Nurturing Growth for Sustainable Evaluation: What about AI?
This 1-hour moderated session will feature panelists from four government departments and from the private sector. Panelists will describe how they have used AI for evaluation, share their thoughts on how AI intersects with nurturing growth for sustainable evaluation, and make observations on future directions. This panel will touch on how AI influences evaluation implementation but will also explore aspects related to planning and reporting. Panelists will discuss how evaluators can prepare to evaluate interventions that mobilize AI.
Vanessa Anastasopoulos, Founder and principal, VANASTAS
Vanessa Anastasopoulos has been an equity-focused evaluator for 25+ years, including over a decade as a senior evaluator across three federal departments. She has also served as Director, Assessment and Evaluation at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and, most recently, as an independent consultant. She first delved into the use of AI in June 2023 when faced with the challenge of analyzing an unexpectedly large volume of qualitative survey data within tight project constraints. This experience marked a turning point by revealing AI’s potential as a tool for enhancing the quality of her evaluation practice.
David Heath, Director of Evaluation, Shared Services Canada
David Heath is the Director of Evaluation at Shared Services Canada, where he established a top-tier program evaluation function. With over two decades of experience in the Public Service and management consulting, he has led evaluations and strategic initiatives across diverse portfolios, including information technology, international development, and public policy. David is a champion for mental health initiatives in the workplace. He holds advanced degrees in Business and International Affairs.
Shirley Steller, Director of Evaluation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Shirley Steller, Director of Evaluation at AAFC, has focused her 25-year public service career on making the system better. She has worked in the Industry Portfolio, Central Agency and Public Safety Portfolio, and treads between data, qualitative research and technology. She believes AI holds the key to revolutionizing the evaluation function, making it more robust, efficient, and insightful. To make her point, this bio was written using Copilot.
Rebecca Friesdorf, Senior Knowledge Translation Advisor, Global Affairs Canada
Rebecca Friesdorf is a Senior Knowledge Translation Advisor with Global Affairs Canada’s Evaluation Function, where she champions the integration of evaluation insights to foster evidence-based decision-making and drive organizational change. With a decade of experience in social sciences research, including four years at Employment and Social Development Canada, Rebecca has tackled applied research projects using innovative approaches such as behavioral science and design thinking. She led the introduction of Generative AI for evaluation use cases within her evaluation function, collaborating with Global Affairs Canada’s data science team to explore its potential for improving the efficiency and quality of various evaluation tasks.
Amanda Hayne-Farrell, Executive Director, Program Evaluation Division, Public Health Agency of Canada
Amanda Hayne-Farrell has been the Executive Director of Evaluation and Internal Disclosure for the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada since 2017.
Starting her journey in evaluation in 2009, Amanda has developed a deep expertise in assessing the effectiveness and impact of health initiatives. Despite not being an AI expert, Amanda’s enthusiasm for innovation is evident. She eagerly supports her team’s efforts to explore new technologies and methodologies, even if it sometimes leads to humorous moments when she suggests ideas that have already been in practice for months.
Moderator: Marie-Philippe Lemoine, Evaluator,Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Marie-Philippe is a credentialed evaluator at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She lives in Montreal and previously worked at La Maison de l’innovation sociale (la MIS) and with the private consulting firm Goss Gilroy Inc. She is partial to cookies, speculative fiction and unaided stargazing.