning practices. We’ll commiserate around the challenges, talk about effective evaluation practices and principles, including considerations of trauma and cultural relevance.
Presenters
Josephine V. Serrata, Ph.D. is a clinical & community psychologist. She is currently co-owner and licensed psychologist at prickly pear therapy and training where she shares her expertise in trauma-informed and culturally relevant approaches to healing and organization development. Dr. Serrata also serves as a research evaluation consultant and former director of research and evaluation at the National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families & Communities, a national domestic violence organization. Her research and evaluation work are embedded in participatory research and action-oriented evaluation.
Maya Pilgrim is the Evaluation Manager at the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, supporting learning and evaluation efforts at TAASA and local rape crisis centers. She has been a part of collective efforts towards more equitable and just communities within the US and internationally for over twenty years related to youth development, health and forced migration. She has a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in International Development and Social Change.