In naming what is happening in the evaluation ecosystem and imagining what is possible together, Expanding the Bench® (ETB) is elevating the experiences of Advancing Culturally-responsive and Equitable (ACE) Evaluation Network Members and exploring how power, funding, and identities shape evaluation, and how we can respond with intention, courage, and care. ACE Evaluation Network Member Ryoko Yamaguchi introduced a thoughtful framework for building a supportive evaluation ecosystem (B-SEEN), emphasizing the intentional development of an ecosystem that recognizes evaluators, funders, partners, and community members all play essential roles in shaping a future where evaluation work can thrive, especially when grounded in equity, care, and a sense of abundance. We hope to continue deepening connections among members of the evaluation ecosystem who are committed to equity, inclusion, and community-led approaches by sharing their stories. In this blog, ACE member Shelli Golson-Mickens offers reflections on embodying values, embracing abundance, and enacting collective action through the B-SEEN framework.

When I think about the beginning of this year, what stands out is how much was shifting around me. Family life, community life, and professional life all carried new dimensions that invited me to pause, reflect, and reimagine how I move forward. Among these new beginnings, one of the most meaningful was becoming a member of the ACE Evaluation Network with ETB. This opportunity resonated deeply because my journey into evaluation has always been rooted in connection, bringing people together, sharing ideas, and creating spaces for collective learning. Through these relationships, whether with peers or community members, I have sought to co-learn and co-generate insights that strengthen not only our communities but also the systems that shape them.

When I encountered the Building a Supportive Evaluation Ecosystem Network (B-SEEN) framework during my first ACE Network Community Forum, I felt both affirmed and challenged. The framework encouraged me to reflect more critically on how I show up in the field as a Southern Black woman whose professional trajectory has been shaped by navigating systems not designed for people like me. It also invited me to consider how we might collectively reimagine and restructure those systems to foster authentic collaboration and to center racially and ethnically diverse evaluators as leaders of transformation.

One of the most powerful insights I took away from that initial conversation was the recognition that sustaining a thriving evaluation ecosystem requires attention across three interrelated dimensions: how we embody our values, how we cultivate abundance, and how we enact collective action. As a visual thinker and former biomedical scientist, I often draw on metaphors from the natural world to make sense of these dynamics. I think about the ocean, whose vastness depends on countless individual droplets of water. Each droplet is small on its own, but together they form a powerful and life-sustaining force. If even one droplet’s chemical composition were altered, the balance of the whole could shift. Likewise, in evaluation, each contribution is significant and necessary, and together we create the conditions that allow our ecosystem to thrive.

Embodying Values

For me, embodiment involves visibility, or the clear and consistent expression of the values that guide my work. I want others to know my values because I strive to practice them with integrity, whether in private or in public. This openness is not about drawing lines between myself and those whose values differ, but rather about creating opportunities for dialogue and mutual growth. When values are made visible, they ripple outward into relationships and shape how we engage in the broader field.

At Innovation Network, I have seen this alignment in action. Our organization lives its values internally, through shared decision-making and the inclusion of staff in board roles, and externally, through power mapping and equity-centered approaches with clients. Embodying values is not only about declaring them, but about practicing them consistently, yielding when appropriate, and refusing to engage in work that undermines them.

Embracing Abundance

Rejecting scarcity has always felt natural to me because I grew up in communities often portrayed in deficit terms despite being filled with strength and brilliance. I reject the notion that scarcity defines us and instead attribute deficits to the systems that have left communities behind. This orientation compels me to share knowledge, power, and resources whenever I can. It also inspires me to create space for others to share their own stories, stepping back in silent support when that is what the moment calls for.

Genuine connection is where abundance truly comes alive. Relationships built on trust and humanity become the current that carries us forward, enabling collaborations to flourish. In my work with coalitions and networks, I have seen generosity in sharing experiences, strategies, and lessons deepen our collective understanding. Like waves converging in the ocean, each contribution adds momentum and power when we move with openness and respect.

These connections ripple into the institutional and field levels. Organizations thrive when they open their waters rather than build dams, choosing transparency and accessibility over gatekeeping. At Innovation Network, we practice this by developing and sharing frameworks, reflections, and tools that others can adapt. In today’s political climate, where equity-centered language is often contested, abundance also means adaptability. Through the creation of an equitable communications guide, we are working to stay true to our commitments while navigating external risks. Abundance, then, is not only about having enough resources, but about keeping ideas, language, and strategies flowing to sustain collective progress.

Enacting Collective Action

Values and abundance naturally converge in collective action. I see myself as one contributor among many, bringing perspective and skill while knowing that transformation is never the work of one evaluator alone. Being present in community with others—listening, reflecting, and planning evidence-based actions together—is essential to moving from dialogue to action.

The magic of collective action takes shape when groups come together in shared spaces. Workshops, forums, and reflection sessions create opportunities not only to learn but also to chart common priorities and imagine new possibilities. These gatherings are like tides pulling in many directions but ultimately finding rhythm together, strengthening trust and aligning energy toward shared goals.

When organizations scale this work, the movement grows wider and deeper. Building nonprofit evaluation capacity, for example, is not simply about enhancing one organization’s ability to measure impact, but about fueling a broader field-wide shift toward equity and justice. At Innovation Network, our commitment to participatory learning, shared decision-making, and co-created evaluation designs helps set the stage for transformation across the ecosystem.

The B-SEEN framework reminds us that sustaining an equitable evaluation ecosystem requires contributions at every scale. Just as an ocean depends on each droplet, collective action depends on evaluators, organizations, and community voices alike. When we act together, rooted in values and buoyed by abundance, we create the conditions for justice and equity to flourish.

~ Shelli Golson-Mickens, Senior Associate, Innovation Network