The recent AEA conference was—like it always is—a great excuse to catch up with friends, swap stories, and remember why we love this work. But underneath the good vibes, there’s been a growing whisper the past few years: AEA is struggling a bit.
And it’s not just AEA. National associations everywhere are seeing the same thing: declining membership, uneven engagement, rising costs, and a whole lot of professionals quietly opting out of the conference circuit.
A 2023 study examining the decline of a regional academic association found that shifting professional norms, cost pressures, and broader cultural changes have contributed to significant drops in membership and participation across multiple fields.
We don’t want to blame or shame anyone; It’s just the reality of where we are in the evaluation field in 2025.
And if we’re honest, there’s something we need to say out loud: If we want a strong national evaluation community, it has to start with strong local ones.
LACs have always been a bit of an unsung hero in our field. They’re often the first touchpoint for new evaluators. They’re where people go when they need connection between conferences. They’re where community actually gets built — not theoretically, but in living rooms, libraries, co-working spaces, and Zoom rooms.
People feel at home with their LAC. That’s why some folks join their local affiliate years before they think about joining AEA nationally…and some never jump to the national level at all, even though they’re incredibly engaged locally.
LACs offer something unique: accessibility, consistency, low-stakes connection, and a real sense of belonging.
The Reality Check: LACs Are About to Be in the Trenches
Here’s the part that’s both honest and hopeful: If our profession is going to rebuild true engagement — not just busier email lists, but genuine participation — LACs will be the ones leading the charge.
They’re the folks welcoming brand-new evaluators, organizing events that fit into tight budgets, keeping people connected when travel isn’t feasible, and tuning in to what evaluators in their region are actually experiencing day to day.
That’s trench work and it’s where the magic happens.
This is where experimentation, trust-building, and community rebuilding can take root in a way the national level just can’t replicate.
What LACs uniquely bring to the field:
- First points of contact for new and emerging evaluators
- Accessible, community-driven professional development and relationship-building
Why AEA Needs to Back This Work
If LACs are going to shoulder the early, hands-on work of rebuilding engagement, AEA has a big role to play: supporting the people closest to the ground.
When LACs are strong, AEA is stronger. Membership grows naturally, the leadership pipeline expands, and national offerings feel more relevant. It all works together.
A 2025 study on professional associations found that when members experience real, tangible value from their organization, they develop a sense of “reciprocal dedication” — a kind of loyalty that grows when people feel supported. That’s exactly the kind of value LACs are built to provide.
Supporting LACs isn’t a courtesy — it’s one of the smartest long-term strategies AEA can invest in.
That support can show up in simple but powerful ways: shared tools, shared infrastructure, visibility, resourcing, and real feedback loops that don’t just collect ideas, but act on them.
How AEA can directly strengthen LAC work:
- Provide shared infrastructure (tech tools, templates, registration support, etc.)
- Offer microgrants, visibility, and meaningful feedback loops
A Shared Path Forward
Rebuilding engagement in our field isn’t going to come from one big national initiative. It’s going to come from dozens of small, local sparks and from AEA making sure LACs have the resources and recognition to keep those sparks going.
We hope
- That LACs feel supported, connected, and empowered to lead this moment.
- That AEA sees LACs as a core part of the solution not an afterthought.
- And that evaluators everywhere have easy ways to plug in, learn, and feel part of something bigger.
If you’re an evaluator who’s not part of a LAC yet, we can’t recommend highly enough that you reach out to yours!
- Alaska Evaluation Network (AKEN)
- Arizona Evaluation Network (AZENet)
- Arkansas Group of Evaluators (AGES) (no website, reach out to aajaureguidusseau@uams.edu)
- Atlanta-Area Evaluation Association (AaEA)
- Baltimore Area Evaluators (BAE)
- Caribbean Association of Research and Evaluation Inc
- Chicagoland Evaluation Association (CEA)
- Colorado Evaluation Network (COEN)
- Eastern Evaluation Research Society (EERS)
- Evaluation Association of Saint Louis (MO)
- Evaluation Network of Rhode Island (no website, reach out to evalnetworkri@gmail.com)
- Greater Boston Evaluation Network
- Gulf Coast Evaluation Network
- Hawaii Pacific Evaluation Association (H-PEA)
- Indiana Evaluation Association (IEA)
- Maine Evaluation Society
- Michigan Association for Evaluation (MAE)
- iMilwaukeeEvaluation!
- Minnesota Evaluation Association (MN EA)
- Nebraska Evaluation Network (NEN)
- New Mexico Evaluators (NME)
- New York Consortium of Evaluators (NYCE)
- North Carolina Evaluators Network
- Northeastern Regional Evaluation Association (NREA)
- Northern California Evaluation Network (no website, reach out to shannon.a.williams@csus.edu)
- Ohio Program Evaluators’ Group (OPEG)
- Oregon Program Evaluators Network (OPEN)
- San Francisco Bay Area Evaluators and Applied Researchers
- Seattle Evaluation Association
- Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Evaluación
- Southern California Evaluation Association (SCEA)
- Texas Evaluation Network (TEN)
- Vermont Evaluation Network (VEN)
- Washington (DC) Evaluators (WE)
A strong AEA starts with strong LACs. And strong LACs start with all of us showing up locally — and with national support that makes that work sustainable. Let’s build this together.