Highlights from American Evaluation Association's
2007 Annual Conference 

The American Evaluation Association (“AEA”) 2007 annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland was the place to be for news about advocacy evaluation. The new Advocacy and Policy Change Topical Interest Group (TIG) of AEA sponsored 13 sessions at the conference, which was held from November 5-11, 2007. Session presenters included experts who have been researching, implementing, and developing better tools for evaluating advocacy. Sessions were well-attended by practitioners working in the field, as well as grantmakers and grantees.

Advocacy Evaluation Update invited a leader from each advocacy-related session to give us a report. We’d like to thank the contributors for keeping you informed of what took place at each session. Each title below links to more session information, including the abstract and details provided by presenters (such as key discussion points, related resources, and contact information for follow-up questions).

• Real Application of a Policy Advocacy Evaluation Tool
Sue Hoechstetter, Alliance for Justice

• Advocacy Evaluation: Practical Research Findings
Lily Zandniapour and Johanna Gladfelter, Innovation Network, Inc.

• Advocacy and Policy Change Topical Interest Group: Business Meeting
Julia Coffman, Harvard Family Research Project

• Evaluation Across Policy Networks: Chronic Disease, Obesity, and Community Design
Ron Maynard, University of Washington

• Lessons Learned: Wrapping up Our Evaluation of an Advocacy Campaign
Ehren Reed, Innovation Network, Inc.

• Starting Out Right: How to Begin Evaluating Community Organizing, Advocacy, and Policy Change Efforts Using a Prospective Approach
  
Justin Louie, Blueprint Research & Design

• Evaluating Electronic Advocacy and Communications
Julia Coffman, Harvard Family Research Project

• Advocacy, Community Mobilization and Systems Change: Assessing Unique Strategies to Impact Community Health
Roberto Garcia and Zoe Clayson, Abundantia Consulting

• Policy Evaluation: Learning About What, When and For Whom?
John Sherman, Headwaters Group

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