Conversations over the ditch, evaluators working at the front end with social innovators
Channel: Australian Evaluation Society
Date: 30/09/2022

Presenter: Dr. Jess Dart, Clear Horizon Consulting

Dr Jess Dart, fellow of the AES, and founder of Clear Horizon Consulting, hosts a conversation about some of the ways evaluators are being invited into the early stages of social innovation. In particular, Jess will draw on a case study of a 10 year community-led, place-based initiative named “Our Town” in South Australia. The evaluation team have partnered with six regional towns, a social innovation organisation named TACSI (The Australian Centre for Social Innovation), and the Fay Fuller Foundation. What is interesting about this case is that evaluative thinking was used from the very start. After presenting the case study, Jess will open the floor for questions and conversations about how evaluation can help support social innovation to create positive impact for people, place and planet.

Dr. Jess Dart is an AES fellow and founding CEO of Clear Horizon Consulting. She is a recipient of 2018 award for Outstanding Contribution to Evaluation. Her specialties include evaluating large, complex and emerging programs, Human Centered Design, Developmental Evaluation, facilitating organisational effectiveness and Theory of Change. Her doctoral research involved adapting and testing a story-based participatory monitoring tool – the Most Significant Change technique.

This free event was organised & hosted by the New Zealand Regional Network of the AES.