Guili Zhang

President, American Evaluation Association

Professor, Evaluation and Research at East Carolina University

Dr. Zhang's visit in April included in-person meetings with The Evaluation Center and Evaluation Lab staff and doctoral students. This was the 14th consecutive year the sitting AEA president has visited Western Michigan University. She also gave a presentation for our Evaluation Café series titled "Evaluation Across Boundaries." 

Her presentation was followed by a panel discussion, "Navigating Professional Pathways and Boundaries in Evaluation." We were pleased to be joined by the following panelists:

• Nathan Browning, Principal Consultant at Kiaer Research; Chair of the American Evaluation Association’s Independent Consulting Topical Interest Group
• Jan Fields, Program Evaluator, Michigan Public Health Institute and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• Megan Lopez, Senior Research Associate at The Evaluation Center at WMU; Executive Director of Move Conmigo; Adjunct Professor at Grand Valley State University
• Lenore Yaeger, Director of Assessment, Marketing, and Communications for Student Affairs at WMU
• Guili Zhang, Professor of Evaluation and Research at East Carolina University, President of the American Evaluation Association

Our Evaluation Café features discussions and presentations about evaluation over the lunch hour. Café presenters introduce new ideas, solicit feedback on real-world evaluation issues, and share recent evaluation work. 

In 2025-26, The Evaluation Center hosted one in-person and nine hybrid presentations featuring 17 speakers on diverse topics. 

Evaluation Center staff regularly present at national and regional conferences. In 2025-26, our staff gave eight presentations at four conferences and other evaluation-related convenings.

Agarwal, A., Ashcroft, J., Jeppesen, V., Loh, Y.-T., McClure, L., Robicheau, W., & Sturgis, E. (2025, July). Insights from the ATE Survey to strengthen proposals, projects, and industry collaboration. Panel session at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Hernandez, A. E., Morrison, J. Q., & Watts, B. R. (2025, November 13). The Program Evaluation Standards revision process: Major milestones and future collaborative efforts. Conference session at the annual conference of the American Evaluation Association, Kansas City, MO.

Hooks Singletary, B. (2025, July). Finding the right evaluator. Conference presentation at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Hooks Singletary, B. (2025, October). Sharing what matters. Synergy session at the ATE PI Conference, Washington, DC.

Marshall, V. (2025, November 2). The role of social determinants of health and structural barriers for individuals with substance use disorder and behavioral health conditions: Findings from a statewide community health assessment. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.

Marshall, V. (2025, November 4). Evaluating for systems change: Leveraging evaluation methods and approaches for the nation's health. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.

Marshall, V. (2026, April 2). From research to implementation: Evaluation approaches for structural health equity interventions. Conference presentation at Research Day, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI.

Montrosse-Moorhead, B., Schröter, D., Becho, L.W. (2025, November 13). A walk through the garden of evaluation approaches: Uses for teaching, capacity building, and practice. Conference session at the annual conference of the American Evaluation Association, Kansas City, MO.

The Evaluation Center is home to the Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation. In 2025-26, the fully open-access journal published two issues featuring 16 articles by established and emerging evaluation scholars.

Evaluation Center staff regularly publish on evaluation theory, practice, and methods. In 2025-26, center staff published two articles.

López, M., Fitzgerald, M., Becho, L. W., Rucks, L., Queen, S., Lee-Easton, A., & Dean, K. L. (2026). The impact of incentives on survey response rates in the NSF ATE community. Journal of Advanced Technological Education, 5(1).

Schroter, D., Becho, L.W., & Montrosse-Moorehead, B. The garden of evaluation approaches: Supporting explicit, theory-informed evaluation practice. Sage Journals, 32(2).

Evaluation Center staff members published one blog post in 2025-26.

Marshall, V. (2026, March 24). Health Evaluation TIG Week: Advancing health equity: Takeaways from a study on evaluation methods used in structural-level interventions. AEA365. 

EvaluATE, a National Science Foundation-supported resource hub located at the center, hosts open-access webinars to support evaluators and project staff with practical tools and actionable insights. Each session is recorded and made available to the evaluation community, ensuring continued access to critical learning materials at any time.

In 2025-26, EvaluATE held five webinars.

Anyaibe, O., Hooker, S., & Hooks Singletary, B. (2025, May). Crafting compelling case studies for evaluation. [Webinar]. EvaluATE.

Becho, L. W., Hooker, S., & Hooks Singletary, B. (2025, February). NSF ATE evaluation essentials for non-evaluators: Understanding the basics and benefits of evaluation. [Webinar]. EvaluATE.

Becho, L. W., Hooker, S., & Hooks Singletary, B. (2025, March). Strategies and insights into evaluation plans for NSF ATE proposals. [Webinar]. EvaluATE.

Hooks Singletary, B., & López, M. (2025, October). Communicating what matters: Understanding and sharing ATE project outcomes and impact [Webinar]. EvaluATE.

Hooks Singletary, B. (2026, March). NSF ATE evaluation: From concepts to proposal plans [Webinar]. EvaluATE.

The Evaluation Center staff leads workshops at various conferences to promote sound evaluation practice. In 2025-26, we presented four workshops at three conferences and hosted our first weeklong evaluation retreat to serve local organizations.

Becho, L. W., Bower, R., & Hooks Singletary, B. (2025, October). Telling the story of your ATE project: Communicating impact with purpose. Preconference workshop at the Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators Conference, Washington, DC.

Becho, L. W., Montrosse-Moorhead, B., & Schröter, D. (2026, April). Approaches to Evaluating Educational Programs. Preconference workshop at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Los Angeles, CA. 

López, M., Robertson, K., Wingate, L.W., & Youker, B. (2026, May). Evaluation planning retreat at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.

López, M., & Hooks Singletary, B. (2025, July). ATE evaluators: Connect, learn, and share. Special interest group meeting at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

López, M., & McClure, L. (2025, October). Getting started for new grantees. Preconference workshop at the Advanced Technological Education Principal Investigators Conference, Washington, DC.

EvaluATE hosts a series of Community Conversations, which are facilitated virtual meetings to support peer-to-peer learning about evaluation. EvaluATE, located within The Evaluation Center, is the evaluation hub for the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program.

In 2025-26, EvaluATE hosted 11 Community Conversations on the following topics:

• Planning and delivering effective conference presentations for project dissemination
• Creating evaluation plans for ATE projects
• Effective data management in ATE projects
• Effective facilitation practices for ATE projects
• Using AI in project evaluations
• Reflecting on lessons learned
• Preparing for the 2026 ATE Survey
• Completing the 2026 ATE Survey
• Developing and refining evaluation questions
• Evaluation planning in practice
• Practical advice to excel in ATE evaluation

The Evaluation Lab secured six new projects during the 2025-26 fiscal year, and continued work on nine ongoing contracts.

Evaluation of Can-Do Camp

Sponsor: Can-Do Kalamazoo

The lab designed, administered, analyzed, and reported on evaluations of Can-Do Camp, a 12-week entrepreneurial training program. Specifically, the lab administered weekly and post-camp surveys with several cohorts of camp participants and facilitated 6-month and 1-year follow-up interviews.

Data Management and Analysis for Imagine Kalamazoo 2035

Sponsor: City of Kalamazoo

The City of Kalamazoo facilitated a year-long process for gathering data from city residents to inform the City’s 10-year strategic plan. The lab provided data management, analysis, and visualization to IK 2035.

Campus-Wide Undergraduate Survey Data Collection and Analysis

Navigator Network Student Interviews

Survey of Broncos Lead Employers

Sponsor: Empowering Futures Gift, Western Michigan University

The lab designed, conducted, facilitated, analyzed, and reported on focus groups with Broncos Lead internship participants and focus groups, interviews, and surveys with Bronco Connect living learning community residents. In 2024, the lab surveyed more than 400 undergrads in person about their WMU experience. In 2025, the lab surveyed over 600. 

Evaluation Consulting

Sponsor: Kalamazoo Black Male Alliance

KBMA is a social-educational organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for Black men and boys. The lab provides ongoing evaluation, capacity-building support, and consultation.

Logic Model and Evaluation Strategy Development for Higher Education for the Justice-Involved (HEJI)

Sponsor: WMU Center for Humanities

HEJI delivers philosophy courses to individuals incarcerated at Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan. The lab consulted with HEJI regarding evaluation strategy, logic models, and outcome measures.

Project: Program Logic Models

Stara Collaborative is a community project support hub that assists grassroots leaders and organizations by providing fiscal sponsorship, operational infrastructure, and shared workspace. The lab created an introduction-to-evaluation training video and consulted with several project leads to develop project evaluation plans. 

Project: Rubric Development & Testing

KYDNet is an umbrella organization for youth-serving organizations in Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties. The lab supported the development of a rubric called the Liberatory Learning Index (LLI). Additionally, the lab conducted reliability and validity testing on the LLI.

Project: Participant Interviews

Parenting Reimagined coaches and supports mothers and caregivers of young children with tools, community, and care, focusing on self-care, conscious parenting, and family stability. The lab designed, conducted, and analyzed 1-on-1 post-course interviews with four participants. 

Project: Program Logic Models

The Fatherhood Network supports fathers by providing a community of peers, resources, and programs to help them be more actively engaged in their children's lives. The lab created nine logic models for services such as peer support and coaching, Dad Cafés, community resources, and men's wellness retreats.

Project: Football, Learning Lab, Cheer, Day Camp

Premier Athletics uses sports, games, and physical activities as its vehicle for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. The lab facilitated the development and design of five logic models for four of Premier Athletics for Youth Development’s programs: Cheerleading, Football, Day Camp, and Learning Lab.

Evaluation Consulting for Justice Lifted Project

Sponsor: Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations

Justice Lifted program is a juvenile diversion program and collaboration between the Walker Institute and Gryphon Place. The lab provided consultation regarding evaluation strategy design and instrument development.

Logic Model and Evaluation Strategy Development for Camp Good Grief

Sponsor: Centrica Care Navigators

Journeys and Camp Good Grief are initiatives to provide bereavement groups for children and families experiencing a loss. The lab consulted on the creation of an evaluation strategy, developing project logic models, and revising Centrica’s existing data collection instruments.

Logic Model Development 

Sponsor: Local Journalism Foundation

LJF is a Kalamazoo-area media organization that focuses on participatory journalism, public education, and civic engagement. The lab assisted in drafting logic models for LJF overall and several LJF initiatives. The lab conducted an evidence scan by systematically gathering research on local news media impacting civic engagement.

Project: Kalamazoo Entrepreneurial Landscape Survey

The Kalamazoo Entrepreneur Network works to connect local entrepreneurs with resources, promote collaboration among organizations, and provide events, mentorship, and networking opportunities to support and empower entrepreneurs, particularly focusing on BIPOC entrepreneurs. The lab designed, administered, analyzed, and reported on a survey of 71 Kalamazoo County entrepreneurs. With the English and Spanish-language survey, KZEN hoped to learn about entrepreneurs’ business status, perspectives on the entrepreneurial environment, and business needs.

In 2025-26, the Evaluation Lab had 14 student employees.  

Dr. Brandon Youker is the Evaluation Lab's director. He oversees a team of exceptional student employees:

In 2024, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation awarded the Evaluation Lab a grant of $90,000 over three years. These funds support professional development, technology, and team building for the Evaluation Lab staff and enable the lab to provide discounted services to low-resourced community organizations.