aes26 International Evaluation Conference: Full Schedule

Presenter and chair information page, resources for conference presenters, authors and session chairs.

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10:30am ACST

aes26 Fellows Forum Philanthropy and Evaluation – What Gives?

Thursday September 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am ACST

Author: Rick Cummings, Program Evaluation Services, Alan Woodward, Alan Woodward Consulting, Jen Lorains, Childrens Ground, Chelsea Arten, Minderoo, Catherine Wade, Parenting Research Centre

It is estimated that over $2.4 billion is given annually in philanthropic and charitable causes in Australian. This is a very significant amount of funding and yet there is little to no research on how these funds and programs are evaluated. The AES Fellows are conducting an interactive session to look both at the role of evaluation in philanthropy and the role of philanthropy in evaluation.
The aim is to identify issues in this field, to generate discussion between attendees and philanthropic organisations, and to build some bridges between evaluators and philanthropists for future research and evaluation activities. We have representatives from three of the key stakeholder groups in this area – philanthropic organisations, agencies relying on philanthropic funding, and evaluators who have worked in this area - to give short presentations on their experiences working in this area and issues which they face.
These presenters will form a panel, with a Fellow as moderator. Based on these talks, audience groups will be formed and facilitated by a panel member or a Fellow to discuss issues and experiences. From these discussions, the panel will then respond to these audience generated issues/questions.

Chair

Delyth (Del) Lloyd

Speakers

Nicola Johnstone

Principal, Impact and Insights, Minderoo Foundation

Jess Dart

CEO, Clear Horizon

Dr Jess Dart is the founder and CEO of Clear Horizon, an Australian-based specialist evaluation company. Having received the 2018 Outstanding Contribution to Evaluation Award from the Australian Evaluation Society (AES), Jess is a recognised leader with over 25 years of experience... Read More →

Rick Cummings

Emeritus Professor, Murdoch University

Rick Cummings is an Emeritus Professor in Public Policy at Murdoch University. He has 40 years of experience conducting evaluation studies in education, training, health, and crime prevention primarily for the state and commonwealth government agencies and the World Bank. He currently... Read More →

Catherine Wade

Principal Research Specialist, Parenting Research Centre

Dr Catherine Wade is Principal Research Specialist at the Parenting Research Centre and a Research Affiliate with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. Catherine is leading a programme of research at the Parenting Research Centre investigating aspects of the... Read More →

Jen Lorains

Director Research & Evaluation, Childrens Ground

Jen Lorains is the Director of Research & Evaluation at Children’s Ground. She works with each community to evaluate and evidence the impact of Children’s Ground’s empowerment, systems reform and integrated service platform.Jen has undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications... Read More →

Alan Woodward

Principal, Alan Woodward Consulting

My evaluation experience is broad, ranging from the conduct of evaluations of programs and services, the commissioning of evaluations, the engagement of communities on evaluation activities, the design of evaluation strategies and capacity building within organisations. I work in... Read More →

Caroline Henwood

Research, Evaluation and Learning Manager, The Ian Potter Foundation

I am always intrigued by how we come to definitions, how words resonate differently for individuals and what it all means. On a more practical note! I am interested in people's perceptions on proportionality, how we think about it, and how we support it when it is often not what appears... Read More →

Thursday September 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:30am ACST
Waterfront 3 Stokes Hill Rd, Darwin City NT, Australia

Special

Format Panel
Audience Level Intermediate, Foundational
Industry Not for profit Philanthropy
ID 1010

4:00pm ACST

Quality evaluation that makes a difference: continuing the conversation

Thursday September 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm ACST

Rooms 3+4

Author: Eleanor Williams, Kara Scally-Irvine, Anabelle Chen, Caitlin Morton, Carina Calzoni

The AES has been exploring its vision of “quality evaluation that makes a difference” through a strategic project - engaging members and examining evaluation theory and practice. This work has surfaced a central challenge: while the phrase is compelling, its meaning is complex, contested, and shaped by context.
This roundtable begins from that complexity but does not seek to resolve it. Instead, it focuses on what comes next.
We will briefly share insights from the journey so far, including the multiple dimensions of “evaluation”, “quality”, and “making a difference”. These span tensions between evaluation as process, product, and profession; competing perspectives on quality and diverse understandings of use and influence across contexts and stakeholders.
The primary purpose of the session is to continue this conversation across the AES community. Participants will engage in facilitated small-group discussions to explore key questions: What does quality evaluation mean in your context? Who defines it? What does “making a difference” look like and for whom? How should these conversations evolve as contexts, practice, and membership change?
Participants will then work together to identify practical ways to sustain and deepen engagement. The session will capture and share these ideas to inform AES’s ongoing work.
Designed for intermediate to advanced evaluators, this roundtable creates space for collective reflection and future-oriented dialogue. This supports the AES vision by keeping the conversation alive recognising that what constitutes “quality evaluation that makes a difference” must continue to evolve with the field.es a difference” must continue to evolve with the field.

Chair

Marion Norton

Manager Research and Evaluation, Qld DJAG

Speakers

Eleanor Williams

Managing Director, Australian Centre for Evaluation

Eleanor Williams is the Managing Director of the Australian Centre for Evaluation in the Commonwealth Department of the Treasury. She has worked in a variety of senior executive roles in the Victorian and Australian Governments, and is a former board member of the Australian Evaluation... Read More →

Kara Scally-Irvine

Ksi Consulting

Anabelle (Pin-Ju) Chen 陳品儒

President/Evaluator, Taiwan Pride Sydney

Hi, I am Anabelle. I am an evaluator, data analyst and the President of Taiwan Pride Sydney. You might notice my profile picture is from my work as a DJ (O’a Gem, sound-alike for oyster omelette in Taiwanese 🇹🇼 ). I kept it because the skillsets are surprisingly identical... Read More →

Caitlin Morton

Independent Consultant

I’m Dr Caitlin Morton, I’m passionate about turning knowledge into power to help people solve the world’s biggest problems. I do this as an independent evaluator based on Awabakal Country in Newcastle, NSW Australia. I can help you use data and evidence to improve outcomes by... Read More →

Carina Calzoni

AES

I have been a member of the AES for over 25 years, and am now part of the AES management team - as the Policy Officer. It's an exciting role that brings together my experiences in evaluation and policy working in government and the private sectors. I am committed to creating positive... Read More →

QETMAD Consultation Paper Final docx

Thursday September 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm ACST
Rooms 3+4 Stokes Hill Rd, Darwin City NT, Australia

Special

Format Round table
Audience Level Intermediate, Advanced
Industry Arts and recreation services, Economic development tourism and infrastructure, Community and social services, Education and training, Environment and climate change, Health and disability, Information media and telecommunications, International development, Natur
ID 266

10:30am ACST

4:00pm ACST

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