Register for upcoming seminars

Date and time: Thursday 26 March 2026, 4.00pm-5.30pm AEDT
Topic: NSW Panel Session: Trust in evaluation: What it is, why you need it and how to build it
Location: online via Zoom, details will be shared just prior to the event
Presenters: George Argyrous, Faye Forbes, Sandra Butoto and Brian Keogh, facilitated by Amy Vassallo and Laura Baker
Register online by: 25 March 2026

Event description:
Join our panel exploration of trust – a topic that’s integral for longstanding relationships and impactful evaluations.

Through a facilitated discussion our panelists will explore some critical topics around trust, such as:

• What is (and isn't) trust

• What is the role of trust in evaluation

• How do you recognise when trust isn’t there, and what are the consequences

• How do you build trust across different circumstances and with diverse partners, individuals, institutions and communities

Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions of panel members, share their own experiences of trust and learn from the collective knowledge of the AES community on this important topic.

Presenter details:

Dr George Argyrous

George is a Senior Associate with Rooftop Social and a Social Survey Researcher with the Centre for AI, Trust and Governance at the University of Sydney. He was previously the Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning at the Paul Ramsay Foundation, and has also help academic positions at UTS, UNSW and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. He has worked extensively with government and for-purpose organisations to support the use of evidence in their decision-making and is currently coordinating an international program to measure trust in institutions across 6 countries.

Dr Faye Forbes

Faye is a Research Fellow at The Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR). Her work focuses on equity in work health and safety, and compensation systems, with a particular interest in participatory approaches to engaging migrant and marginalised workers. She leads and collaborates on cross-sector projects that bring together research, community and lived experience perspectives to inform policy and practice.

Brian Keogh

Brian is a strategy, policy and evaluation specialist with over 30 years’ experience in environmental management, water policy and complex program evaluation. He applies systems thinking and mixed‑methods, decision‑focused evaluation to support adaptive management and evidence‑informed strategy, and chairs the AES Systems Evaluation Special Interest Group.

Sandra Butoto

Sandra is the Chief Operating Officer of UGEAFI, a community-based development organisation working in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. In her role, Sandra oversees organisational operations across multiple programs, leading implementation, monitoring, and partnerships that support community-driven development.

If this panel is recorded, it will be available on the member portal only.

This free event has been organised by the NSW Regional Network of the AES. Our seminar series provides an opportunity for you to meet with AES members and others in the evaluation community and to share and learn from the experiences of fellow evaluators. 

Session start times:

• VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS: 4.00pm

• QLD: 3.00pm

• NT: 2.30pm

• SA: 3.30pm

• WA: 1.00pm

• New Zealand: 6.00pm

For other time zones please go to https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Please ensure you have access to your email address to receive the zoom details. Please also check your email address is correct on your registration form before submitting.

Date and time: Friday 17 April 2026, 12.00pm - 100pm AEST 
Topic: Multicultural Evaluation SIG: Navigating Culturally Responsive Evaluation During Periods of Backlash
Location: online, via Zoom. Details will be emailed to registrants just prior to the start time
Presenters: Dr. Lisa Aponte-Soto, Dr. Angelicque Tucker Blackmon, Dr. Ayesha Boyce, and Dr. Anthony B. Sullers Jr. (Panel Moderator). Hosted by Lena Etuk (Chair, AES MESIG)
Register online by: 16 April 2026

Event description:

While the circumstances in the US may seem far away, the conditions that created them are neither unique to the US nor absent in Australia. Periods of civil progress are often followed by periods of backsliding or backlash – regardless of the country. It’s important for us to remember Australia’s history and recognise the potential for similar swings of the pendulum here. With this in mind, the AES Multicultural Evaluation Special Interest Group is honoured to have the opportunity to host a webinar with members of the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

During this panel discussion, you’ll hear from CREA members and how they have navigated the increasingly challenging environment in the US for science, evidence-based decision making, and social justice as culturally responsive evaluators. The panel will explore how Culturally Responsive Evaluation (CRE) serves not only as a methodological approach, but as a form of principled resistance and generative leadership in the ongoing fight for social justice and equity. Panellists will discuss strategies for advancing CRE as a mechanism for community affirmation and social justice. Participants will leave with tangible strategies for both implicit and explicit advocacy, aimed at strengthening community resilience and fostering an inclusive, forward-thinking evaluative practice.

Presenter details:

Dr. Lisa Aponte-Soto, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Angelicque Tucker Blackmon,  Tanoma Consulting LLC; Dr. Ayesha Boyce, Innovative Learning Center, LLC; and Dr. Anthony B. Sullers Jr, Arizona State University.

This seminar will not be recorded.

This seminar has been organised by the AES Multicultural Evaluation SIG.  AES free events provide an opportunity for you to meet with AES members and others in the evaluation community and to share and learn from the experiences of fellow evaluators.

Seminar start times:

VIC, QLD, NSW, ACT, TAS: 12.00pm

SA: NT: 11.30am

WA: 2.00pm

New Zealand: 2.00pm

For other time zones please go to https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Please ensure you have access to your email address just prior to the start time to access Zoom details. Please also check your email address is correct on your registration form before submitting. Thanks.