Past President: Dorian Watts | Dorian Watts is a Credentialed Evaluator and the Planning and Evaluation Lead with Public Health at Nova Scotia Health. She is pleased to be serving as the President of the Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society. Dorian has over 10 years experience working in various roles related to evaluation and research with a primary focus in health. She is keen to support evaluation, policy and strategic work. Dorian holds a Masters of Science in Community Health Sciences. Originally from Manitoba, Dorian is happy to now call Nova Scotia home. She has been engaged in the CES Nova Scotia chapter since 2015. |
Treasurer: Humaira Faizan  |
With over 14 years of experience in, monitoring, research and evaluations, Humaira brings a strong foundation in Clinical Psychology to dissect complex social issues. She is committed to public service and played a key role in shaping gender policy reforms and hybrid and remote policy development, in Pakistan and Canada. Humaira’s work spans impactful research on child marriage, pro-women laws, gender parity, gender-based violence, adolescent sexual health, and the psychological safety of journalists. Humaira has joined CES in June 2023. |
Member at Large: Andrealisa Belzer | Andrealisa Belzer is a Credentialed Evaluator employed with the Atlantic Region of Indigenous Services Canada. She serves as Past President of CES Nova Scotia Chapter, and on the National Board’s Standing Committee for DEI and Sustainability. She also participates in the EvalPartners EvalIndigenous Network and the Global Advisory Council for Blue Marble Evaluation. Andrealisa has practiced health and social services evaluation since 1995, in Canada and internationally. She is committed to evaluative and decolonizing practice that facilitates systems transformation toward mutualism. |
Membership Chair: Lee-Anne, MSW | Lee-Anne Lavell is based in Kjipuktuk/ Halifax and works as the Program Director at the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC), a coalition of organizations and institutions working in the Atlantic region to build and model just, equitable and sustainable communities, locally and globally. Lee-Anne has worked in the non-profit sector for 10+ years at the intersection of international cooperation and youth engagement. She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) from McGill. She speaks English, French and Spanish. |
Student & Emerging Evaluator Chair: Gladstone Deklu, PhD | Gladstone has over seven years of experience delivering insights that drive decision-making. Currently employed by ATN Strategies, Gladstone has a strong background in mixed-methods research, program evaluation, and strategic planning and has worked with clients spanning the public sector, non-profit social services, and Indigenous organizations. Gladstone specializes in delivering data-driven insights and evidence-based recommendations that drive impactful decision-making. As a dedicated leader and consultant, Gladstone is committed to fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing, ensuring that research translates into actionable strategies. Gladstone holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Ghana, Legon and a Ph.D. from Memorial University of Newfoundland. |
Secretary: Sarah Bowen, PhD | Sarah Bowen is currently an Applied Research and Evaluation Consultant living in the Annapolis Valley. Following a career in community-based health program development, she became the founding director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Research and Evaluation unit and later accepted a position as Associate Professor at the School of Public Health, University of Alberta, where she developed and taught courses in Engaged Scholarship. Specializing in developmental education, she has led many collaborative evaluations; mentored emerging evaluators; developed and taught courses in evaluation for evaluation students and health managers; and developed a guidebook for CIHR: A Guide to Evaluation in Health Research. A major focus of her work has been on effective strategies for promoting action on issues of “low awareness” within the health system (particularly issues of concern to diverse and underserved communities); developing research and evaluation partnerships; and using collaborative evaluation approaches to promote knowledge mobilization. She is the author of many publications, including practical resources for decision-makers and researchers, e.g. Promoting Action on Equity Issues: A knowledge-to-action handbook, and It’s Time to Talk About Our Relationship with Research, a guidebook for health service providers. |
Professional Development Chair: Sabrena Jaswal, MA | Sabrena Jaswal is a senior evaluation consultant with the Nova Scotia Government in the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration. She is new to the Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society and excited to be taking on the the role of Professional Development Chair. Sabrena has 20 years of health and social sciences research and evaluation experience. She has worked on projects ranging from adolescent health literacy to developing and delivering health education training. Her research interests include health communication, education and the delivery of equitable care through a cross-cultural lens. Sabrena holds a Master of Arts in International Health Promotion. Sabrena is originally from British Columbia and now living in Nova Scotia after calling the UK home for over ten years. |
Student & Emerging Evaluator Chair: Hannah Walsh, MA | Hannah Walsh is currently working as an Evaluation Officer with the Department of Opportunities and Social Development. She brings 5+ years experience in the non-profit sector with strong skills in research, evaluation, facilitation, and community engagement. Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights and Great Books from St. Thomas University, and a Master of Arts in Immigration and Settlement Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University. Her areas of research include Canadian immigration policy, housing insecurity amongst refugees/women, and immigrant youth’s experiences in the Canadian labour market. She joined CES Nova Scotia Chapter in 2025. |
National Representative: Budzi Divine Ngeh, MPH | Divine is a dedicated public health and evaluation professional with nearly a decade of experience in program and project development and evaluation in the development and humanitarian sectors. His evaluation expertise spans across projects in facility-based and community health, WASH in emergencies, child protection, child survival, and adolescent and youth empowerment. Currently serving as a Research Associate at Dalhousie University’s Department of Family Medicine, Divine is actively involved in evidence-based research on health equity, digital transformation, and health transitions for refugees, immigrants, and other migrant populations in Canada. His work includes conducting literature reviews, project evaluation, and data analysis, contributing meaningfully to evidence-informed decision-making processes. He has served in former roles such as – Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator for Plan International in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions – Monitoring and Evaluation/Feedback officer for the WASH program for International Rescue Committee in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions – Pioneer Lead Monitoring and Evaluation officer for the Planning Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) strategy for the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, – Pioneer Monitoring & Evaluation Officer for the Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Program at the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services Beyond his professional roles, Divine has been a key leader in the evaluation community. As the Secretary General of the Cameroon Society for English-Speaking Evaluators (CamSEE)—recognized by the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA)—he worked closely with evaluators across Cameroon to advance evidence-informed decision-making. In 2025, he joined the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) and currently serves as the National Representative for the Nova Scotia Chapter, where he supports emerging evaluators and fosters professional collaboration. Academically, Divine holds a Master of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. With a passion for Evaluation, Divine continues to drive data-informed decision-making and foster evaluation and project development collaboration across health, humanitarian, and development sectors. |
IT Chair : Phong Hong Vu | Phong is a professional with 20 years of experience. Some of his past positions are manager of a department of monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), data analysis coordinator, senior researcher, and university lecturer. Phong is helping a team of Government of Nova Scotia develop their very first MEAL strategy. He is providing statistical support to a clinical research team at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He holds postgraduate degrees in sociology, public health (specialization in quantitative assessment), medical anthropology, and college diploma in IT database administration. |
Executive 2024-2025
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