24 - Sharing strategies and lessons learned for effectively mentoring and empowering new evaluators

Abstract Information: Evaluation centers often rely on graduate students, recent graduates, and others new to evaluation who have worked in various fields. New evaluators are integral to all aspects of evaluation as they can add fresh perspectives and innovative approaches and skills. However, it can be challenging to provide new evaluators with the training and individualized support that they need to better understand and implement the Guiding Principles for Evaluators, culturally responsive practices, and other nuanced skills involved in providing high-quality, inclusive evaluation services. Mentorship and training can play a crucial role in cultivating relevant knowledge, practices, and skills in new evaluators while also facilitating their contributions to collaborative work that benefits the entire evaluation team and products. Strategies for mentoring new evaluators and elevating their success may be formal or informal, including training, individual and group meetings, providing ongoing support and feedback to both mentors and mentees, and seeking mentee input on their needs and the effectiveness of the mentoring. This session will bring together evaluators from diverse settings and varied experience levels to share their insights and involvement in mentoring and training new evaluators, strategies and best practices for fostering conducive mentor-mentee relationships that value and empower voices of new evaluators, barriers encountered and how they may be addressed, and resources and supports for establishing and sustaining mentorships of new evaluators. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their successes, challenges, and recommendations for mentoring new evaluators in ways that will uplift and empower their teams.