PRESENTED BY This event is co-hosted by a global network of partners and will serve as a catalyst for the Afrocentric Caucus and Fishbowl Conversation at CES 2026 in Edmonton.
WHEN: February 17, 2026 | 12pm - 1pm (EST)
WHERE: CES webinars take place online using Zoom. You can check the system requirements for using Zoom here.
REGISTRATION: Please go here to register.
COST: Free registration – donations encouraged to support participation in the Afrocentric Caucus at CES 2026
LANGUAGES: French and English (and Mozambique Portuguese)
Webinar Focus
This international webinar invites participants to reflect on what it means to “remember who we are” through the lens of Afrocentric evaluation, ancestral knowledge, and culturally rooted leadership.
Building on years of collaboration and community-based dialogue, this conversation brings together evaluators, knowledge keepers, and cultural stewards to explore:
In addition, this webinar aims to strengthen capacities in line with the following Competencies for Canadian Evaluation Practice (referenced here):
Format:
In-Person Option: Atlantic Indigenous Evaluation Stewardship Circle is partnering with the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute to sponsor an In-person event that examines the role of culturally responsive evaluation in community self-determination and wellbeing. The in-person event will be from 12-3 PM Atlantic Time at CLARI 923 Robie Street- Atrium Building Room 340, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Register early to join us for a welcome and reflections by Vanessa Nevin, followed by networking and a light lunch courtesy of DBDLI, followed by Hybrid Webinar participation and post-webinar onsite engagement facilitate by Louise Adongo, with refreshments courtesy of Atlantic Indigenous Evaluation Stewardship Circle.
Host:
Andrealisa Belzer is a Credentialed Evaluator employed as a Senior Advisor with the Atlantic Region of Indigenous Services Canada. She serves as Past President of the Canadian Evaluation Society (2024-2026), and President Elect of the International Evaluation Academy. Andrealisa has practiced health and social services evaluation since 1995, in Canada and internationally. She is committed to practice that facilitates systems transformation toward socially and ecologically regenerative futures. See February 2025 Hybrid Event: Relational Responsibilities in Epistemic Freedom.
Speakers:
Sylvia Parris-Drummond, CEO of the Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute and an expert in Africentric leadership. An award-winning executive (Top 50 CEO, RBC Social Change Award), she focuses on unlocking the strengths of African Nova Scotian/Canadian communities and women.
Divine Budzi is an Evaluation Professional with a decade of experience in Evaluation, as well as Project and Program development with local and international organizations in health and humanitarian response in Africa. Current Canadian Evaluation Society Chapter Representative for the Nova Scotia Chapter. Secretary General of the Cameroon Society for English-Speaking Evaluators (CamSEE) and member with the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA).
Louise Adongo is a bold and grounded leader with 15+ years' experience in systems change, policy, evaluation, strategic planning and governance. She is founder of Caprivian Strip Inc (CSI) and a co-steward with the Transition Bridges Project.
Amanuel Melles is a Senior nonprofit strategist and "Joyful Ecosystem Builder" with 30 years of experience. He specializes in organizational resilience, community-based peacebuilding, and diversity and inclusion across the settlement and health sectors. Executive Director for the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities C2021 Anti-Racism Workshop.
Karen Jackson is a reflective and strategic planner recognized for her objective visualization of complex projects. She applies a complex, adaptive systems lens to evaluation, specializing in innovative data collection and anticipating organizational obstacles. See her recent AEA 365 Blog Post: Reflective Evaluation in a Time of Political Disruption.
Monique Liston is founder of UBUNTU Research & Evaluation, a Black-led learning and evaluation firm rooted in dignity, imagination, and collective liberation. Her work sits at the intersections of philanthropy, public health, education, and cultural practice, where she advances race-forward strategy, abolitionist learning, and community-centered research. She is also the Executive Director of The Leadership Undercommons, a communiversity committed to building liberated futures through study, practice, and care. C2025 liston “Won’t You Be my Neighbour” Keynote.
Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam, CE is Co-Chair of the EvalIndigenous network, Vice-President of the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS), Former President of AfrEA, Executive Director of the Cameroonian Centre for Evaluation and Rural Development (CAED), Member of African Evidence Network (AEN), and Cameroon Development Evaluation Association (CaDEA). https://comm.eval.org/aeaipetig/evalindig
Florence Etta is the Vice Chairperson of AGDEN Board and Former President of AfrEA. She is a recognized African M&E thought and practice leader in gender and human rights responsive evaluation. C2024 Etta, liston & Melles Discussion: Black, Africentric, and Culturally Responsive Evaluation.
Eddah Kanini is a Kenyan Indigenous Evaluator, EvalIndigenous Member, AfrEA and Kenya VOPE Board member and Gender Evaluation Specialist. She advocates for integrating Indigenous knowledge into development and encourages evaluators to immerse themselves deeply within communities. Interview