Kelly Robertson

Kelly Robertson works as a Principal Research Associate at The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. She obtained her Ph.D. in interdisciplinary evaluation and has over 15 years of experience in the field of program evaluation. Her professional and research experience so far has focused on adult education, career and technical education, communities of practice, criminal justice, domestic and sexual violence, energy-efficiency, evaluation capacity development, equity- and equality-focused evaluation, institutional/systemic racism, international development, metaevaluation, and economic empowerment. Dr. Robertson also holds a Master’s Degree in International Development Administration and a certificate in nonprofit leadership administration. She, along with Dr. Lori Wingate, led the development of The Evaluation Center's online training program, Valeo.

Recent Projects:

2019 – 2023   Development of Online Evaluation Training Program for Practitioners
2017 – 2020   City of Grand Rapids Seeking Safety Modification Project Evaluation
2017 – 2019   Grand Rapids Urban League Sowing Opportunities Now (SON) Program Evaluation
2016 – 2023   EvaluATE: Evaluation Learning and Resource Hub for Advanced Technical Education Program
2016 – 2023   Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan Life Guide Program Evaluation Capacity Development
2016 – 2018   Evaluation of the Use of Restorative Justice Practices to Reduce School Truancy and Suspension
2012 - 2018   Evaluation of Urban Core Collective
2015              Create Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the YWCA of Kalamazoo
                       
Recent Publications:

• Wingate, L., Boyce, A., Becho, L. W., & Robertson, K. (Eds.) (forthcoming in 2024). Core concepts in evaluation: Contemporary commentary on classic writings. Sage.
• Wingate, L., & Robertson, K. (under review). Using competency-informed tasks to guide evaluation capacity strengthening. Journal of MultiDisicplinary Evaluation.
• Watts, B. & Robertson, K. (2022). Impact of Established Restorative Practices in an Urban High School Environment. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 40(1), 123-140. doi.org/10.1002/crq.21353
• Robertson, K. (2016). Considering the social determinants of equity in international development evaluation guidance documents. In J. Chouinard & R. Hopson (Eds.), Decolonizing international development evaluation. [Special issue]. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 30(3), 344-373. doi:10.3138/cjpe.30.3.07 
• Robertson, K. & Schröter, D. (2014). Leveraging appraisal findings to improve evaluation quality (i-eval Think Piece, 4). International Labour Organization website: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_mas/---eval/documents/publication/wcms_237914.pdf
• Schröter, D., Coryn, C., Cullen, A., Robertson, K., & Alyami, M. (2011). Using concept mapping for planning and evaluation of a statewide energy efficiency initiative. Energy Efficiency. doi: 10.1007/s12053-011-9141-7 
• Evergreen, S. & Robertson, K. (2010). How do evaluators communicate cultural competence? Indications of cultural competence through an examination of the American Evaluation Association’s career center.  Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation, 6(14), 58-67. Available at http://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/272

Selected Webinars:

• Getting Everyone on the Same Page: Practical Strategies for Evaluator-Stakeholder Communication (May 2019)
• Anatomy of a User-Friendly Evaluation Report (December 2016)
• Articulating Your Program’s Plan: Developing Your Logic Model (April 2014)