The Texas Evaluation Network (TEN) is a voluntary statewide organization serving the multidisciplinary interests and needs of evaluation and other allied professionals. The work of TEN is focused in three areas:
1. Promote and advocate for evaluation and building evaluation capacity;
2. Provide professional development opportunities for Texas evaluators; and
3. Establish a venue for networking and the exchange of theoretical, methodological, and practical knowledge related to the field of evaluation.
The Texas Evaluation Network is a formal affiliate of the American Evaluation Association.
In Remembrance of Dr. Myra Joan Bush
Myra Joan Bush, called Joan by her friends and family, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday April 24, 2022, with her family at her side.
Joan was born in Ft. Worth, TX on November 20, 1961, to Bernard and Patricia Spooner. She was a 1980 distinguished graduate of Irving High School; was a summa cum laude graduate of Baylor University where she received both her undergraduate degree and her master’s degree, both in Music Education; and was a graduate of the University of North Texas where she received her Ph.D. in Educational Research.
Though she began her long career in education as a music teacher, Joan found her calling in educational research and evaluation when working on her Ph.D. She worked many years in different school districts, as well as an independent contractor, as a data analyst and program evaluator, earning increased recognition and responsibility for her diligent work through the years. She always had a heart for children and never lost sight of why her work mattered.
Joan married David Bush on July 30, 1988. The two were best friends and tireless companions for one another. They were blessed with two sons, Aaron and Alec.
Over the years, Joan was a member of several Baptist churches and held her Christian faith and her love for the LORD in the highest regard from a young age. She served in many roles as a musician, children’s choir director, taught Sunday school, assisted in Bible Drill, was active in church choirs and praise teams, and was a spiritual supporter for programs such as Big Hope.
Joan always enjoyed actively serving in her church, spending time with family, reading a good book, or curling up to watch a Hallmark movie.
Joan is survived by her husband, David; her children, Aaron, daughter-in-law Hyunju and Alec; her sister, Jane; her parents, Bernard and Patricia; several nieces, nephews, and cousins; and many friends.
Joan will be particularly remembered for her musical talent, her thoughtfulness and wisdom, her untiring diligence and drive, and her loving kindness and generosity most of all.Upcoming events
Request for Proposal Project Scope The Your Shot Texas Fund seeks a third-party evaluator to conduct a review and analysis of the process to create and manage the fund as well as of the impact of the grant investments and grantees’ activities. The evaluator will gather information from the Governing Committee, participating funders, fund administrator, facilitator and grantees of the fund. Output and client data from the grantees will be provided to the evaluation team for review and analysis. For more information about Your Shot Texas Fund please click Here For the RFP please click Here Submission Process Proponents will submit responses to the RFP via email to Amanda Timm (Amanda.timm.713@gmail.com) by 5:00 P.M. CDT on JUNE 15, 2022.
| ANNOUNCEMENTS Dear colleagues,
We are excited to announce the active recruitment for the Scientific Project Director – Impact Evaluation and Public Health Intelligence, long in development, which posted yesterday. This leadership role will work closely with Dr. Ruth Rechis and me, as co-directors of the Impact Evaluation Core, as well as the matrixed team and boundary spanning community that we all continue to build around impact measurement and management both at MD Anderson and among close institutional partners engaged in this work.
This role will be a central contributor to the Impact Evaluation Core, CPRIT Prevention Program Assessment, and Joint Center on Geospatial Analysis & Health (a joint initiative of UTHealth School of Public Health and MD Anderson), among many other initiatives intended to serve our community with impact and equity at the center. It represents a transformational opportunity for a servant leader to work in partnership with many leaders internal and external to MD Anderson to systematically assess and drive impact both in our community and across our state in the years to come.
This inflection point represents the culmination of years of team-based leadership, values-based leadership, exemplary program evaluation by model initiatives such as Be Well Communities, and expansive visioning in driving the creation of evaluable dissemination initiatives, in comprehensively evaluating impact of initiatives at a program and portfolio level, and in data-centric prioritization of public health practice / community investments.
We are incredibly grateful for the leadership of Blake Harper, MPH, Program Director, who was hired in September 2020 to partner with us in guiding the launch phase for the Impact Evaluation Core. This has resulted in clear demonstration of the importance of this core asset and the acquisition of extramural funding for this work, augmenting seed investment by Community Outreach and Engagement Fund and Moon Shots Program. Blake will continue as a key member of the Impact Evaluation Core team, while also doubling his current leadership efforts for the Platform’s expansive work in HPV vaccination uptake in Texas – building, activating, and growing a statewide HPV vaccination implementation community in partnership with Rosalind Bello, MA, CPHQ – among other new implementation, dissemination, and health equity initiatives in the incubation or launch phase.
We are grateful to the Impact Evaluation Core Advisory Group and the many champions of this work across the University of Texas System institutions as well as within our community-based partner organizations who continue to support a vision of values-based leadership centered on measurable impact, especially as we work together to accelerate societal impact through our science and enhance our accountability to the communities we both serve and seek to serve.
Thank you, in advance, for sharing this opportunity within your networks as we continue to recruit the finest talent to advance this critical work in public health practice, implementation, and impact measurement.
Kind regards,
Michael T. Walsh, Jr. Executive Director Cancer Prevention & Control The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center |