AKEN News & Opportunities Blog

      This blog features content by AKEN members. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at alaskaeval@gmail.com!


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  • 26 Feb 2024 12:30 AM | Nathanael O'Connor (Administrator)
    Hello AKEN Members and Supporters,

    We have set our quarterly Member Meeting for Thursday, March 7th at 2:00-3:30 pm. Please register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYsf-2pqD0tE9brn1jkfPdG_s3LtSrDa-bF

    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting. The agenda will be forthcoming in late February.

    We are also looking for volunteers who would like to present their work or on an evaluation topic at the Members meeting, where there would also be Q&A and/or a Group Discussion on the presentation. If you are interested in presenting, please contact the AKEN BoM at alaskaeval@gmail.com.

    Thank you for your continued support and we hope to see you at our March meeting!

    AKEN BoM


  • 20 Dec 2023 10:58 PM | Nathanael O'Connor (Administrator)

    Alaska SeaLife Center is hiring for a Research Coordinator/Evaluator. Please see link for full application details: https://jobs.ourcareerpages.com/job/861602?confirmID=84aed790-26ef-4dc6-957f-b3c9e0479896 

    APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Open until filled; apply by Jan 3, 2024 for full consideration.

    Summary:

    This position is responsible for ensuring the successful development and implementation of evaluation projects that enhance our understanding of our audience experiences and fosters innovation and informed decision-making across departments. It will lead and/or participate in evaluation studies and reporting, provide operational support to improve the quality of projects, and ensure lessons from evaluations are applied to the continuous improvement of programs and strategy.


  • 08 Dec 2023 3:12 PM | Nathanael O'Connor (Administrator)

    Link to Job Posting: https://careers.alaska.edu/en-us/job/527149/research-professional-justice-center 

    Position Summary:

    AJiC is the research unit of the UAA Justice Center and is formally recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics as Alaska’s dedicated criminal and juvenile justice statistical analysis center (SAC). The UAA Justice Center also houses academic programs in Criminology & Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies. As an organized research unit, the Justice Center conducts basic and applied research examining justice issues in both urban and rural Alaska, disseminates the findings from that research widely and in diverse formats, and provides students with a variety of undergraduate research opportunities. This Research Professional 2 position works under the administrative supervision of the AJiC Director to: (1) answer research questions using analytic skills, (2) retrieve and prepare data for processing and analysis, (3) perform data analyses, and (4) prepare reports, presentations, and other research project dissemination products/deliverables.

    Crime and criminal justice are among the most urgent public policy issues facing Alaskan communities. Become a member of Alaska’s preeminent crime and criminal justice research center – the Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC)! AJiC’s mission is to compile, analyze, and report crime and justice data to assist policymakers and practitioners with the development of evidence-based policies and practices to improve the safety and wellbeing of Alaska communities.

    To thrive in the Research Professional role, you must possess knowledge of social science research methods and be able to develop and maintain analytic data sets and perform descriptive data analyses using computerized software applications. You will be required to accurately document data analytic processes and procedures according to established standards. Importantly, you’ll be working as a member of a team in a highly collaborative research environment, so well-developed interpersonal and oral communication skills are a must. AJiC research projects have firm deadlines, which makes personal organization and time management skills paramount. As a dedicated research unit housed within the UAA Justice Center, you will routinely interact with Justice Center and other UAA faculty, students, and staff and therefore you must embrace the values of intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning, rigorous and systematic empirical inquiry, professional and public service, as well as the principles of inclusion and diversity in the workplace.

    Minimum Qualifications:

    Bachelor’s degree and one year experience in a field relevant to criminal justice/criminological research, or an equivalent combination of training and experience. One year of research experience in a social science (e.g., criminal justice/criminology, sociology, psychology) or other data analytic discipline (e.g., economics, mathematics/statistics, data science). This experience may include a combination of post-secondary training, university thesis work, and/or paid professional experience.

    Position Details:

    This position is located on the UAA campus in Anchorage. This is a full-time, term-funded, exempt staff position complete with both a competitive salary and full employee benefits package. UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental and vision care coverage. New hires will be placed on the UA staff salary schedule, Grade 79, based on education and experience.

    Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until a successful candidate is identified. Review of application materials will begin immediately. Search and selection procedures will be closed when a sufficient and viable number of qualified candidates have been identified.

  • 08 Dec 2023 2:57 PM | Nathanael O'Connor (Administrator)

    The Alaska SeaLife Center is searching for an evaluator with expertise in learning program evaluation, ideally informal learning evaluation, and prior experience working with Alaska Native communities in the Kenai Peninsula. Dr. John Fraser, the new Director of Mission Impact for the Alaska SeaLife Center, is submitting a 4-year NSF grant proposal for a two-part study of the quality of forage fish that are the basis of the food web for our subsistence and recreational fishing, and specifically how the general public, recreational fishers, and Alaska Native communities are learning and acting on what’s changing in our food supply. 

    Dr. John Fraser is in the midst of a grant proposal that’s due in the second week of January, but the project wouldn’t start until Fall 2024. The Alaska SeaLife Center’s critical priority for this search/call is to find an evaluation firm who is the right fit for the project and to meet and discuss the NSF project proposal and next steps to submit by the deadline. The estimated evaluation budget for the proposal is about $200K over four years. If you’re interested, Dr. John Fraser can be contacted for more details.

    John Fraser Ph.D. AIA (he/they)
    Director of Mission Impact
    Alaska SeaLife Center
    P.O. Box 1329 • 301 Railway Ave • Seward, AK 99664

    Email: JohnFraser@AlaskaSeaLife.org


  • 08 Dec 2023 2:55 PM | Nathanael O'Connor (Administrator)

    The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (Trust) is seeking a skilled and dynamic professional who is committed to forwarding the mission of the Trust of improving the lives of its beneficiaries to join the Trust as an Evaluation and Planning Officer.

    The Evaluation and Planning Officer (EPO) is an integral part of the Trust team. The EPO supports Trust leadership and the board of trustees in accomplishing Trust goals and responsibilities, and in developing policy concerning the nature, level, scope, and funding of the state’s Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program (the Plan). The EPO is responsible for reviewing and analyzing the effectiveness of the state’s statutorily required integrated comprehensive mental health state program (the Plan) as directed by AS 47.30.660(a)(1). The EPO will assist in complying with state statutory mandates to gather and analyze data to report the status and needs of Trust beneficiaries as well as assist in the facilitation and evaluation of the Trust’s grantmaking and performance. 

    The Trust is a leader in philanthropy in Alaska and grants approximately $25 million a year to organizations across the state. The Trust focuses all grants towards improving the lives of beneficiaries which include Alaskans with mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance abuse disorders, Alzheimer’s and related dementia, and traumatic brain injuries.

    Interested individuals should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and telephone numbers of three professional references by mail or email to:

    Valette Keller, Administrative Manager
    valette.keller@alaska.gov
    Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
    3745 Community Park Loop Suite 200
    Anchorage, AK 99508

    The application period closes Thursday, December 14, 2023Inquiries will be kept confidential.

    A complete copy of the position description is attached and can be viewed online.

    This is a fully exempt, professional position in Anchorage, Alaska, and is offered with a starting salary between $90,000 to $100,000 annually and a complete State of Alaska benefit package. Final salary will be negotiated at the time of hire and will be based upon the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience.

    The Trust and State of Alaska is an equal employment opportunity employer and supports workplace diversity. Individuals requiring accommodation should call 907-269-6039.


  • 29 Nov 2023 11:04 AM | Nathanael O'Connor (Administrator)

    We are seeking evaluation colleagues who would be interested in contributing to an issue of New Directions in Evaluation focused on geographic information systems and geospatial analysis, and we would like to welcome you to consider contributing. We are seeking examples of using geographic techniques in evaluations that include Indigenous People and places. See the abstract below for details. We will need a 1-2 page abstract from contributors before the end of the calendar year. If you are interested, please contact Katie (katie@geoliteracyproject.com) and Marcel (marcel@performhy.com) to discuss additional details.

    Program evaluation is an inherently cross-sectoral discipline. Evaluators use methods and philosophies from social sciences and integrate these with quantitative data collection and analysis techniques to present fulsome pictures of program strategies, implementation, and results. Geographic methods and philosophies are designed to accomplish a similar task using different techniques. Geography is an inherently interdisciplinary approach to understanding the interactions between places and people. Once the purview of ecologists and other Earth scientists, geographic tools and techniques have advanced and simplified in the past 20 years. Mapping tools are now more accessible and affordable. Evaluators can access and approach free, simple geographic tools for understanding, analyzing, and presenting evaluation data. Using these tools provides evaluators with improved access to contextual information that can be used to target their evaluation methods, like surveys, focus groups, and workshops. The tools also provide additional data analysis power, allowing evaluators to correlate findings with underlying sociological and ecological geographic information. This issue of New Directions in Evaluation provides philosophies, methods, and examples of how geographic techniques can enhance evaluation results.

  • 22 Aug 2023 11:01 AM | Nathanael O'Connor (Administrator)

    The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) is seeking an evaluation of our small grants project.

    About ACCAP

    ACCAP is one of eleven Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAPS formerly known as RISA) funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Operating in Alaska since 2006, ACCAP’s mission is to conduct innovative and collaborative research and engagement to inform climate policy, decision making, and action for a just and sustainable future to realize our vision of healthy and thriving Alaska communities, economies, and ecosystems in a changing climate. More information about ACCAP can be found at: https://uaf-accap.org/. ACCAP is housed at the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. More information about IARC can be found at: https://uaf-iarc.org/.

    Small Grants Project Background

    Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy has awarded small grants to four statewide and regional non-profit organizations to enhance capacity for resilience and climate adaptation in Alaska Native communities. These awards are approximately $50,000 each for 1 year. The US Arctic Research Commission is collaborating in the effort by funding one of the four awardees. More information about the project can be found at: https://uaf-accap.org/projects/small-grants-program/

    Objective/Scope/Purpose:

    ACCAP is seeking an external evaluator with experience in rural Alaska villages to conduct an evaluation of the small grants project. The evaluation will be utilized to determine the societal impact of the Small Grants Program and the extent to which we achieve the program objectives.

    Program objectives are to:

    ● Enhance capacity for resilience and adaptation

    ● Develop leadership for addressing climate challenges

    ● Increase awareness of ACCAP products and services

    ● Build relationships and mutual learning

    ● Provide access to the most relevant scientific information in an understandable format

    Please contact Sarah Trainor, sftrainor@alaska.edu, (907) 474-7878 for more information and to set up an informational interview.


  • 10 Jun 2021 2:12 PM | January O'Connor (Administrator)

    Job Opportunity: Research & Evaluation Associate

    The Stellar Group, a local research and evaluation consulting firm is looking for a new Associate to join the team. Job description attached. Find out more about the Stellar Group’s work and our team on our website at www.stellargp.com.  Contact Iris Matthews  iris@Stellargp.com, with any questions.

    Full Job Description: 2021 Website - Associate description.pdf


  • 10 Mar 2014 9:00 AM | Alaska Evaluation Network (Administrator)
    Over the last forty years, the federal government has issued and revised extensive regulations around the protection of human subjects involved in research; the need for such regulation was evident not just from the extreme abuses by Germany during the Nazi era, but also from abuses closer to home, such as the decision to study the progression of syphilis by withholding treatment from research subjects in Tuskeegee from the 1940s to the 1970s,and to study hepatitis by deliberately infecting children in the Willowbrook State School in New York in the 1950s and 60s. Key in that protection are Institutional Review Boards that review research plans for ethical challenges.  

    While the regulations are directed at ‘research’ rather than ‘evaluation’, many of our studies as evaluators (especially those of us working in public health and post-secondary institutions) fall under the purview of one or more IRBs.  In addition, research may require one or more tribal approvals.  For example, if research is focused on Southcentral Foundation’s customer-owners (Alaska Native or American Indian people living in or near Anchorage), if recruitment occurs on the Alaska Native Medical Center campus or if Southcentral Foundation employees are engaged in the research, the researchers must obtain Southcentral Foundation approval; similarly, research in the Bethel area may require approval from the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation.

    Obtaining approvals, making all the required changes, and ensuring the final research protocol is the same across all the potentially different approvals can be time consuming and organizationally challenging.  However, the process isn’t just a bureaucratic exercise.  It can be series of valuable and useful reviews of your research plans by professionals who bring multiple different perspectives and make suggestions (and requirements) that improve your research design.

    Hot tips:

    Plan plenty of time.  A full board review by just one IRB can easily take two to four months to prepare and submit, and another month to make the required modifications and receive approval.  Projects that require multiple board and tribal reviews can take a year, even without significant delays or modifications, just because of the meeting schedules of different review levels.

    Communicate, communicate, communicate!  The IRB administrators and sometimes the board members (when they have time) can be valuable resources to guide your efforts, to understand how the reviews take place, and to clarify required modifications, if there are any.

    Be compulsively organized.  If your institution uses IRBNet (or a similar software package) to manage IRB submissions, it may have tools for tracking document revisions, as well as on-line instructions and forms that you’ll need for your submissions. You’ll also want your own copies of everything submitted, organized so that you can easily tell what’s been submitted, modified, or approved through the process.

    Rad Resources:

    For a quick overview of human subjects protection issues, see the AEA365 blog post by Judy Savageau on “The IRB Process in Human Subject Research” (http://aea365.org/blog/judy-savageau-on-the-irb-process-in-human-subject-research/)  

    Everyone should read the Belmont Report sometime:http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.html


  • 08 Feb 2014 9:00 AM | Alaska Evaluation Network (Administrator)
    During the 2013 American Evaluation Annual Conference in Washington DC, the local affiliateWashington Evaluators Group coordinated an effort for "Evaluators to Visit Capitol Hill" (EVCH). Using webinars and other distance technology, they trained evaluators from around the nation on how to contact their representatives and discuss the importance of evaluating government programs for better management and accountability.

    AKEN Representatives met with staffers from Senator MurkowskiSenator Begich, and Congressman Young's  offices, to highlight the utility of evaluation for government decision-making nationally and talk about evaluation capacity and efforts in Alaska. The staffers were interested in our group and look forward to learning more evaluation in Alaska!

    Karen McCarthy, a staffer in Senator Murkowski's office, suggested AKEN consider putting together an occasional newsletter highlighting the work of our members.  If you would be interested in coordinating of contributing to such an AKEN newsletter/brief, please drop us an email at alaskaeval@gmail.com.


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