Stewart I. Donaldson is the Executive Eirector of the Claremont Evaluation Center (CEC) and professor of Psychology and Community & Global Health. He was appointed to the new positions after more than 16 years of leadership and service at the School of Social Science, Policy, & Evaluation (SSSPE), where he was the founding dean from 2013 to 2017; the School of Community & Global Health (SCGH), where he was dean from 2013 to 2017; the School of Politics & Economics, where he was dean from 2012 to 2013; and the School of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences (SBOS), where he was dean from 2001 to 2013.
Donaldson’s portfolio in the social and health sciences over the past three years has included providing academic leadership for more than 100 core and supporting graduate faculty, overseeing the education of more than 650 degree-seeking graduate students, and securing grants, contracts, and gifts to support SSSPE and SCGH research and students.
The CEC is a major provider of evaluation and applied research services, on-site and online professional development training, and evaluation conferences and events, and it supports the evaluation certificate programs and a wide variety of master’s and doctoral degree programs at CGU. Located on the university campus in Claremont, the CEC has in recent years expanded its presence in Washington DC and New York to amplify its positive social impact.
Donaldson has built a career rich in both academic and professional experience. He is past president of the American Evaluation Association (2015) and has served on numerous boards, including those of the International Positive Psychology Association, Western Positive Psychology Association (co-founder), American Evaluation Association, and Western Psychological Association. He is a fellow and on the council of representatives for the Western Psychological Association. He has been honored with Early Career Achievement Awards from the American Evaluation Association (1996) and the Western Psychological Association (2001).
In 2013, he was awarded with AEA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honors in the Evaluation Profession, the Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award for sustained lifetime written contributions to the advancement of evaluation theory. He has been named the recipient of the AEA’s 2017 Robert Ingle Service Award for his outstanding leadership and service to AEA and the evaluation discipline and profession.
He has also taught numerous courses and published widely on the topics of evaluation theory and practice, health promotion and disease prevention, positive psychology, organizational psychology, organizational and career development, cross-cultural and international evaluation and research, and applied research methods.
Donaldson works collaboratively with his students and colleagues to publish findings from his extensive portfolio of extramurally funded research and evaluation projects. He currently supervises labs for graduate students on positive organizational psychology, positive organizational development, theory-driven evaluation science, and cross-cultural and international development evaluation. He has served as chair or member on more than 50 doctoral dissertation committees at CGU, and more than 75 master theses and certificate students’ culminating research and evaluation projects.
Donaldson’s work has been cited widely, including more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles, chapters, and evaluation reports. He has also published 14 books, including his most recent titles, Scientific Advances in Positive Psychology(2017); Toward a Positive Psychology of Relationships (2017); Evaluation for an Equitable Society (2016); Credible and Actionable Evidence: The Foundation for Rigorous and Influential Evaluations (2015); Emerging Practices in International Development Evaluation (2013); The Future of Evaluation in Society: A Tribute to Michael Scriven (2013); Teaching Psychology Online: Tips and Techniques for Success (2012); Social Psychology and Evaluation (2011); Applied Positive Psychology: Improving Everyday Life, Health, Schools, Work, and Society (2011); Program Theory-Driven Evaluation Science: Strategies and Applications (2007); and Applied Psychology: New Frontiers and Rewarding Careers (2006).
Donaldson, S. I., and Donaldson, S. I. (2017). Other people matter: The power of positive relationships. In Warren, M. A., and S. I. Donaldson. Toward a positive psychology of relationships: Theory and research. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.
Donaldson, S. I. (2017). There is more to life than evaluation logic and data: Trusting gut feeling. New Directions for Evaluation.
Leeuw, F. L., and Donaldson, S. I. (2015). Theories in evaluation: Reducing confusion and encouraging debate. Evaluation: The International Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice, 21(4), 467–480.
LaVelle, J., and Donaldson, S. I. (2015). The state of preparing evaluators. New Directions for Evaluation, 145, 39–52. (Special issue on Accreditation, Credentialing, and Certification: Relevant Concerns for US Evaluators).
Rao, M., and Donaldson, S. I. (2015). Expanding opportunities for diverse populations in positive psychology: An examination of gender, race, and ethnicity. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie, 56(3), 271–282. (Special issue on Positive Psychology)
Donaldson, S. I., Dollwet, M., and Rao, M. (2015). Happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning revisited: Examining the peer-reviewed literature linked to positive psychology. Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(6), 1–11.
Donaldson, S. I., and Ko, I. (2010). Positive organizational psychology, behavior, and scholarship: A review of the emerging literature and evidence base. Journal of Positive Psychology, 5 (3), 177–191.
Positive Organizational Scholarship
Organization Development & Change
Theory-Driven Evaluation Science
Directed Research in Positive Organizational Psychology & Organizational Behavior
Directed Research in Evaluation
Evaluation Theory & Evaluation Practice