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by Maria Montenegro
Welcome to The Evaluation Couch, where we discuss topics related to evaluation and navigating a career in evaluation. In this space, I will share about my evaluation journey, share tips from my career advising and management experience, and invite other evaluators to hear about their perspectives. My goal is to continue promoting the use of evaluation and help evaluators build the careers they deserve.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 weeks ago33 min
71. Stop Applying with an Entry-Level Mindset: Positioning Yourself for Evaluation Manager and Director Roles
In this episode, Maria explores why advancing into manager and director roles in evaluation requires a different mindset. Using the Global Evaluation Initiative Competency Framework, she explains how expectations evolve across individual contributor, team leader, and manager roles, and why the same competency can look very different at each level. Through practical examples, she helps listeners understand how to position their experience more effectively, unpacks the often-unspoken factors that influence hiring and promotion decisions, and shares three concrete actions to help evaluators become stronger candidates for senior leadership roles. www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro Resources: Access the Global Evaluation's Initative Competency Framework here. Download The Evaluator's Leadership Edge here.
- Aug 17, 202623 min
70. Your Relationship With Evaluation Gurus And Why It Matters For Your Career
In this episode, Maria discusses the concept of "evaluation gurus," why the term is used, and the role our relationship with these figures can play in our careers. She introduces what people mean when they call someone an evaluation guru, and how these figures differ from grandfathers of evaluation and mentors. She then outlines four risks of over-idolizing them that can have negative impacts on your career. Finally, she talks about how reflective practice can help you define your evaluator identity and protect you from these risks. Watch the Own Your Edge Masterclass (available until August 31st 2026) Join the September 2026 cohort of The Evaluator's Edge. www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro Resources: Learn more about EvalSoWhite by Vidhya Shanker, PhD, and Carolina De La Rosa Mateo, MPH here and here.
- Aug 8, 202616 min
69. Seven Strategies to Prepare For a Potential Layoff
This episode breaks down the seven strategies every evaluator should put in place to increase their career resiliency when faced with a potential layoff. Maria discusses the emotional and physical impacts of layoffs and why no sector is immune to organizational change. She then walks through the exact steps she is taking as an evaluator to increase her career resiliency. In this episode you'll learn: ✔ How to build a six‑month emergency fund ✔ How to strengthen internal and external professional connections ✔ What "work capital" is and why you need it before a layoff ✔ How to secure shareable work samples without breaking your organization's policies ✔ How to capture and quantify the impact of your evaluation work ✔ Why you should use your health, sick, and vacation benefits proactively ✔ How reducing uncertainties about the layoff process can help you www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro
- Jul 24, 202616 min
68. How Evaluators Answer "What Do You Do?" Live from C2026
Ever dreaded explaining what you do as an evaluator? In this episode, recorded live at the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) 2026 conference in Edmonton, real evaluators share the most ridiculous reactions they've gotten when explaining their profession and how they go about explaining what they do. If you've ever struggled to explain program evaluation, been mistaken for an auditor or a human resource representative, or wondered how to introduce yourself as an evaluator without hiding behind a job title, this episode is for you. You'll hear real, practical examples from 9 evaluators on how they explain evaluation to friends, clients, and strangers. In this episode you'll hear from: Evan Poncelet, Beth Snow, Sujin Chang, Nelson Jean-Francois, Judy Lifshitz, Karen Terrel Jackson, Roman Katsnelson, Carolyn Hoessler, Stephanie Spencer In this episode you'll learn: How to explain what an evaluator does in simple, clear language Real examples from program evaluators across healthcare, government, and nonprofits Why your job title isn't your professional identity How to turn "What do you do?" into a conversation starter, not an awkward moment www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro
- May 22, 202630 min
67. How Amy Built Career Clarity and Landed a Director-Level Evaluation Role
In this episode, Maria sits down with Amy Gray, Director of Evaluation and Learning, to discuss her journey through career uncertainty, imposter syndrome, and finding alignment in the evaluation field. Amy shares how she moved from feeling stuck and questioning her abilities to discovering her strengths, building confidence, and landing an exciting new role aligned with her values and goals. Learn more about The Evaluator's Edge and join our June cohort here. www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro
- May 13, 202618 min
66. Too Junior for Senior Roles, Too Senior For Junior Ones? How Hairat Found Her Way
What happens when a skilled evaluator realizes she knows more than she gives herself credit for? In this episode, we sit down with Hairat, a consultant and evaluator passionate about racial equity and justice, who completed The Evaluator's Edge coaching program. Hairat shares how she went from feeling stuck being too senior for junior roles, too junior for senior ones, to confidently articulating her unique value and making intentional career moves. She opens up about the mindset shifts that came from the program, how she learned to ask for what she needs (from organizations and volunteer opportunities), and why building community has become central to her career growth strategy. Learn more about The Evaluator's Edge here: https://mariamontenegro.ca/pages/join-the-evaluators-edge www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro
- Apr 8, 202650 min
65. Women in Evaluation | How Doaa Abou Hussein Built a Pro-Palestine, Impact-Driven Consulting Firm
In this episode, Maria sits down with Doaa Abou Hussein, co-founder of Kindred Purpose Consultants, to explore what it truly means to build a business around your values. Doaa shares her journey from evaluation professional to entrepreneur, including the pivotal moment in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon that solidified her mission, why she made the bold decision to brand her company as openly pro-Palestine, and how emotional intelligence and compassion are not soft skills but essential tools for ethical, human-centered evaluation. From working with marginalized communities and newcomer women experiencing gender-based violence, to nurturing a growing team through collective trauma, this conversation is a masterclass in courageous leadership, decolonial practice, and the power of betting on yourself. www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro
- Apr 2, 202659 min
64. Women in Evaluation | Feminist Evaluation, Caregiving, and Identity with Claudia Olavarría
This episode is the first one of a series celebrating International Women's Month. Maria sits with Claudia Olavarría, an evaluator from Chile with 15 years of experience in international development. Claudia shares her journey navigating a career as a mother of four, building a consultancy while balancing caregiving responsibilities, and the support networks that made it possible. Together they explore feminist evaluation — what it means, why it matters, and how Claudia defines it as simply good evaluation — covering key competencies like cultural responsiveness, participatory methods, and transformative practice. The conversation also touches on the emotional realities of fieldwork, protecting communities and evaluators from vicarious trauma, and Claudia's call to action for a more inclusive, gender-responsive field. www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro
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About The Evaluation Couch
Welcome to The Evaluation Couch, where we discuss topics related to evaluation and navigating a career in evaluation. In this space, I will share about my evaluation journey, share tips from my career advising and management experience, and invite other evaluators to hear about their perspectives. My goal is to continue promoting the use of evaluation and help evaluators build the careers they deserve.
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