Kelly Robertson

I work as a Principal Research Associate at The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. I obtained my Ph.D. in interdisciplinary evaluation and have over 16 years of experience in program evaluation. I have worked as an evaluation educator, practitioner, and scholar. I take a practical and equity-informed work approach to my work to support high-quality and useful evaluation. I am especially good at building relationships, making content practical and easy to understand, and creating “beautiful” user-friendly reports. I also hold a Master’s Degree in International Development Administration and a certificate in nonprofit leadership administration.  

Recent Projects: 

2025 – Evaluation Capacity Strengthening Workshops and Technical Assistance 
2025 Rootead Evaluation Capacity Strengthening Project 
2024-2025 Missouri State University Access Climate and Equity Initiative Evaluation  
2025-2026 Grand Rapids Urban League Conflict Resolution Program Evaluation; 
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)