I joined CES in 2005 to keep abreast of trends in evaluation.
I initially joined CES in 2002 as a young researcher to attend the Annual National Conference.
After being introduced to program evaluation during my Masters of Sociology Studies at the University of Manitoba, I decided to pursue a career in evaluation, which led me to CES in 2017.
I was initially interested in the Credentialed Evaluator (CE) designation. However, I decided to join in 2017 after reading about all the benefits of membership on the CES website.
I joined CES in 2000 for the networking and professional development opportunities, and to be a part of my professional association.
In the 1980s, evaluation was in its infancy: the people in the field were few and not necessarily well trained, and evaluation was still struggling to distance itself from research. The CES (and American Evaluation Association) provided me with a group of like-minded people and resources.
I decided to join CES in 2008 because I was trying to break into the field and needed to build my network and participate in professional development opportunities.
I am a graduate student at the University of Ottawa completing an MA degree in Geography. My research project evaluates the Nutrition North Canada cooking circle program in Paulatuk, Northwest Territories. I decided to join the CES in 2021 to learn more about evaluation, as I didn’t have any specific education in the field.
In 1989, I won the CES Student Essay Competition and a free trip to that year’s conference in Toronto. So I joined CES under a student membership. I realized there and then that everything my then professor and mentor, CES Fellow Dr. Anita Myers, had said about evaluation was true – it is a great career opportunity.