Patricia Patrizi Senior Fellow Patricia Patrizi ("Patti") works with a broad range of non-profits and philanthropies in the areas of evaluation, strategic planning, and organizational learning. She is the chair of The Evaluation Roundtable, a group of more than fifty evaluation and program executives dedicated to improving evaluation practices across philanthropy. She is the editor for a series of monographs titled, "Practice Matters: The Improving Philanthropy Project," aimed at examining and improving the practices and strategies of foundations. Patti, with Michael Quinn Patton, edited a recent volume of New Directions in Evaluation on the use of case studies in evaluation. A major focus of her work is developing usable systems of evaluation for foundations. She has worked in this capacity with the Rockefeller, Edna McConnell Clark, Ford, Lumina, and William Penn Foundations. She has published a national study on the use of peer review in philanthropy, and she is presently working with a group of community foundations seeking to improve organizational capacity and impact through peer consultation. She has been the principal investigator on numerous evaluations including: Rockefeller Foundation's support of information for development in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's strategy on the end of life to examine lessons learned for programming and the field. An assessment of the Philadelphia Foundation's approach to grantmaking, its effects in the field, and modes of monitoring and evaluating its grantees. An action learning evaluation for the Rockefeller Foundation of over thirty agricultural grants in Western Kenya to improve food security. Edna McConnell Clark Foundation's evaluation of non-profit grantees receiving organizational development and business planning support. Fred Friendly Seminars, examining the effects of media projects on their audiences. Cadca, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, a national technical assistance and support organization for community coalitions organized to fight substance abuse funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Open Society Institute's Public Health Network Programs in Eastern and Central Europe. Strategy development for the William Penn Foundation's Environment and Community Program. Previously, Patti served as director of evaluation at the Pew Charitable Trusts for eight years. At Pew she was responsible for the design and oversight of over 150 evaluations in the fields of health and human services, education, the environment, religion, culture, and public policy. While in this position, she commissioned and oversaw the evaluation of all major strategies undertaken by the foundation. These strategic assessments formed the basis of program redesign in each area of foundation investment. Prior to Pew, Patti conducted health services research as a senior analyst at The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics of the University of Pennsylvania, and was a member of the faculty. Earlier, she served as a lead consultant in delivering technical assistance to the federal Rural Health Initiative. In addition, she facilitated management development and learning-system design with clients of the Wharton Center for Applied Research. Ms. Patrizi holds degrees from Bryn Mawr College and the University of Pennsylvania and is also a research fellow at Harvard University. She has served on numerous advisory boards of non-profits and special initiatives of the foundation sector. < Return to Staff Listing