Baltimore Area Evaluators

Unlock the Power of Low Code for Evaluation Data Management
2024-03-13 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Join Baltimore Area Evaluators for an exciting presentation led by data and technology expert Erica Miller. Dive into the world of low code platforms with an enlightening presentation, tailored for learning evaluators seeking to revolutionize their approach to designing and implementing evaluative tools. Discover how low code solutions can simplify the creation of custom evaluation forms, surveys, and analytics tools, eliminating the need for complex coding. Learn to seamlessly integrate these tools with existing systems, streamline data collection, and unlock powerful insights through advanced analysis and reporting features. Whether you’re an educator, evaluator, or developer, this session will equip you with the knowledge to leverage low code platforms for efficient, effective evaluation management.

In-Person Meetup at Red Emma's
2024-05-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Red Emma’s, 3128 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, United States
Join us at Red Emma’s in the Free School (downstairs) for a casual gathering of evaluation and data professionals. We will have an informal conversation, share and crowd source strategies, chat and eat!

Crafting Evaluation Reports That Make a Splash
2024-06-12 11:00 - 12:00
Have you ever circulated an evaluation report to stakeholders and … [insert crickets chirping here]? Move from text-heavy and academic-language-laden documents to vivid, impactful, and accessible reports. Join us to discuss storytelling practices, audience tailoring strategies, and real case studies.
Register at https://bit.ly/3wOgDs2

Join us at the BAE fall networking event!
2024-10-17 13:30 - 15:30 | Belvedere Square, 529 E. Belvedere Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21212, United States
With the cool fall breeze rolling in, it’s a perfect time to gather at our upcoming networking event! This is a casual meetup and opportunity to connect with fellow evaluators and discuss what you want from BAE. Whether you’re a long-time member or just thinking of joining, we’d love to spend time with you and hear your input.

📅 DATE: Thursday, October 17
⏰ TIME: 5:30-7:30pm
📍 LOCATION: Belvedere Square
529 E. Belvedere Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21212

Questions? Drop us a line at baltimoreareaevaluators@gmail.com.

We Did It, So Can You! Unique Approaches Turning Theory Into Practice to Build Evaluation Capacity
2024-12-11 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
⭐Bring your thoughts and questions for this discussion! ⭐

In 2023, Fierro Consulting, Inc. designed and delivered a professional development workshop at the AEA Annual Conference to enhance evaluators’ knowledge and skills in Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB). Four workshop attendees from the non-profit and public sectors will share lessons learned from their experiences moving from theory to practice. Specifically, we will provide a brief overview of ECB, including its intended outcomes, and share four examples from the field to demonstrate how creating and implementing an ECB strategy ultimately affected change in organizational evaluation practice including, but not necessarily limited to:

mainstreaming/embedding evaluation in an organization,
altering the frequency with which evaluations are performed,
enhancing evaluative thinking, and
shifting from doing evaluations to sharing insights from evaluations across an organization and effectively learning from them.

Come hear directly from these new evaluation capacity builders about creating organizational environments that are supportive of high-quality evaluation practice.

Speakers:

Leslie A. Fierro, McGill University (Co-author of the new CDC Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health)
Heather Codd, Pyxis Management, Inc
Renee Boyer, Syracuse City School District

Emily Frost, March of Dimes

Jordyn Livingston, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

Lashonda Williams, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

⭐ Enjoy BAE events and webinars? Help us continue to host great events like this by donating $5. We truly appreciate your support!
⭐Register on Zoom! See you there!

February Networking Meetup
2025-02-13 12:30 - 14:30
Many of you have asked for events in different locations, and we’re thrilled to announce that this gathering will be hosted in Ellicott City. Come as you are to connect with fellow professionals, exchange ideas, and enjoy a relaxed evening together!

Not sure how to find us?

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to find us! Here’s what we’re doing to help:

📍 Look for signs at the venue to point you in the right direction

📱We’ll post a photo of our location on our social media

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

✉️ If you’re lost or unsure where to go, shoot us an email at baltimoreareaevaluators [at] gmail.com. We’ll be checking it throughout the night.

Beyond Measurement: Integrating Participatory Approaches in Program Evaluation Planning & Implementation
2025-03-12 08:00 - 09:00 | Zoom
Traditional program evaluation often centers funder-driven metrics, but what happens when we shift power and invite communities into the process? This session explores how participatory approaches can transform evaluation planning and implementation, making them more inclusive, meaningful, and actionable. We’ll discuss strategies for co-designing evaluation frameworks, using decolonized data collection tools, and embedding community-driven insights into the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) framework.

About the presenter: Dawn Valentine

Dawn is a social entrepreneur and founder of Valentine Consulting. She believes in the power of advocacy and thinks reliable data combined with a fantastic story is the best way to capture people’s attention. In her journey as a consultant, she has worked alongside governments, nonprofits, coalitions, and academic institutions conducting primary research as well as consultation for monitoring and evaluations for programs that shift paradigms to reduce human suffering.

Ms. Valentine studied Healthcare Administration at Washington Adventist University, Public Administration and Public Policy at Walden University, and Public Health with an emphasis in epidemiology at George Washington University.

She has more than a decade of experience in community-based public health and social science research and more than five years of experience in program evaluation and continuous quality improvement. She has worked as the Project Coordinator/Director on multiple research projects funded by NIH and CDC; Program Director for long term care facilities funded by CMS; lead evaluator for DC Tobacco Control, CDC Community Transformation Grant, Chronic Disease Program: Million Hearts and DC Rape Prevention Program.

➡️ Click here to register to attend on Zoom! ⬅️

Have a suggestion for an upcoming webinar topic? Want to sign up for our mailing list to be notified of future events? Let us know!

⭐ Enjoy BAE events and webinars? Help us continue to host great events like this by donating $5. We truly appreciate your support!

May In-Person Networking and Meetup
2025-05-08 13:30 - 15:00 | Family League of Baltimore Co-Op, 1734 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD, United States
You’re invited🌸Join us for an in-person networking event to reconnect, meet fellow evaluators, and enjoy casual conversation with colleagues in the field. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to evaluation, all are welcome!

✨ Have a project, presentation, or report you want feedback on? Have a burning evaluation question? Bring it with you – this is a great space for idea-sharing and support.

📢 There will also be opportunities to learn more about opportunities to get invovled with BAE, including Board positions and Program Committee membership, in anticipation of elections this summer.

📍We’ll gather at Family League of Baltimore’s office space at The Co-Op: 1734 Maryland Ave, in Station North. Street parking is typically easy to find, and there will be signs at the door to guide you in. If you’re lost or unsure where to go, shoot us an email at baltimoreareaevaluators [at] gmail.com. We’ll be checking it throughout the night.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Results Based Accountability lite: an introduction and practical applications
2025-09-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Join us for Baltimore Area Evaluator’s fall webinar
Results Based Accountability lite: an introduction and practical applications
➡️ Click here to register to attend on Zoom! ⬅️
Results Based Accountability (RBA) is a popular evaluation framework, born right here in Maryland. Join us from an introduction to an evaluation model that is non-punitive, prioritizes story telling, and is simple for pros and laypeople alike to use. We will briefly present the basics of how the framework uses measures performance for systems and programs, and allows users to collaboratively make meaning and action plan based on data. Then we will jump into how we apply RBA in real life at Baltimore’s Promise and Family League of Baltimore, using the principles to meet the needs of large portfolios of grantees in perinatal health, youth development and family support. You will leave the session with concepts you can use right away in your work, including aligning your performance measurement to RBA’s three key questions:
1. How Much we do/ How Many we serve
2. How Well we do it, and
3. Is anyone Better Off as a result.

About the presenters
Jessie Tartanian is the Director of Data and Evaluation at Family League of Baltimore. She holds an MPH in community health education from the City University of New York in 2013. She has over 15 years of experience with evaluating youth development, food systems, perinatal health, and family support programs in NYC and Baltimore. Jessie loves supporting practitioners to measure their impact and find new ways to make our communities healthier and more just places to live and learn. Her special evaluation interest is data visualization, especially handmade soft viz gaining popularity in feminist data nerd circles. She and her family live in Baltimore County. She is a BAE program Committee member and former board member.
Bridget Blount joined the Baltimore’s Promise team in 2018 and serves as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer. She is leading efforts to build an integrated data ecosystem in Baltimore that supports more equitable outcomes for young people by ensuring access to quality programs and coordinated supports as they transition into successful adulthood. Before joining Baltimore’s Promise, Bridget served as Director of Data and Evaluation at the Family League of Baltimore, where she led the development of citywide data systems for summer learning, out-of-school time, and prenatal home visiting programs. She also held roles at New Pathways and St. Francis Neighborhood Center supporting disconnected youth.
Bridget is a PhD candidate in Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, specializing in Evaluation and Analytics. She holds a Master’s in Applied Psychology from New York University and bachelor’s degrees in Kinesiology and Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is also an Equity in Practice Fellow with Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

⭐ Enjoy BAE events and webinars? Help us continue to host great events like this by donating $5. We truly appreciate your support!

BAE Fall meetup
2025-10-07 17:30 - 19:00 | Baltimore’s Promise, 5 N Calhoun St, Baltimore, MD, 21223, United States
Join us for an evening of connection and conversation. This meetup is all about coming together, sharing space, and supporting one another. Whether you’re looking to build new relationships, reconnect with familiar faces, or simply enjoy being in community, we’d love to see you there.
Ample street parking available. No RSVP required!

The Evolving Role of AI in Evaluation
2025-12-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Join us at BAE’s Winter Webinar and hear from evaluators and data professionals who are integrating AI into their everyday work. Panelists will discuss how they use AI to enhance efficiency, support data analysis, and streamline communications while thinking carefully about ethical considerations. They’ll also share what’s working, what’s tricky, and explore issues such as bias, confidentiality, and data quality. Our conversation about navigating this new space will have plenty of time for questions and discussion!
➡️ Click here to register to attend on Zoom! ⬅️

Panelists include:
Dr. Valerie Ehrlich brings 20 years of learning and evaluation experience across nonprofits, higher education/academia, and consulting. Her work explores human-centered approaches to technology adoption in mission-driven organizations. As Founder and Principal Consultant of Mission Bloom Consulting, she specializes in helping professionals at all levels, from independent consultants to small teams to foundations and larger organizations, leverage generative AI as a thought partner for more effective evaluation and learning.
Dr. Kantahyanee Murray is Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Lift Every Voice Evaluation, Research, and Strategy, a nationally engaged organization that works through relationship in service to racial equity, racial healing, social justice, liberation, systems transformation, and shifting power to communities. She is committed to centering the voices of those most impacted by inequities and furthest from justice, and believes in the power of equity-focused, community-engaged and participatory approaches. Kantahyanee’s interest in leveraging AI as a tool for equitable and liberatory evaluation, emphasizing ethical practice and expanding opportunities for marginalized communities to shape the future of AI as creators and innovators, has led to some internal (i.e., staff experimentation) and external strategies (i.e., community capacity strengthening) ensuring AI contributes to more just and equitable outcomes.
(AI was used in the development of this brief biography)
Brandon Sepulvado, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Methodologist at NORC at the University of Chicago. He partners with public sector organizations at the state, national, and international levels to strengthen data infrastructure and responsibly apply artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance evidence-building capacity. His work includes the use of AI in evaluation efforts and additionally focuses on assessing the fitness-for-purpose of AI tools in research and evaluation activities.

⭐ Enjoy BAE events and webinars? Help us continue to host great events like this by donating $5. We truly appreciate your support!

Winter Meet-Up
2026-02-26 17:30 - 19:00 | R House, 301 W 29th St, Baltimore, MD, 21211
This event has been
Rescheduled!
Join Baltimore Area Evaluators for our winter meetup.

When: Thursday, February 26 | 5:30pm – 7pm
Where: R. House, 301 W 29th St, Baltimore, MD 21211
6:00 pm Program Committee member Jessie will lead a brief share-out on takeaways from the American Evaluation Association national conference, with space for others to share recent learnings.
6:30 pm We’ll gather for a group photo.

Not sure how to find us?
Look for signs we’ll have printed at our tables
We’ll post a photo of our location on our social media
If you’re lost or unsure where to go, shoot us an email at baltimoreareaevaluators@gmail.com. We’ll be checking it throughout the night.
Looking forward to seeing you there!

Prospects for Independent Evaluation Consulting in the Near Future
2026-03-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Join us for Baltimore Area Evaluator’s March 2026 webinar:
Prospects for Independent Evaluation Consulting in the Near Future
The presentation will explore independent evaluation consultants’ views regarding near-term opportunities in evaluation, whether these views vary depending on certain characteristics, and what consultants think about opportunities in evaluation adjacent fields. It will also discuss strategies some consultants are taking in response to these views. Read more about Tina’s work on independent consulting in the AEA Independent Consulting TIG December 2025 newsletter.

About the presenter:
Tina Faulkner is an experienced monitoring, evaluation and learning officer with a proven track record of innovating to drive results and impact. She has introduced more efficient and effective monitoring and evaluation approaches to capture outcomes of child and forced labor programming and specializes in action-oriented research.
➡️ Please note BAE does not allow AI notetakers in our webinars.
➡️ During the Q&A section of the webinar, we will use a “waterfall” approach – you will be invited to type your question in the chat box but wait to hit “send.” When prompted, everyone will hit enter at the same time. We use this method to ensure that everyone has enough time to write their question.
➡️ Click here to register to attend on Zoom! ⬅️
Enjoy BAE events and webinars? Help us continue to host great events like this by donating $5. We truly appreciate your support!

BAE Board Coffee & Chat
2026-05-06 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom
For individuals considering running for a position and would like to learn more, we are hosting Coffee & Chat sessions with current and former BAE Board officers.
These informal office hours are an opportunity to ask questions about Board service and hear directly about the experience of serving.
If you are interested in learning more, please see our webpage at https://baltimoreareaevaluators.com/2026-board-elections/
And come talk with us on May 6th at 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88324981568?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 883 2498 1568 Passcode: [REDACTED]

BAE Spring In-Person Meetup
2026-05-19 17:30 - 19:00 | Mustang Alley’s, 1300 Bank Street, Baltimore, United States
Join Baltimore Area Evaluators for a night of bowling, networking, and good conversation at our upcoming spring meetup.
We will reserve one lane of duck pin bowling and one lane of 10 pin bowling.
Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended one of our events before! (All are welcomed to join, even if you don’t bowl!)
When: Tuesday, May 19 | 5:30pm – 7pm
Where: Mustang Alley’s, 1300 Bank Street
Note: There should be ample street parking available! Back-up parking in the Little Italy Parking Garage is recommended. For location and rates please visit their website here.
Not sure how to find us?
📍 Look for signs we’ll have printed at our tables
📨If you’re lost or unsure where to go, shoot us an email at baltimoreareaevaluators@gmail.com. We’ll be checking it throughout the night.
Looking forward to seeing you there!

BAE Board Coffee & Chat
2026-05-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
For individuals considering running for a position and would like to learn more, we are hosting Coffee & Chat sessions with current and former BAE Board officers.
These informal office hours are an opportunity to ask questions about Board service and hear directly about the experience of serving.
If you are interested in learning more, please see our webpage at https://baltimoreareaevaluators.com/2026-board-elections/
And come talk with us on May 20th at 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82893367207?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 828 9336 7207 Passcode: [REDACTED]

Better Together: What Happens When Internal and External Evaluators Team Up
2026-06-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Join us for a Baltimore Area Evaluators (BAE) and Washington Evaluators (WE) co-hosted Summer 2026 webinar:
Better Together: What Happens When Internal and External Evaluators Team Up
What happens when internal and external evaluators truly work as partners instead of operating in separate lanes?
Join evaluators from Family League of Baltimore and Community Science as we share lessons from a collaborative project experience, including what helped us build trust, navigate challenges, strengthen learning, and work better together. Expect practical insights, honest reflections, and real-world strategies for collaborative evaluation practice.

About the presenters:
Brandi Gilbert
Managing Director, Community Science
Dr. Gilbert has extensive experience studying topics and evaluating initiatives to build community resilience to respond to disasters and to enhance youth capacity to lead in their community. She is passionate about making sure youth, in particular youth of color, are authentically engaged in efforts to make their communities more resilient as they experience acute and chronic stressors due to systemic racism and lack of access to supportive adults, opportunities, and other resources to be able to reach their full potential. She is deeply immersed in developing trauma-informed research practices when working with youth who are experiencing such stressors. With training in sociology, with an emphasis on environmental sociology and evaluation, Brandi excels at using research and evaluation to support the development and improvement of strategies to build community resilience and youth leadership.

Carlos Anguiano
Director, Community Science
Dr. Anguiano has extensive experience in educational research and evaluation. His professional interests are rooted in his passion to ensure that every child has equitable access to high quality education. He believes that this is achievable by increasing the capacity of parents, educators, policymakers, and community members to collaborate and advocate for sustainable systemic changes in early childhood to post-secondary education. He uses his training in educational psychology to support parent leadership; design data collection methods and protocols that are age, developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for children and youth from diverse backgrounds; and evaluate and enhance family, school, and community partnerships. He also has expertise in multimedia learning curricula and classroom assessment.

Jessie Tartanian
Director, Data & Evaluation, Family League of Baltimore
Jessie has over 15 years of experience with evaluating youth development, food systems, perinatal health, and family support programs in NYC and Baltimore. Jessie loves supporting practitioners to measure their impact and find new ways to make our communities healthier and more just places to live and learn. Her special evaluation interest is data visualization, especially handmade soft viz gaining popularity in feminist data nerd circles. She and her family live in Baltimore County. She is a BAE program Committee member and former board member.

➡️ Please note BAE does not allow AI notetakers in our webinars.
➡️ Click here to register to attend on Zoom! ⬅️
Enjoy BAE events and webinars? Help us continue to host great events like this by donating $5. We truly appreciate your support!
