Join our next in-person social networking event in Victoria!

CESBC Lower Mainland Social Meet-Up

We’re pleased to invite you to our next in-person social meet-up on June 17!

Join us to expand your local evaluation network and explore evaluation in practice through guided discussion:

This is a great opportunity to:

• Connect with local evaluators and researchers

• Share your perspectives on the Periodic Table of Evaluation

• Explore how other local evaluators are using various approaches, methods, designs, and criteria in their work

• Build new connections within the evaluation community on Vancouver Island

Whether you are an experienced evaluator, new to the field, or simply interested in learning more about evaluation, we welcome you to join the conversation.

MATERIALS FOR REVIEW

The Periodic Table of Evaluation ~ YouTube ~ Michael Quinn Patton and Sara Vaca

The Periodic Table of Evaluation ~ Paper ~ Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation

Periodic Table of Evaluation ~ Michael Quinn Patton ~ 2024/08/22 ~ Transcript

We’ll be using Zoom to host the discussion.

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Time: 5:00pm to 6:00pm

Where: Zoom - REGISTER HERE

Contact for Questions:

Michelle Vanchu-Orosco & Ashley Rakoff, Vancouver Island Coordinators, CESBC

cesbc.vanisle@gmail.com | evaluationbc.ca

Lower Mainland Social In-Person Meet-Up

We’re pleased to invite you to our first social event of 2026, taking place in a cozy Vancouver pub.

Join us for a relaxed and welcoming evening where you can connect with fellow evaluation professionals, expand your network, and exchange ideas. Whether you are experienced in the field, just starting out, or simply interested in learning more, this event offers a great opportunity to meet like-minded individuals. So, mark your calendars, drop in, say hi, and let's make this a night to remember.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP if you can so we can reserve table space.

Date: Wednesday April 15, 2026 

Time: 6:00-8:00pm

Location: Lions Pub, 888 W Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6C 0A7

Curious or Have Questions? Please reach out to:

Karsang & Bindu, Lower Mainland Coordinators: cesbc.lowermain@gmail.com

Enjoy a conversation with your fellow evaluation practitioners as we explore and discuss AI:

• How are you using it presently?

• What are your concerns regarding this technology?

This will be an open discussion where participants can share their experiences and learn from each other.

We will be using Zoom to host this discussion.

Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026

Time: 11 am-12:30 pm

Location: Zoom Registration

If you have any questions, please contact Holly DiMaggio, Interior/Okanagan Coordinator at CESBCInterior@gmail.com

Looking to expand your local evaluation network? Enjoy a conversation with your fellow evaluation practitioners during an online networking event. This is a great opportunity to:

• Connect with local evaluators and researchers

• Share your experiences and perspectives on evaluation work across the Island

• Explore current challenges, emerging trends, and what evaluation means in your work

• Build new connections within the evaluation community on Vancouver Island

Whether you are an experienced evaluator, new to the field, or simply interested in learning more about evaluation, we welcome you to join the conversation.

We’ll be using Zoom to host the discussion.

Date: Wednesday, Mar 11, 2026

Time: 4:30pm to 5:30pm

Where: Zoom - REGISTER HERE

Contact for Questions:

Michelle Vanchu-Orosco & Ashley Rakoff, Vancouver Island Coordinators, CESBC

cesbc.vanisle@gmail.com | evaluationbc.ca

Enjoy a conversation with your fellow evaluation practitioners during an online networking event:

• Meet new evaluators.

• Discuss your unique experiences as evaluators in the Interior.

• Make new contacts in the field.

Anyone with an interest in evaluation is welcome to join the session!

We’ll be using Zoom meeting to host the discussion.

Date: Thursday, Jan 22, 2026

Time: 6pm to 7pm

Where: Zoom - REGISTER HERE

If you have any questions, please contact Holly DiMaggio, Interior/Okanagan Coordinator at CESBC.Interior@gmail.com

The Executive of the Canadian Evaluation Society BC is pleased to announce that our 2025 AGM will be held online. 

-> If you have recently joined (or renewed with) CES please email details to bc@evaluationcanada.ca (as CES National updates are periodic).
-> NOTE: Members must be in good standing for at least 30 days to vote or stand for election. Ensure your membership is current by November 4, 2025.

Please REGISTER HERE: Zoom Registration Link

AGM agenda and a Call for Nominations: CESBC AGM Notice 2025.pdf [see within for full details of nomination processes]

Nominations indicating the position being sought must be made through this Google Form. Please note that to be eligible, you must have been a CES member for at least 30 days before the election [by November 4, 2025]. If you will not meet this criteria and are interested in a position, please explain in the form. 

The current CESBC Executive Council members hosted an Information Session to learn more about being on the council and the available opportunities on Friday, November 14, 2025

See a recording of the presentation HERE!

Positions Eligible for Nominations

Read about Roles & Responsibilities

Nominations are open for the following positions (2026 Council Year commences at the AGM):

1. Council Executive Positions

• Vice-President [2026 & 2027 – two year term]

• Secretary [2026 & 2027 – two year term]

• National Council Representative [2026, 2027 & 2028 – three year term]

• Member at Large – Professional Development & Communication [2026 – interim one year term]

• Member at Large – Membership Secretary [2026 & 2027 – two year term] (with plans to repurpose this role to Professional Development & Communication, subject to bylaw amendment approval)

• Member at Large – Conference Lead [2026 & 2027 – two year term]

• Member at Large – Conference Support [2026 – one year interim term]

2. Coordinator Positions

In addition, there are opportunities for the following appointed positions which can be shared roles:

• Lower Mainland Coordinator - 2 positions available (suited to CESBC members who live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia).

• Northern Regional Coordinator - 1 position available, currently one coordinator in the role (suited to CESBC members who live in northern British Columbia).

Northern | Virtual Social & Northern Health Speakers

Event Title:

Internal Evaluation in Action: Structures, Strategies, and Success at Northern Health

Event Description:

Ever wonder about how to establish or scale up an internal evaluation team at an organization? Join us to chat about the evolution of evaluation at Northern Health. We'll explore key enablers such as education on evaluation and its similarities and differences from related professions, collaboration strategies, and supportive structures. Finally, we'll chat about the importance of ensuring evaluation use through strategic relationships, tailored deliverables, and understanding decision-makers' information needs. You'll have ample opportunity to virtually meet and network with others interested in evaluation across Northern BC. Looking forward to seeing you all!

Speakers:

Christine Vandenberghe, Regional Manager, Research, Evaluation & Knowledge Translation, Northern Health and members of the Northern Health Evaluation Team

Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Time: 3pm to 5pm

Where: Zoom - REGISTER HERE

Contact for Questions:

Stephanie Lowe & Christiana Onabola, Northern Coordinators, CESBC

cesbc.northern@gmail.com | evaluationbc.ca

When: Friday, November 21 2025

Where: SFU Harbour Centre | 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3

SCHEDULE

Registration open: 7:45am

Conference Program: 8:45am to 4:00pm
Breakfast and lunch provided (dietary restrictions accommodated)
Reception and Networking: 4pm-5:00pm

For more information, see our Conference Page.

Conference Overview

CESBC is excited to announce the 2025 annual one-day conference, dedicated to continuing our mission of bringing meaningful learning and deeper growth to the BC evaluation community. Through engaging and interactive presentations, workshops, and networking activities, we aim to foster an environment for collaborative knowledge exchange.

This year's conference invites participants to approach evaluation as a path filled with opportunities to learn, adapt, and deepen our understanding of the practice and its impact. This conference is an opportunity to share those experiences — to highlight successes, explore emerging questions, and uncover new possibilities together. We will also reflect on how our evaluation practices and skills evolve over time, how we make meaning amid complexity, and how diverse perspectives shape and guide our evaluation journey

Stories as Pathways: Arts-Based Reflection to Unfold Evaluation Journeys
facilitated by Dr. Gladys Rowe, Indigenous Insights 

For more information, see our Pre-Conference Workshop page.

When: Thursday, November 20, 2025 | 10:00am - 4:00pm

Where: SFU Harbour Centre 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3

Workshop Details

This full-day workshop invites evaluators to pause, reflect, and reimagine their evaluation journeys through arts-based and storytelling practices. Drawing on Indigenous methodologies and relational accountability, participants will explore their own paths as evaluators, share stories of practice, and experiment with creative approaches to sensemaking and evaluation. Together we will:

• Map our evaluation journeys and reflect on key moments of learning and unlearning.

• Explore storytelling and 4Rs (Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Relationality) as guiding principles.

• Engage in hands-on creative activities (like collage, poetry, playdoh, zine-making) to imagine new possibilities for evaluation.

• Build connections and collective insights to carry forward into our work.

No arts experience is required — just openness to curiosity, creativity, and community. This workshop will provide space to slow down, connect, and cultivate new practices for relationally accountable evaluation.

CESBC Executive Council Information Session 

Friday, November 14, 2025

Time: 12pm - 1pm

The Executive of the Canadian Evaluation Society BC is pleased hold an Information Session with current CESBC Executive Council members to learn more about being on the council and the available opportunities!

Please REGISTER HERE: Zoom Registration Link

Questions can be submitted in advance using this anonymous form.

Non members are welcome to join. You would be able to be appointed for remaining positions after the AGM after 30 days of membership in Good Standing.

**If you have recently joined (or renewed with) CES please email details to cesbc.louise.mason@gmail.com (as CES National updates are periodic).
***NOTE: Members must be in good standing for at least 30 days to vote or stand for election. Ensure your membership is current by November 4, 2025.

Interactive Webinar: Krazy Glue Messaging ~ Making Your Evaluation and Research Findings Stick presented by Kylie Hutchison.

As evaluators, people need our evidence more than ever nowadays. But with so much going on, they have even less bandwidth to absorb the results we give them. The solution? Sticky messaging!

The evaluation profession has wholeheartedly embraced smaller and more innovative forms of reporting over the years such as infographics and two-page briefs. However, these shorter forms of communication require us to condense our extensive findings into much less content. We also need to identify and make our key messages “sticky” in order to ensure that busy decision-makers are able to understand, recall, and act on our key findings when the time comes.

Join us for a fun and interactive webinar looking at what makes a key message “sticky” and leave feeling inspired to try something new!

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this session, you will be able to:

• explain the benefits of using sticky messaging

• describe the steps to isolate key messages from your results

• list ways to make these key messages stickier for intended users.

Presenter

Kylie Hutchinson is a credentialed evaluator and consultant to non-profits with Community Solutions Planning & Evaluation. She has over 30 years’ experience specializing in the areas of evaluation, strategic planning, and board governance, and is known for her fun and engaging webinars. In 2020, she received the CES Contribution to Evaluation in Canada award. Kylie is the author of three books on program planning and evaluation: Survive and Thrive: Three Steps to Securing Your Program’s Sustainability, A Short Primer on Innovative Evaluation Reporting, and the edited collection, Evaluation Failures: Evaluators Share 22 Tales of Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned.

Date: October 28, 2025

Time: 10:00 - 12:00 am PT

Location: Zoom meeting - link will be provided on registration

Cost: $10 for CES members, $15 for non-members

Member at Large - Professional Development:
Reanna Clark CESBC.PD@gmail.com

Student & Emerging Evaluators Network (SEEN) Networking In Person Meet-Up

PLEASE RSVP SO WE HAVE AN IDEA OF NUMBERS AND TO ADVISE ON CHANGE OF LOCATION IF THE WEATHER IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO BEING ON THE BEACH

Are you working in the field of evaluation, looking to meet other evaluation enthusiasts? Come join us for a fun-filled evening of connections at Kitsilano Beach, or nearby!

• Connect with professionals, experts, and enthusiasts in the field of evaluation.

• Network in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

• Grow your community and gain valuable insights.

Whether you're a seasoned evaluator or new/emerging evaluator, this event is an opportunity to expand your network, exchange ideas, and ignite collaborations!

Curious or Have Questions? Reach out to:

• Megan, SEEN Coordinator: emergingevaluators.bc@gmail.com

See you there, ready to connect, learn, and inspire!

Date: September 24, 2025 
Time: 5:30-7:00pm
Location: Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver : Grassy area between Lot 66 and the Hadden park public washroom. [Alternate location will be provided if needed]

This event is free—please bring your own picnic blanket or chair, along with any food or drinks you’d like to enjoy.

Webinar: How can evaluators contribute to planetary health? presented by Astrid Brousselle.

Planetary health “considers the interdependence between the elements (air, soil and water) and living beings (plants, animals including humans), emphasizing the importance of cultivating a positive ecosystem to support the flourishing of all forms of life” (Brousselle, Bemner, et al., 2024; Brousselle, Curren, et al., 2024, p. 269).

Most current evaluation approaches take the broader social and environmental context for granted when this context is the most important determinant for human survival and well-being. As we need to collectively respond to many embedded crises (environmental, social, health) we also need to reconsider the way we design and practice evaluation.

During this presentation, we will show how evaluators can design their evaluations for positively contributing to planetary health. In particular, we will see how to build logic models for planetary health. We will also explore a theory-based approach and rapid assessment tools to assess interventions using planetary health lenses. We will discuss how to integrate planetary health dimensions in all types of evaluation.

Presenter

Astrid Brousselle specializes in evaluation approaches and methods, planetary health, health system analysis and the socio-ecological transition. Between 2015 and 2019, she was the French editor of The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation/Revue canadienne d'évaluation de programme and, for many years, she was a member of the editorial board of Evaluation and Program Planning. In September, she will be the incoming editor of The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation/Revue canadienne d'évaluation de programme. Astrid Brousselle earned a B.Sc. in economics, an M.Sc. in health administration, and a Ph.D. in public health from the University of Montreal. She began her academic career as an Assistant Professor at the University of Montreal and later held a Canada Research Chair in Evaluation and Health System Improvement at the Université de Sherbrooke from 2011 to 2016. She joined the University of Victoria as the Director of the School of Public Administration in 2017, for a 5-year term. At the University of Victoria, she also led, between 2018 and 2023, the group UVic in the Anthropocene.

Date: September 24, 2025

Time: 12:00 - 11:00 pm PT

Location: Zoom meeting - link will be provided on registration

Cost: $10 for CES members, $15 for non-members

Member at Large - Professional Development:
Reanna Clark CESBC.PD@gmail.com

Vancouver Island Meet & Greet with CES Conference Watch Party

Join us for happy hour from 4pm-5pm at Moxies on Yates St., Victoria to meet your Vancouver Island coordinators and other local evaluators, researchers, and like-minded individuals.

Stick around to view the CES National presentation of Steve Jacob's presentation "What competencies do evaluators need in the age of artificial intelligence?".

Stay as long or short as you want. Appetizers provided. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Free for CESBC Members, $5 for non-members.

Only 25 spaces! Please cancel if you cannot attend. 

Curious or Have Questions? Please reach out to:

Michelle & Ashley, Vancouver Island Coordinators: CESBC.VanIsle@gmail.com

Date: Thursday May 22, 2025 
Time: 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: Moxies, 1010 Yates St Suite 1, Victoria, BC V8V 3M6

We will be watching this session from the 2025 CES National Conference: "What competencies do evaluators need in the age of artificial intelligence"

We will also be celebrating the one-year anniversary of The Evaluation Couch podcast, hosted by CESBC member, Maria Montenegro.

Environment and Sustainability on the Periphery of Evaluation Practice

CESBC Arts & Social Meet-Up

Togetherheads Studio, 114 E 4th Ave #22 (in the Alley)

Join us for a fun - and free - evening of giggles, schmoozing & art making. Network and make friends with evaluators. Students and new evaluators welcome!

Make a collage with us and see how arts-based methods fit in evaluation. No artistic skills are required, and absolutely no judgement on quality.

Between free food, friends and fun, this is functionally a birthday party. Just bring your lovely self!