Felicia Bohanon has been elected president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Board.
Felicia Bohanon, executive director of NIU’s Office of Precollegiate Programs, has been elected president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Board.
Bohanon will become the first African-American woman to serve as the AEA’s president.
The AEA is a professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of evaluation as a profession. The organization prioritizes the advancement of evaluation best practices in multiple types of evaluation, including program evaluation, personnel evaluation, evaluation in education, evaluation in government and independent consulting.
Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products and organizations to improve their effectiveness.
The AEA has over 5,000 members representing all 50 U.S. states, as well as more than 80 foreign countries. Members include students in the evaluation field; independent consultants; data visualization experts; evaluation educators, managers and supervisors; funders of evaluation; and professionals with a focus in personnel, program, technology and government evaluation, as well as healthcare, social justice and education.
The AEA president serves on its board for three years. This year Bohanon will serve as president elect, in 2024 as president and in 2025 as past president.
“During my term, I will work to help advance the field of evaluation to ensure that it is more equitable and more representative,” Bohanon said.
“My goals include strengthening AEA’s relationships with evaluator entities around the globe, broadening our understandings of evaluation practice and methods, and diversifying AEA’s membership. By working with the executive director and Board of Directors, I plan to develop ways to increase opportunities for mentorship and professional development.”
Bohanon has been highly involved in the AEA over two decades, serving in the past as its treasurer, a program chair and on the Finance Advisory Board as the organization transitioned to a financial management company.
At NIU, Bohanon’s Office of Precollegiate Programs provides information and services to students and their families regarding postsecondary education options and career preparation. The office also promotes financial literacy, conducts outreach and college readiness activities, and assists students and parents in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Financial Aid (FAFSA).
Bohanon holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and completed her Ed.D. in Community College Leadership at Ferris State University. She began her work as an independent evaluator with the Gary School Corporation while working on her master’s degree in education and as a research assistant at Indiana University. She has worked with and evaluates K-12 and higher education institutions, social services agencies, faith-based organizations and other nonprofits.
“Having grown up in the inner city of Chicago, I am most passionate about the work that I have done with inner city schools and churches,” Bohanon said. “That passion continues as I work at NIU with students in Rockford and Aurora. Having an evaluator’s lens influences my work with the Office of Precollegiate Programs, impacts the decisions we make about programing and ensures that the voices of low-income first-generation students and their families are heard.”
