Bowman Performance Consulting

06/18/2026

When it comes to culturally responsive evaluation, everything starts and ends with relationships.

We highly recommend reading this new piece from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, featuring the visionary work of our friends at Ubuntu: "Evaluation that Builds Community Power Begins with Trust."

🔗 Read the full piece here:

Equitable evaluation uplifts and empowers historically undervalued or unheard perspectives which advances health and racial equity.

06/12/2026

We are incredibly honored to share the release of a landmark new report: "The Way Forward," issued by the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children. We were humbled to be included on the witness list and to have played a small part in helping shape these critical recommendations.

What makes this report so essential is how it moves beyond simply identifying systemic barriers to offering actionable, culturally grounded solutions. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for ensuring Native children and communities have the resources, respect, and sovereign protections they deserve. For evaluators, policymakers, and advocates, the real value of this work is its clear blueprint for aligning our national systems with the actual needs, voices, and futures of Indigenous youth.

We highly encourage you to read the full report and explore the recommendations to see how we can all better support the next generation.

Read the report here: https://buff.ly/bjjpcVc
Learn more about the Commission's findings:

Vice Chairman Murkowski Welcomes Report and Recommendations from the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children March 5, 2024 Jacqueline Bisille, Legislative Assistant for the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Senator Murkowski Commends the Commissioners, Tr...

06/11/2026

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

As we celebrate and honor the LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit members of our communities, we want to share a beautiful soundtrack for your month. It is a powerful celebration of intersectionality, joy, and resilience.

And by streaming, sharing, and amplifying these artists, we actively uplift Indigenous voices and affirm that our LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit kin are integral to our cultural survival, strength, and futures.

Add these vibrant tracks to your rotation and let’s celebrate the beauty, love, and joy of our communities together! 🎶❤️

🎧️:

Playlist · IllumiNative · 42 items · 105 saves

06/10/2026

As we continue to grow and welcome new followers to our network, we like to periodically reshare resources that are foundational to our collective work.

If you are looking to deepen your understanding of culturally responsive practices, we invite you to explore the "Indigenous Systems of Evaluation" annotated bibliography.

Developed by our team members Dr. Nicky Bowman and Dr. Claire Bjork, this isn't your standard academic reading list. Organized entirely by the Seven Directions Indigenous Framework, it curates over 100 resources from Indigenous evaluators across Turtle Island (North America) and Aotearoa (New Zealand).

The real value of this collection is how it shifts power. By moving beyond Western categorization, it elevates Indigenous theory, governance, and methods on their own terms. Whether you are a funder, researcher, or an ally looking to build genuine cultural competency, this resource serves as a vetted roadmap for translating time-immemorial teachings into your daily evaluation practices and policies.

Download your free copy and share the knowledge with your own community!

🔗 https://buff.ly/CT3a8W2

06/09/2026

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, it is a critical time for us to examine the national narratives that deeply shape our policies, data, and systems.

We highly recommend tuning into this upcoming webinar organized by Cultural Survival, Latinos in Heritage Conservation, and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers: America 250 — “Estamos Aquí / We Are Here”.

By exploring how Indigenous and Latinx histories intersect, diverge, and are continually reshaped by borders and migration, this conversation highlights the exact historical context needed for equitable, community-driven work. For evaluators and system-shifters, understanding these marginalized histories is essential to ensuring our present-day frameworks truly reflect, honor, and protect the communities we serve.

📆 Wednesday, June 17, 2026
⏰️ 12:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM CT / 9:00 AM PT
📍 Online Panel Discussion

We hope you will join the conversation and learn alongside this incredible panel!

🔗 https://buff.ly/9CefOj9

06/08/2026

We are thrilled to welcome two incredible new members to the Bowman Performance Consulting team! Please join us in celebrating An Garagiola (Bois Forte Anishinaabe) and Maria Haskins (Lac Courte Oreilles, Stockbridge, and Oneida) as they bring their unique gifts and expertise to our academic lodge.

An steps into the role of Project Manager and Analyst. With her background in Tribal data sovereignty and mixed-methods research, she will be guiding our higher education evaluation projects and helping us rematriate Indigenous methodologies to drive meaningful systems change.

Maria will be anchoring our work in the role of Operational Support. Maria will leverage her strong experience in culturally responsive communication and grassroots advocacy to provide essential organizational support across our many projects, keeping community engagement at the heart of what we do.

Please drop a comment below and help us give them a very warm welcome! ❤️

06/03/2026

We are hoping you'll join us for another critical session at gLocal Evaluation Week:

📣 Critical Approaches to AI: African and Indigenous Perspectives
📆 Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
⏰️ Time: 8:00 am CT
📍 Location: Online

By bringing African and Indigenous perspectives together, this session explores how we can collectively shape ethical boundaries for AI. It is an essential space to discuss how we protect our knowledge systems and ensure emerging technologies empower rather than extract from our communities.

We hope you can tune in and join the dialogue!

Register and learn more here: https://buff.ly/mEHzr5n

06/01/2026

The 2026 gLocal Evaluation Week is happening right now, and we would love for you to join us!

Our team is honored to be part of a critical panel organized by : "From Data Sovereignty to Algorithmic Sovereignty: Indigenous Evaluation in the Age of AI."

As AI becomes more embedded in decision-making, it brings up urgent concerns about power, knowledge extraction, and control. Rather than just asking how AI can be applied, we are asking under what conditions and with whose authority it should be used at all.

Join us for an interactive discussion exploring how principles of relational accountability and collective governance can help us set ethical boundaries for AI. We want to hear how you are navigating these exact issues in your own work!

🔗 Join the live session here: https://buff.ly/u5lZBU1

05/29/2026

Looking for a brilliant podcast to round out your week? Check out this recent episode featuring BPC friend and colleague Joseph Yracheta, alongside WarīNkwī K. Flores and Kelly Dine!

This session comes live from the US Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Governance Summit. It explores how meaning is not something we simply discover, but something we actively make.

For evaluators and researchers, it challenges the assumed "neutrality" of Western science. It is a powerful reminder that data becomes data through relationship, obligation, and use.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://buff.ly/b30f9ru
🌱 Or search "Relational Science" on your favorite podcast app!

Podcast Episode · Relational Science · April 25 · 30m

05/28/2026

It is safe to say a truly wonderful time was had at ! 🥳

We put together a small collection of our favorite moments from the week to share with you all. For our team, this conference is always rooted in community. Connecting with fellow evaluators, welcoming new kin, and sharing space together provides the grounding we need to keep pushing our field toward culturally responsive practices.

📸 Did you take any great photos during the conference? Please share them in the comments below. We would love to see the gathering through your eyes!