Doctoral Candidate
Virginia Tech, United States
My name is Dickson Otieno, a PhD Candidate in Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education Department at Virginia Tech, US. I am an Evaluation Policy and Food Systems specialist with extensive multi-country experience in Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, and Kenya. Additionally, I have expertise in higher and tertiary education in Africa, M&E, technical and vocational training, and agricultural models focused on sustainable farming, agri-enterprise development, and agriculture value-addition initiatives. These agricultural models are geared toward tackling issues related to food security and poverty alleviation. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness Management and an MSc in Agri-Enterprise Development from Egerton University in Kenya and am currently pursuing a doctorate in national evaluation public policies and their implications on governance, evaluation capacity and utilization. I also hold a Virginia Tech Graduate Certificate in science-policy intersections. I am also skilled in private and public sector partnership building, science and policy communication, innovative enterprise development, and positive youth development.
I developed interests in program evaluation while heading a regional World Bank project that was implemented in collaboration with East and Southern Africa higher education institutions. I gained further insights on program evaluation and international development landscape when serving in another regional skills enhancement World Bank project as an Industry Advosory Committee member and through interactions with diverse stakeholders in Africa and now the US. I aspire to help generate knowledge and redirect Africa's focus on evaluation capacity building through national evaluation policies. Important fora such as the AEA Conference helps bring together potential collaborators who together can recommend lasting solutions to research and policy gaps when tackling the world's wicked and complex challenges.
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61 - How National Evaluation Policy Happens: The Story of Kenya’s New National Evaluation Policy
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET
Friday, October 13, 2023
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM ET