Advisory Team, ETB Blogs
Reflecting and Reimagining: Highlights and Visions from the ETB Advisory Team’s final 2024 Meeting
The Expanding the Bench (ETB) Advisory Team gathered virtually on November 1 for our last quarterly meeting of 2024. The Advisory Team is made up of ETB community members who sit on the Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD), Advancing Culturally-responsive and Equitable (ACE) Evaluation Network, and Fundraising and Field Building workgroups. Each quarter, the workgroups meet jointly and independently with the ETB Team to provide crucial thought partnership, insight, and advice to guide the development and growth of ETB and its programming.
As we entered 2024, our Advisory Team Members shared words that encapsulated their hopes for ETB in the new year. Some shared sentiments of connection and collaboration while others emphasized a focus on impact and intention. Throughout the year, we discussed how we can assess our progress in the evaluation ecosystem and continue to increase the visibility and practice of culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE) in the field. We examined how to reimagine and improve our existing programming and outreach and strategized for ETB’s Regional Focus in 2025 and beyond.
In October, we had the opportunity to bring our staff and community together in person at the ETB Gathering held at the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Conference in Portland, Oregon. We celebrated the culmination of the Cohort 5 LEEAD Scholars, recognized 10 Years of ETB, and connected with the evaluation community around us. Throughout the conference, we honored the amazing accomplishments of many of our Advisory Team Members and the ETB community who presented their work.
In our last meeting of 2024, we reflected on our time together at AEA and continued strategizing, generating ideas, and setting goals for the upcoming year.
Thank you to the Advisory Team for their time, insightful feedback, and meaningful contributions that continue to inform and drive the work that we do. We look forward to the wonderful time we will spend together connecting, collaborating, and reimagining in 2025.