Porteous, Nancy L.

(b. 1966, Winchester, Ontario, Canada). M.Sc. Social Research Methods, University of Surrey, Guildford, England [Commonwealth Scholar]; Honors B.A. Sociology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.

Porteous began her career with Ekos Research Associates, an Ottawa-based applied social research firm. It was at Ekos that she worked with Shelley Borys and Benoît Gauthier, two experienced evaluators whom she considers role models. After several years at Ekos, [Page 323]Porteous began planning, evaluation, and performance measurement work in local government for the City of Ottawa, first with public health and then in social services, where she led the Planning and Performance Measurement Unit. Also while with the city, she worked briefly on special projects in environment and transportation. Her last post was with strategic initiatives in the City Manager's Office. For several years, Porteous was a Research Associate with the University of Ottawa's Community Health Research Unit. Recently she moved to the federal level and is now working for the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control at Health Canada. Valued colleagues such as Helen Durand Charron, Barbara Sheldrick, and Paula Stewart have greatly influenced her approach to the field of evaluation.

Porteous served as President of the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) from 2000 to 2002. She was awarded the Contribution to Evaluation in Canada Award by the CES in 1998 for her contribution to the theory and practice of evaluation in Canada. In part, the award recognized Porteous' role in codeveloping an educational resource called the Program Evaluation Tool Kit. She has been an active member of the National Capital Chapter of the CES since 1993 and was elected Chapter President in 1998. She has also played a key role in nurturing the growth of the CES Student Evaluation Case Competition, along with the competition's founder, Michael Obrecht.

She has published manuscripts and presented papers and workshops at conferences in Canada, the United States, and Russia and has served as Guest Editor of the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation. She chaired the event-planning group for the Inaugural Assembly of the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation in Lima, Peru, in March 2003.

Porteous is active in her community, volunteering in many different ways, such as organizing Oxfam Canada's international development education program, chairing her community association, fundraising for international women's hockey tournaments, and supporting the Women's Voices Music Festival. Always drawn to music, she toured with the international performance troupe Up With People. Her real passion is drumming. She connected with African drumming and dance while doing volunteer work in Botswana. Porteous jams with Women Off the Beat and the Boom Chicks, two local hand drum and percussion ensembles. She also delights in helping others experience the energizing effect of rhythm. She has facilitated dozens of workshops, community drum circles, and rhythm-based events at conferences for children and youth, the gay and lesbian community, women's groups, and faith organizations.