Intergenerational Think Tank on Female Leadership and Power: Strategies for influencing power, decisions, and the use of evaluation in a world still impacted by sexism and devaluing evaluation

Abstract Information: This provocative inter-generational think tank intends to examine three themes: 1) how to influence decisions (i.e. to have power or agency) to successfully have evaluation used; 2) how to learn to recognize and use one's identities - particularly female leadership- whether you are inside the system or outside- to hold power and create influence toward the end of evaluation use; and 3) much has changed with regards to female leadership and agency in evaluation, but in some areas, much remains the same. It is time for an inter-generational dialogue on the issue. What lessons can be learned, and remain relevant today, regarding power dynamics and the ability to influence decision-making in a given context? Such dynamics may be complicated, but seem to endure and can be pivotal in influencing to the eventual use of evaluation. But what, if anything, has changed and must be understood anew and strategically navigated given current context(s)? The presenter, Deborah Rugg, is former Monitoring & Evaluation Director, Global AIDS Program, CDC; Evaluation Director, UNAIDS/Geneva; and UN Inspection & Evaluation Division Director/New York and has over 40 years of international evaluation experience successfully navigating these issues, challenges and changes. She has held many identities and position/roles that have impacted her ability to have evaluation be used. She will bring her expertise from being a new evaluator to climbing the (internal, bureaucratic, hierarchical) ladder across several institutions and themes, to her current consulting hat, fighting for the use of evaluation and social justice each step of the way. She shares hard-won lessons from two major impactful accomplishments as an evaluation leader: 1) building the Global AIDS Response Reporting System and evaluating the effectiveness of National AIDS Programs and Policies worldwide, and 2) helping shape the Accountability and Evaluation Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)/UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, while successfully influencing the consensus adoption of two landmark, high-level Evaluation Resolutions by 192 member states in the UN General Assembly. Deborah will bring lessons and strategies for influencing power, decisions, and use as a woman in a field still impacted by sexism and devaluing evaluation. She will describe how she learned to create a path to impactful leadership navigating challenges and elevating the role of evaluation and its integration into global policies and practices. Following the introductory presentation, there will be breakout groups and an opportunity to lift up voices of the younger generations and examine what lessons still apply and what matters most to younger evaluators. This think-tank seeks to be provocative as it explores, contrasts and compares the differences in strategies used by women across generations, and across systems, such as in governmental or inter-governmental bureaucracies, large companies or organizations, foundations, small firms & start up entrepreneurs, and individual consultants. The discussant, Sara McGarraugh, The Improve Group, will draw key themes together at the end, weaving in her experience as a young female leader working to increase/ support a shared decision-making structure within a consulting firm, and how it shows up when working with clients.