Connect. Learn. Community.
MNEA member tip: Go to the For Members page to view event materials and recorded webinars.
Join MNEA's series called "Making Connections," a low-key event prioritizing connection and community-building for our members. This series will have in-person and virtual opportunities.
The March 9 meeting will be at Coffee Hag in Mankato. There is a bridge closure in Mankato, please be mindful of construction, participants are encouraged to follow directions provided down below.
Coffee Hag
329 N. Riverfront Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
Coming from the North:
Taking HWY 169 S, you’ll want to get on to HWY 22 in St. Peter. You’ll turn right onto the Riverfront Drive exit off of HWY 22, stay on Riverfront Drive through Old Town where you’ll find the Coffee Hag to the left, on the corner of Washington and Riverfront Drive.
Coming from the South:
Taking HWY 169 N, take the S. Riverfront Drive exit and head North on Riverfront Drive where you’ll drive under the bridge and come up to the Coffee Hag on the right, on the corner of Washington and Riverfront Drive.
The in-person event will be hosted by Katie Boone, MNEA president-elect. When you get to the location, look for a table with a piece of paper with "MNEA" written on it. We also plan to rotate locations and times every month to make this event more accessible for folks who cannot make certain events due to time or transportation constraints.
Making Connections is going statewide in 2026! Registration for the March Making Connections in Mankato, MN will open soon.
We look forward to connecting with you all!
WELLNESS INFO: If we meet indoors, please bring masks (we will try to have some on hand). There is no expectation of wearing your mask indoors, but please have one on hand if it is requested by a fellow member. And, of course, do not attend if you are feeling unwell.
COMMUNITY SAFETY INFO: The federal occupation of Minnesota has made it unsafe for many of our members to meet in person or for businesses to remain open. If the host location is not open, we will move to a new location in the area. If it is not safe to meet in person, this will shift to a virtual session.
If you need any accommodations to participate, please let us know at least one week prior to the event. Thank you.
Hello MNEA Members,
MNEA had planned a Career Pathways in Evaluation event that was originally scheduled to take place in January. Due to ongoing events in Minnesota, this event was postponed. The panel will now take place on Wednesday, March 25th, from 12-1pm CST. Please find the updated event information and registration link below.
The Minnesota Evaluation Association (MNEA) is excited to invite you to a special panel event on “Career Pathways in Evaluation.”
Whether you’re a student just getting started, an early-career professional finding your direction, or an experienced evaluator looking to grow, this session is designed to support you. You’ll hear firsthand from a panel of Minnesota-based evaluation currently working in the sectors of government, philanthropy, healthcare, academia and consulting.
Our panelists will share their career journeys, highlight the skills that matter most, and offer practical, real-world advice for shaping a meaningful and rewarding career in evaluation.
Come join us to connect, learn, ask questions, and get inspired about what’s possible in your evaluation career. We’d love to see you there!
Panelists:
Dr. Amy Dorman serves as the Research Director for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. In this role, Amy has overseen the re-establishment and tripling in size of OJP’s research unit. Amy directs the research and evaluation activities of OJP, including conducting legislatively mandated studies, the building and implementation of internal evaluation structures, and providing evaluation technical assistance for the hundreds of grantee organizations supported by OJP.
Previously, Amy served as a Researcher at the University of Minnesota Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, where she led interdisciplinary research studies and built an evaluation framework for a national nonprofit organization. Amy also served as a Research Manager with the Minnesota Justice Research Center where she led the program evaluation for the Returning Home Saint Paul pilot program.
Amy earned a PhD in Social Work with a doctoral minor in Integrative Leadership and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women and Gender Studies from Luther College. Prior to attending graduate school, Amy lived in Los Angeles, CA for six years working in the music industry.
Elizabeth Taylor-Schiro-Biidabinikwe (St. Croix Chippewa/Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe) is a Ph.D. Candidate in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota and she holds a Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in Educational Policy and Leadership. She is passionate about health equity and social justice advocacy, particularly within Indigenous contexts. Her research and practice centers reflexive practice, identity development and impact, and shifting power to communities through community engagement.
Elizabeth practices as the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Program Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Health - leading statewide strategic planning around maternal and child health, and an Evaluation and Research Consultant assisting organizations with culturally reflexive, equity-focused, and community-driven research and evaluation strategies.
For hobbies, you can find Elizabeth spending time with her partner Travis, 3 year old - going on 16 year old son Jude, Border Collie Thor, and kitty Sif, probably exploring a Minnesota hiking trail or wandering around Costco.
Kate Boyle-Steed (she/her) helps teams make strategic, data-informed decisions. She brings enthusiasm for and a decade of experience in evaluating initiatives. She enjoys working with partners to design useful evaluations, and she loves facilitating learning activities that invite people to dig into results together and uncover insights and implications for improvement. She has worked as both an internal evaluator and an external evaluation consultant, working for nonprofit, for-profit, government, and philanthropic organizations. In her current role as the Director of Learning & Evaluation at the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, she strengthens the organization's capacity to use learning and evaluation to drive strategy.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from Drexel University. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, biking, dancing, and basking in the hot/cold therapy of sauna. She lives in Minneapolis with her delightful partner and two hilarious chihuahua-terrier dogs.
Joanne Moze is a Senior Program Evaluator for the Blue Cross for Communities commercial tobacco program area. She brings over twelve years of experience in planning, designing, implementing, and communicating complex evaluation and research projects for community funding initiatives. For the past ten years, she has also provided evaluation services for Meeker McLeod Sibley Community Health Services and currently serves as Chair of the Minnesota Cancer Alliance Evaluation Advisory Committee.
Joanne enjoys using her evaluation skills to help organizations measure what matters to them, helping programs and organizations demonstrate their impact in the community and gain insights that can foster improvement. She holds an MPH in Epidemiology, a BA in Kinesiology, and an Advanced Equity and Diversity Certificate from the University of Minnesota.
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Minnesota Evaluation Association
P.O. Box 581114,
Minneapolis, MN 55458
Email: info@mneval.org
Affiliate of American Evaluation Association since 2004
MNEA is a 501(c)6 organization
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