About Us
AKEN is an official affiliate of the American Evaluation Association. Founded in 2011, our membership represents institutional and independent evaluators, as well as students interested in evaluation. We welcome evaluators from all types of professions. AKEN was formed because we recognize that:
- There is a need for a larger professional pool of local evaluators in Alaska. The number of programs that exist and need evaluation is far beyond the existing capacity within the state. As a result, agencies rely on out-of-state evaluators that are often unfamiliar with the Alaskan context.
- There is a need for an explicit focus on the Alaska Native population within the state. Evaluation of programs that affect our population should be tailored to our circumstances and needs. Several models exist, and these models should be explored in developing an Alaska-specific evaluation model.
- It is important to facilitate knowledge exchange within the evaluation community in Alaska. It is in the state's best interest that evaluation expertise constantly be nurtured and developed.
- Given its unique circumstances, Alaska has the opportunity to innovate and develop new techniques or methods of evaluation that suits its needs.
2024 Board of Managers (BoM) Members
President: Nate O'Connor
Vice-President: Kate Hohman Billmeier
- Secretary: Jynene Black
- Treasurer: Sharon Chamard
- Member At-Large: Brittany Freitas Murrell