Leslie J. Cooksy, PhD
CONTACT: LJC.eval@gmail.com
![Leslie 5x7[392].small.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d79c28_5494b883480543c7ad2de929c1698721~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_6,y_0,w_347,h_456/fill/w_243,h_311,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Leslie%205x7%5B392%5D_small.jpg)
I am a professional evaluator, educator and editor with over 30 years of experience in philanthropic, nonprofit, international, and federal, state and local government programs. My practice is grounded in the values of equity and cultural responsiveness. My areas of expertise include evaluation planning and design, meta-evaluation, and evaluation writing and editing. Among other leadership positions, I have been President of the American Evaluation Association, Director of the Center for Community Service and Research at the University of Delaware, and Evaluation Director at Sierra Health Foundation.
Writing and Editing
As a writer, my style is straightforward and tailored to the intended audience. As an editor, I provide guidance that both improves the logic and impact of a document and builds an author's skills. I have written and edited academic papers, grant proposals, evaluation reports and summaries, among other documents. I have served as an associate editor of the American Journal of Evaluation and editor of that journal's Ethical Challenges and Book Review sections. Whether you are putting an evaluation report together, writing a dissertation, or responding to reviewer comments on a manuscript, I can support you by developing your content into a clear and compelling document.
Leslie has been a member of my editorial team, a co-editor of a volume, and a co-author. She excels at both the big picture of creating a compelling, well-reasoned message and the details such as sentence structure and punctuation. -- Mel Mark, American Journal of Evaluation Editor, 2000-2004
Through every interaction with Leslie as editor and colleague, I have come away with new insights, wisdom, and confidence. She provided above-and-beyond editorial support for a book review I wrote. She is a world-renowned leader, in evaluation. Above all, Leslie is remarkable for her holistic realness, her quiet yet powerful presence, her intellectual acumen, and most importantly her clear ethical and moral commitment to caring and just relationships in the world. -- Thomas Archibald, Virginia Tech
Evaluation Advising
As an advisor, I provide the "critical friend" perspective. I can contribute to evaluation planning and design, review data collection protocols, and guide meta-evaluation and other quality assurance activities. My feedback is intended to help you think through the intent, process and outcomes of your project and support the quality and value of your work.
She is the epitome of a good collaborator. Her contributions stem from her deep evaluation expertise and experience and the writing skills that accompany her keen editorial eye. Leslie and I have collaborated and co-authored numerous publications over the years. I value her conceptual engagement, good judgment, honesty, creation of a safe space to push boundaries, and her ability to turn a phrase. Our written products were “better together” which is what every collaboration hopes to achieve. -- Valerie J. Caracelli, PhD,