Hello Advancing Culturally-responsive and Equitable (ACE) Evaluation Network Members, we can’t believe the summer season is quickly coming to an end! Over here in the ACE Team, there’s been a lot happening in the work as we prepare for the upcoming season. We’re excited to start the review process for Membership applicants that came through for our first August 15 rolling application cycle — thank you again to those who applied to be a part of our Review Team! We are also busy planning for the AEA Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana as we’re hosting the first in-person ETB Gathering and hope to see you there. 

As we continue to grow the Network and our internal team, we’d love to connect with Members to keep your membership information updated and get to know you better! We are currently in the process of creating goals for ACE in 2023 and are approaching this planning period with centering Member voices. In early September we will be reaching out about the Member calls with an ACE Team staff member. In the meantime, here’s a little more about us: 

Angel Villalobos

Hi there! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of you, in a variety of spaces, during my first few months as the ACE Evaluation Network Associate Project Director. We recognize that many of our faces and names might seem new and unfamiliar to you, and we’d like to change that! We hope to connect with all of you over the next several months and would like to extend the invitation for connection to you all! Whether it be for questions, thoughts, concerns, brainstorming, recipe sharing, or even just a good venting session, we look forward to getting to know you and how we can best support this incredible community.  

To start us off, here are a few fun (well, at least in my opinion) things about me that you might not know:  

• I am originally from El Paso, Texas, and have been in Colorado for 13 years.
• I am happiest when I am surrounded by friends, family, and community.
• I love to cook and have been told I make some delicious green enchiladas.
• My 650 square foot apartment is covered with more than 150 house plants (it’s a problem, I know).
• My parents would say that I’ve been an evaluator since the age of two when I found out my preferred communication style was to question everything.

I can’t believe we are already looking ahead to 2023 (and beyond) and I am excited for what we will create together as we shape and influence the Network into its next chapter. 

Nancy Vang

Hello! I’ve enjoyed getting to know some of you through different ETB events. I have been the ETB Project Coordinator for a year (I just passed my one-year anniversary this month) and coordinate the day-to-day activities of the ACE work. It’s been an honor to learn more about the evaluation field and the Evaluators who care deeply about this work that impacts individuals and communities, especially coming from a background in community engagement and program management with marginalized youth and families.  

Here’s a little more about me: 

• I am a daughter of Hmong refugees and a proud first-generation everything for my family.  
• I am from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and currently live in San Jose, California, with my husband and a growing collection of houseplants.  
• I enjoy hiking and exploring the outdoors, it’s really something I’ve started appreciating more as an adult. 
• My summer has been busy with a cross-country move from Denver, Colorado, and I’m excited to finally be done breaking down moving boxes 😊.

I look forward to getting to know each of you more and how I can best support the Network now and beyond into 2023.  

Chyenne Mallinson

Hi all! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of you through various ETB offerings and through LEEAD sessions as you’ve generously lent your time and knowledge to the latest cohort of Scholars. I have been with ETB as the Content Manager for almost two years and, most recently, as the LEEAD Project Coordinator. Coming from a literary and sociology background, I have enjoyed branching out and learning about the field of evaluation and all the amazing work you do.  

A little bit about me: 

• I was born in Georgia, raised in South Florida, and have recently ventured out of the South and moved to Brooklyn, New York.
• I love to cook and host events (I can’t turn down a good themed dinner).
• I am a creative: I write poetry and creative nonfiction, dance, paint, and dabble in piano.
• Uplifting community voices has been engrained in me since I was a child (if you can do one thing, do a Mitzvah) and I carry that with me in my current advocacy work with intersectional LGBTQ+ communities.

I am excited to embark on this journey with you all and build connections not only amongst the Network but also with LEEAD Scholars and Alumni. I am thrilled to see what we can build together in 2023.