The American Evaluation Association (AEA) is a professional association for evaluators and those with a professional interest in the field of evaluation, including practitioners, faculty, students, funders, managers, and government decision-makers. , AEA has approximately 7057 members from all 50 US states and over 60 other countries.

Mission

The American Evaluation Association's mission is to:

Guiding principles for evaluators

AEA Publishes the AEA: Guiding Principles for Evaluators, which set expectations for evaluators in the areas of: (a) systematic inquiry, (b) competence, (c) integrity/honesty, (d) respect for people, and (e) responsibilities for general and public welfare.

Publications

AEA sponsors two journals. The American Journal of Evaluation is published quarterly through SAGE Publications and includes individually peer-reviewed articles on a range of topics in the field. New Directions for Evaluation is a peer-reviewed thematic sourcebook published quarterly through Jossey-Bass/Wiley, with each issue focusing on a different topic or aspect of evaluation.

Topical interest groups

, AEA has 50+ topically focused subgroups. Each subgroup develops a strand of content for the association's annual conference, and works to build a community of practice through various means.

History

Merger of ERS and ENet

In 1986, the Evaluation Research Society and Evaluation Network merged to become the American Evaluation Association. The two associations had been conducting joint annual conferences for several years when ERS President Joseph Wholey contacted Evaluation Network President Michael Hendricks to suggest a formal merger of the two organizations.