The AES Board is supported by a number of Committees, membership and operational groups.
Board Standing and Strategic Advisory Committees
Each Advisory Committee has an advisory role to the AES Board and is chaired by at least one Board member. The Strategic Advisory Committees focus on the four strategic domains: Culture, Pathway, Leadership and Vitality – as per the AES Strategic Plan 2024–2028.
The committees advise on:
- current strategy, e.g. existing Domain priorities, matters referred by the Board
- emergent strategy, e.g. bring new/nascent/emerging issues to the Board’s attention
- operational strategy, e.g. oversee and provide governance for discrete projects these undertaken by project teams whose membership would draw upon the broader AES membership.
All Committee members will have a commitment to, and responsibility for, the following elements of good governance:
- Accountability – taking shared responsibility for the operations and impact of the Committee
- Transparency – ensuring that information about the Committee’s activities is accessible to the AES Board
- Disclosure – being open to scrutiny and dealing effectively with potential conflicts of interest
- Independence – maintaining a collective decision making culture and independence from outside direction or interests
Board Standing Committees
Committee's contact: Please email
Chair: Tony Kiessler
The purpose of the Finance and Audit Committee is to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with regard to financial management of the AES, the management of risk, and the conduct of audit requirements.
Whenever necessary, the Board has the ability to delegate responsibility to an ad hoc complaints committee consisting of Board members.
Board Strategic Advisory Committees
The primary responsibility of the First Nations Committee, the Culture domain will build a strong community of First Nations evaluators, promote knowledge exchange between mainstream and Indigenous approaches.
It aims to ensure evaluators practice cultural safety and trauma-informed methods, advocate for First Nations-led evaluations, and embed ethical practices.
Chairs: Sharon Clarke and Nicole Tujague
Focusing on the Pathways domain “Clear professional and career pathways,” the Pathways Committee will play an advisory role to the Board and work to support and enact the AES Strategic Plan.
Chair: Jill Thomas
Focusing on the Leadership Domain (“The trusted voice on evaluation in Australia”), the Policy Committee will play an advisory role to the Board and work to support and enact the AES Strategic Priorities 2024-2028.
Chair: Robert Sale
The role of the committee is to support the AES to realise its strategic goal of “A sustainable organisation fostering a sense of belonging, connections, and enhancing value for members”.
Chairs: Matt Healey and Jade Maloney
Membership and operational groups
Membership Working Groups
Regional Networks provide networking and seminar events in each region, assist in the planning of the professional learning program, and advise the Board and AES committees on member issues in their region.
Go to Regional Networks section
The committee is formed every two years to manage matters relating to Fellows. It comprises three Fellows, one Board member, one regional representative. For more details refer to Fellow policy document.
Chair: Rick Cummings email Rick
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are formal groups of members with a common interest in an aspect of evaluation. From time to time, the AES Board may consult a SIG on particular policy and strategic issues.
Go to SIG section
Operational Working Groups
Chair: Farida Fleming - email Farida Fleming
Composition and responsibilities are described in the Awards section of the website.
Consisting of the EJE editors, assistant editors, and AES staff, the purpose of the team is to review EJA operational issues and ensure that production targets are being met.
Contact the editors:
Strategic Project Teams
Stategic Project Teams are time limited groups, with a clear goal and end point. They are under the auspice of the Board and one or more advisory committee; supervised by one or more advisory committees; with oversight by the Chief Executive Officer. Project Teams are representative of the diversity of the AES membership. If required they are supported by a paid project manager.