Dr. Cari Michelle Patterson is a Community Psychologist, and a seasoned evaluator and appreciative facilitator. She loves working alongside communities and learning from the wisdom of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. For over 30 years, her work in health promotion, evaluation, and community development has been guided by a belief in social justice, belonging, and the power of people coming together to create change. Dr. Cari Michelle Patterson cofounded Horizons Community Development Associates; in her 18 years as Co-Director there, she supported communities and organizations through participatory evaluation, community-based research, strategic planning, facilitation, and capacity building. Most recently, she served as Evaluation & Learning Lead with GEO Nova Scotia, a province-wide digital inclusion initiative, where she helped nurture a strong learning culture, guided participatory monitoring and evaluation systems, and supported policy engagement with government and community partners. She now provides consulting through her own practice, bringing this breadth of experience to organizations working in complexity and systems change. She also serves as Adjunct Professor of Community Development at Acadia University, where she teaches community-based research and evaluation and mentors graduate students. In addition, she contributes to the field as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community. Over the course of her career, she has developed strong skills in: Community-based and developmental evaluation – building learning cultures, co-designing participatory evaluation systems, and producing accessible evaluation products for diverse audiences. Facilitation and strategic planning – guiding collaborative processes that help communities and organizations clarify direction, strengthen partnerships, and move toward action. Community-based research – designing and conducting research grounded in equity and inclusion and integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Adult education and capacity building – creating and sustaining environments of belonging and learning where people feel empowered to grow, reflect, and contribute. Systems change and advocacy – supporting coalitions, collaboratives, and initiatives that address inequities in health, education, digital inclusion, and social policy. She is a Credentialed Evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society, a member of the Society for Community Research and Action, a member of the Community Development Society, and a member (and former Board member/Secretary General) of the International Association for Community Development. Across all of her roles—whether building a monitoring and evaluation framework, facilitating a community forum, or mentoring new evaluators—she strives to bring rigor, reflection, and kindness. For her, good work is not only about outcomes; it is about relationships, love, and the ways we lift each other up along the way.
