Elena Gallitto serves as the National Chapter President of the Canadian Evaluation Society, where she leads efforts to strengthen evaluation practice and promote its use across Canada. She brings extensive experience in program evaluation, project management, and both qualitative and quantitative research. Deeply committed to evidence-informed decision-making, Elena is passionate about collaboration, learning, and achieving meaningful impact. She looks forward to working closely with CES members and partners to advance the Society’s mission nationwide.

Brian Case is a Research Associate with Prairie Research Associates (PRA). Brian began his journey with CES-NCC as a student representative on the Board while completing Carleton University’s Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Program Evaluation and was voted in as a full Board member in 2022.

Since joining, Brian has sat on the committee for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Sustainability (now REDIAS), oversaw the Partnerships portfolio, represented CES-NCC on the CES National Board of Directors, served as Treasurer, was IM/IT Champion, and chaired the Strategy, Operations, and Governance (SOG) Committee. Brian was the President of CES-NCC in 2024/25.

Brian holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration (Carleton University), Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Program Evaluation (Carleton University), Master’s degree in Musicology (University of London), and Bachelor of Fine Arts (with specialized honours in film composition and trombone performance; York University).

Adina Jacobson is an evaluation manager at National Resources Canada. She has worked in or around the evaluation field for almost 20 years. During this time, she has worked in both public and private sectors, evaluating programs on a (very) wide range of subjects. Adina is a Credentialed Evaluator, Certified Change Management Practitioner, and holds a Diploma in Program Evaluation. She is passionate about finding ways to make evaluation more useable.

While a long time CES member, this is Adina’s first year on the Board. She hopes to use her time on the Board strengthening connections and information sharing between evaluators from different sectors and supporting the development of our next generation of evaluators.

When she isn’t in front of a computer, you can find Adina exploring the NCR trails by bike, on skis or with her dog.

Maria Reyes has volunteered with CES as a member of the MB chapter Board, the organizing committee for the 2022 CES Conference, a MB representative for the CES National Board, and a member of the CES NCC’s Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability Committee.

For the last 12 years, her career has been focused on evaluation. She previously worked with different provincial governments as an individual contributor and in leadership positions.

Julie Eldridge has several years of experience in federal policy, evaluation and performance measurement. Taking a human-centric approach to her work, Julie is committed to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and believes in evaluation as a tool to bring people together with a shared vision. She currently works with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency to implement Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement.

Julie holds a B.A. Hons in Sociology and Political Studies from Trent University and an M.A. in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University.

Emilie Sauriol is the Chair of Professional Development for CES–NCC and currently works as a Policy Analyst at PacifiCan. She has previously held policy roles at the Treasury Board Secretariat, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. She also serves as President of SIGNALS, a network that bridges sustainable energy engineering and policy at Carleton University and is a board member of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (National Capital Region). She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from Carleton University and a B.A. in International Relations and Public Policy from the University of Toronto.

Eduardo Gomez Diaz is an Ottawa native and trilingual undergraduate student at Queen’s University, first joining the CES-NCC Board of Directors as a student representative.

Eduardo has experience as a research assistant in program evaluation and advocacy work through DPM Research, the Queen’s Alma Mater Society, The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Loving Spoonful in Kingston. Eduardo hopes to continue working in advocacy and adjacent fields in the future. Eduardo currently serves as REDIAS champion and as head of Communications and Marketing, and looks forward to honing his professional skills in these roles.

Gita Zareikar, PhD, DPE, started her collaboration with CES-NCC as a volunteer for the Essential Skills Series and an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors in 2022. She brings over 15 years of experience from academia and the non-profit sector where she did research, teaching and led socio-economic projects. Her journey in evaluation started in 2020 through collaboration with evaluation teams where she developed an interest to pursue a career in evaluation. She now works as an evaluator at Natural Resources Canada.

Judy Lifshitz has been working in the area of evaluation and performance measurement in the federal government for the past 18 years. She currently works at Shared Services Canada as Deputy Director, Evaluation.

Judy is CES NCC’s chapter representative on National, the Chair of Professional Learning for CES National and is on CES’s Credentialling Board.

When she is not working or volunteering Judy enjoys travelling, culinary arts, wine tasting, walking, yoga and meditation.

Aarsi Basnet is a psychology student at the University of Ottawa with experience in client service, education, and community engagement. Fluent in English, French, and Nepali, she brings a strong commitment to communication, inclusivity, and collaboration. Aarsi has worked in both childcare and university service roles, gaining skills in organization, adaptability, and problem-solving. As a Student Representative, she looks forward to contributing student and emerging evaluator perspectives to the CES-NCC Board while continuing to grow her interest in evaluation and community development.

Anna Engman, Manager of Engagement at the Results Division, is the TBS representative and Ex-Officio member of the board. Anna has worked in in program evaluation, audit and applied research for almost twenty years. Among other things, she supported the implementation of the 2019 Policy on Evaluation and capacity building within the federal evaluation community while working at the Center of Excellence in Program Evaluation at TBS.

Anna holds an undergraduate degree in Social Science from Lund University in Sweden, a Master’s in Public Administration from Dalhousie University, a Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation from the University of Ottawa, and is a Certified Internal Auditor.