When it comes to the evaluation ecosystem in philanthropy, things are changing.
Starting July 30, we’re hosting three conversations for foundation learning and evaluation staff and evaluation consultants to explore what is being built, how community is involved, and what the future can look like.
The three sessions:
- Thursday, July 30: Community Power—Who is in the room, and who decides? (About the July speakers.)
- Thursday, August 20: Infrastructure—What’s changed & what’s still standing? (About the August speakers.)
- Wednesday, September 23: Vision for the Future—What are we building toward? (About the September speakers.)
All sessions are at 11:00a.m. PT/2:00p.m. ET. Register for one, two, or all three—each conversation stands on its own.
Join us to explore what’s needed next in consultant-supported philanthropy by building on what we’re learning and what’s emerging from the amazing evaluation work happening now.
The series—funded through a generous grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—convenes funders, evaluation practitioners, and interested community partners to explore opportunities to deepen, extend, and rebuild culturally responsive and community-centered learning and evaluation.
Dr. Michael Arnold, Executive Director of Informing Change, will serve as our primary facilitator for each session.
During these semi-structured conversations, we’ll be spotlighting the work of some amazing evaluation practitioners and engaging in Q&A/discussion highlighting practitioners’ perspectives on what they’re building or achieving as they navigate the current environment.
Come with curiosity, questions, and an interest in what comes next!All webinars will be recorded and shared with registrants. Please note any accessibility needs in the registration form.
Series Facilitator & Speakers
Series Facilitator: Dr. Michael Arnold
Michael Arnold (he/him) is a Partner & Executive Director at Informing Change. His work emphasizes telling stories of impact, generating insights to inform strategic directions, and facilitating learning to advance racial and intersectional equity and power. Working with community members, organizations, foundations, and others, Michael draws on his multifaceted background in advanced statistical analysis, community-engaged research, culturally responsive mixed-methods, collaboration and inclusive leadership, and equity-centered design to address the conditions and contexts that repair harm and rebuild systems to benefit all of us. At Informing Change, Michael leads a diverse team of professionals who share a passion and joy for enhancing the well-being of the communities in which they live, work and play.
Speakers for Community Power in Evaluation
Dr. Dawn X. Henderson
Dr. Dawn X. Henderson is a community psychologist who represents the DNA, love, and journey of Indigenous persons across the African diaspora. She is mother and caregiver. She is the founder of WeClaim Research, a mission-driven organization that uses a healing-centered lens in research and evaluation. Her scholarship is a narrative arc of resistance, healing, and love. She is the author of the guidebook, WE get to LOVE, HEAL, and DREAM and a recent recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Contribution to Practice in Community Psychology Award, Society for Community Research and Action (Division 27, American Psychological Association), 2023 BlackSEL Advocate Award, and the 2023 Research-to-Policy Collaboration Scholar Award (Pennsylvania State University).
Dr. Dominica McBride
Dr. Dominica McBride is an award-winning community psychologist, best-selling author, and leading voice in community healing and collective transformation. As Founder and CEO of BECOME, she has devoted her life to building the capacity of communities to create the futures they deserve, through culturally responsive evaluation, grassroots advocacy, and systems building. With experience spanning Arizona, Chicago, and Tanzania, Dr. McBride brings a global perspective rooted in justice, healing, and faith. A champion of co-creating thriving communities, she blends ancestral wisdom with strategy to inspire transformation from the inside out. Her acclaimed book, Becoming Change Makers, guides leaders in activating their divine purpose and collective power.
Speakers for Infrastructure in Evaluation
Dr. Sharon Attipoe‑Dorcoo
Dr. Sharon Attipoe‑Dorcoo is the Principal of TERSHA LLC and an award‑winning strategist, author, and systems leader who advances narrative sovereignty through data‑informed storytelling and relational governance. With more than two decades of experience, she brings expertise in research, evaluation, systems design, language access, accessibility, and community health workforce development, shaped by leadership roles at DHS, CDC, and across philanthropic and nonprofit networks. A recognized thought leader with 70+ publications, she is a 2022 Public Voices Fellow, Global South Arts and Health Envoy, Adjunct Faculty at Texas Woman’s University, and an AEA Board member. Sharon is a diasporic Ghanaian-American woman of faith, wife, and mom, and is deeply committed to building systems rooted in care and dignity.
Dr. Veronica Kapnick
Dr. Veronica Kapnick is Principal of Great Impacts Consulting, where she helps nonprofit and community organizations, government agencies, and collective impact initiatives strengthen strategy, measurement, evaluation, learning, and organizational performance. With more than 15 years of experience, she partners with leaders to build evidence-informed systems that improve decision-making and drive lasting social impact across education, workforce development, public health, and economic mobility. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the City University of New York and currently studies how artificial intelligence is reshaping meaning-making, institutions, and society.
Speakers for Vision for the Future of Evaluation
Alison McNeil
Alison McNeil is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of McNeil Creative Enterprises (MCE), an arts and culture strategy and evaluation firm that partners with foundations, arts and cultural organizations, and creative leaders to navigate complexity, strengthen strategy, and create lasting community impact. A former performer and arts administrator, Alison brings a unique perspective to evaluation, viewing it as a catalyst for learning, stronger relationships, and more effective decision-making. Through MCE and its growing initiative, The Creator's Well, she is helping shape the future of evaluation by advancing approaches that help organizations navigate complexity, learn in real time, and expand the impact of arts and culture.
Dr. Gladys Rowe
Dr. Gladys Rowe (she/her) is Muskego Inninew (Swampy Cree) with membership in Fox Lake Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba, Canada. She holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies (Social Work, Indigenous Studies, and English, Film & Theatre) and is the Founder & Director of Indigenous Insights Collective. Gladys is a community facilitator, program designer, educator, researcher, and evaluator with approaches rooted in Indigenous, decolonial, and anti-colonial frameworks. Gladys hosts Indigenous Insights: An Evaluation Podcast, launched in 2022. In this space, she uplifts stories of Indigenous and decolonial evaluators, artists, and community leaders reimagining what evaluation might be(come).