Date and time: Friday 17 April 2026, 12.00pm - 100pm AEST 
Topic: MESIG: 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.

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.