Morell, Jonathan A.

(b. 1946, Brooklyn, New York). Ph.D. Psychology, Northwestern University; B.A., McGill University, Montréal, Québec.

Morell's primary contributions to the evaluation profession have been in the evaluation of information technology's impact on organizations and the application of complex adaptive systems perspectives to evaluation theory. He was influenced by his studies with Donald Campbell; his analysis of the comparative epistemology of science and engineering; and his interdisciplinary work with automotive industry experts, computer scientists, and product engineers. Three broad principles guide his work in designing and implementing evaluation and his strategies for data analysis: an eclectic acceptance of multiple methodologies, the principle of sociotechnical systems, and the dynamics of complex adaptive behavior.

He is Founding Editor (with Eugene Walsh Flaherty) of Evaluation and Program Planning. Morell was instrumental in initiating the presession tradition at the annual meetings of the American Evaluation Association. He is a recipient of the American Evaluation Association's Distinguished Service Award, a Fellow of the Society for Community Research and Action, and an avid bicycle rider.