P R E S S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release: January 09, 2008
Contact: Denise Ballard, 229- 312-1700
Association to host Evaluation Conference in Tifton
ALBANY, GA - The Southern Georgia Evaluation Association will host its first annual conference on Thursday, January 24th at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. The conference registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. in ABAC’s new Health Sciences Center with several national and regional evaluation professionals presenting workshops that will appeal to a wide range of audiences interested in learning more about how to effectively and efficiently evaluate programs and broaden evaluation skills.
"Anyone involved in planning and implementing programs is accountable to demonstrate that their programs work," said Laura Beth Tucker, president of the Southern Georgia Evaluation Association and managing partner of Community Partners of Georgia. "This conference will enable evaluation professionals, as well as novices, to enhance their skills and share best practices for evaluation planning, data collection, and reporting," Tucker added.
Registration for the conference is $30 and includes lunch. However, participants can receive a one-year membership in the Southern Georgia Evaluation Association and attend the conference at a discounted price of $40. Students may register for the conference for $15, or they can join the association and register for the conference for $25.
The Southern Georgia Evaluation Association promotes the practice and use of high quality evaluation throughout southern Georgia. The association is an affiliate of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), and it includes representatives from health care, education, non-profit and other community programs interested in fostering stronger program planning and evaluation skills.
This full-day event is sponsored by Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, the Emory Prevention Research Center, and the South Health District, in cooperation with the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition and Tift Regional Medical Center. Additional support is provided by Child Care Resource & Referral of Southwest Georgia in Albany, Community Ventures, Inc., and the Southwest Georgia Public Health District.
Hallie Preskill, PhD, will deliver the keynote address at the conference. Dr. Preskill is a Professor in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University where she teaches courses in program evaluation, organizational learning, Appreciative Inquiry, consulting, positive organizational scholarship, and training and design and delivery. She has written numerous books on evaluation and she serves as the 2007 President of the AEA. Dr. Preskill will present on building evaluation capacity within organizations, and she will conduct a workshop on Appreciative Inquiry in evaluation practice.
Jim Rugh, an independent consultant with 43 years of experience in rural community development in Africa, Asia, Appalachia and other parts of the world, will conduct a plenary session on how to conduct evaluations when working under resource constraints. Mr. Jim Rugh was recently appointed AEA representative to the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (the coordinating body of professional evaluation associations around the world).
Concurrent workshops also will be offered by experts from Emory University-Rollins School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Georgia Division of Public Health, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Topics include data collection strategies, the use of logic models, and resources for evaluation, planning and assessment.
Seating is limited and registrations are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until January 17. For more information or to register for the conference, contact Shirley Rogers at the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition at (229) 312-1700 or shirley.rogers@swgacancer.org
Contact:
Christi Sheffield, Communications / Project Coordinator
Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition
229-312-1703
email Christi Sheffield