Do you know a good evaluator when you see one? Passionate about inquiry - Check. Dedicated to data - Check. Seeker of truth – Check. But how do you know if she is competent? If he can understand the intricacies of a program? If they can work well with a range of stakeholders? How do you know if the evaluator will be able to make meaning from words and numbers in ways that inform important decisions at hand? True professions establish procedures to insure that practitioners have certain expertise or are able to perform at a certain level, typically through a form of individual credentialing or licensure and/or accreditation of programs that train new entrants to practice. Not so program evaluation. The field of program evaluation has long struggled with the idea of core competencies, and many— practitioners and theorists alike—argue that, given the diversity of people’s practice, it is impossible to identify a common set. Despite such claims, the Essential Competencies for Program Evaluators (ECPE) were developed in the early years of this century, and evaluators are now using them in various ways literally around the world. One professional association, the Canadian Evaluation Society, has even adapted the ECPE to create the only current credentialing program for evaluators. To date there is no accreditation process for evaluation training programs. Today, we’ll address questions whose time may have finally come: Is evaluation ready to pull itself up by its boot straps and become a true profession? What will it take to make this happen? Who is likely to benefit, and who may be hurt? We’ll discuss the implications of this situation for the field and for those called upon to commission and use evaluation. #2012Institute