William M. Trochim, professor of policy analysis and management in Cornell's College of Human Ecology, has been elected president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) for 2007-09.

AEA is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of many forms of evaluation, that is, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products and organizations to improve their effectiveness. AEA has approximately 4,000 members representing all 50 states in the United States as well as more than 60 foreign countries.

A member of the Cornell faculty since 1980, Trochim focuses his research on community-based concept mapping for planning and evaluation, systems thinking in public health, integration of research and practice, and methods for evaluating large research initiatives.