Hallie Preskill

Dr. Preskill is a Professor in the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University. She has also been on the faculty at the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque) and the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Her research and writing focuses on the topics of program evaluation, organizational learning, training and organizational development, and Appreciative Inquiry.

Her most recent books include Reframing Evaluation Through Appreciative Inquiry (Preskill & Catsambas, 2006), Building Evaluation Capacity: 72 Activities for Teaching and Training (Preskill & Russ-Eft, 2005), Evaluation in Organizations: A Systematic Approach to Enhancing Learning, Performance & Change (Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2001), Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations (Preskill & Torres, 1999), Evaluation Strategies for Communication and Reporting (Torres, Preskill & Piontek, 2nd ed., 2005), and Using Appreciative Inquiry in Evaluation (Preskill & Coghlan, New Directions for Evaluation, 100, 2003). She is currently working on a second edition of the Evaluation in Organizations book, and is starting a new book on evaluation capacity building which will be grounded in the findings from her current research study.

Dr. Preskill currently serves on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Evaluation and Human Resource Development International. She also serves as a reviewer for the International Journal of Training and Development, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Evaluation, and Evaluation and Program Planning.

For over 20 years, she has been an active and supportive member of the American Evaluation Association (www.eval.org). She served as President in 2007, and was on the AEA Board of Directors from 1998-2001. She has chaired and been a member of the Association’s Professional Development Committee, and was the program chair and co-chair of the Evaluation Use Topical Interest Group. In 2002 she was honored to receive the American Evaluation Association’s Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Award for Outstanding Professional Practice.

Hallie has also been involved with the Academy of Human Resource Development (www.ahrd.org) since its inception in 1993. In addition to presenting papers and workshops at the annual conference she served on the Board of Directors from 1998 to 2000.

Dr. Preskill provides evaluation and training and organizational development consulting services and workshops to business, healthcare, non-profit, education, foundation, and government agencies and organizations. She completed her doctorate in evaluation and training and development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1984. In 2004, she proudly accepted the University of Illinois Distinguished Alumni Award.

E-mail: hallie.preskill@cgu.edu
Phone: (909) 607-0457

Sample of Recent Publications (2000 to Present)

(In addition to the books listed above)

Preskill, H. (2008). Evaluation’s second act: A Spotlight on learning. American Journal of Evaluation, 29 (2).

Russ-Eft, D. & Preskill, H. (2008). Improving Beta Test Evaluation Response Rates: A Meta-Evaluation. Human Resource Development International, 11 (l), 35-50.

Preskill, H. & Donaldson, S. I. (2008). Improving the Evidence Base for Career Development Programs: Making Use of the Evaluation Profession and Positive Psychology Movement. Advances in Human Resource Development, 10 (1), 104-121.

Harnar, M. & Preskill, H. (2007). Evaluators’ descriptions of process use: An exploratory study. New Directions for Evaluation, 116, 27-44.

Russ-Eft, D. & Preskill, H. (2005). In search of the Holy Grail: ROI evaluation in HRD. In, G. Wang & and D. Spitzer (Eds.), "Evaluation and Measurement," Advances in Developing Human Resources, 7  (1). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Preskill, H. (2005). Entries on the topics of evaluative inquiry for learning in organizations, process use, and appreciative inquiry in the Encyclopedia of Evaluation, S. Mathison, (Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Preskill, H. (2004). The transformational power of evaluation: Passion, purpose and practice. In M. Alkin (Ed.) Evaluation Roots. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Preskill, H. & Russ-Eft, D. (2003). A framework for reframing HRD practice and research. In, Maycunich, A, Callahan, J. & Bierma, L. (Eds.), Critical Issues in HRD. Boston: Perseus Books.

Preskill, H. (2003). The evaluation profession as a sustainable learning community. International Handbook of Educational Evaluation. The Netherlands: Kluwer.

Preskill, H., Zuckerman, B., & Matthews, B. (2003). An exploratory study of the factors that influence process use. American Journal of Evaluation, 24 (4), 423-442.

Torres, R.T. & Preskill, H. (2001). Evaluation and Organizational Learning: Past, Present, and Future. American Journal of Evaluation 22, (3), pgs. 387-386.

And finally,

For those who have made it this far, it's only fair that I share with you my clichés of life ...or, how to live each and every day with passion (these are not original, nor are they particularly profound... and they are most definitely a work in progress):

1. Don't take yourself too seriously – life is too short to be angry, sad or frustrated (at least for very long).
2. It's all connected – we are all part of the web of human experience.
3. Timing is everything – be there!
4. Laughter is the best remedy – it puts everything in perspective.
5. The more control you give up, the more control you have.
6. 50% of success is being passionate and enthusiastic about what you do – 30% is related to working hard, and the other 20% is due to luck.
7. Life is about learning – learn everything you can and know you will never know everything.
8. Seek more questions than answers – it’s the questions that give life to new ideas and possibilities.
9. There is no such thing as failure – only the opportunity to learn and grow.
10. It’s all about relationships – they are central to our happiness, success, development, and knowing who we are as individuals.