Ricardo Ramírez is an independent researcher and consultant based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. His consulting and research work includes communication planning, participatory evaluation and capacity development, both domestically, with First Nations, and internationally. Ricardo began his career in agricultural sciences that he followed with demonstration farm projects in Latin America. He switched to the field of adult education and rural development. He has worked with the Communication for Development group at FAO, Rome, with non-governmental organizations, and with consulting firms. For two years he was professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph where remains as adjunct. Together with Dal Brodhead they just published the book Utilization focused evaluation: A Primer for evaluators (Southbound, Penang 2013) – based on five practical experiences.

Dal Brodhead's Bio

Dal Brodhead has variously been an activist community development worker, senior manager in the Federal Government and for the last twenty five years has operated a consulting firm based in Ottawa. The focus of his work has been on community-driven approaches to marginalization and poverty alleviation working from a range of perspectives as an organizer, project manager, policy advisor, evaluator, mentor and researcher.

He has continued to balance his interest in community focussed international development with active involvement in Canadian urban and rural community development work through participatory approaches to program and project evaluation, monitoring, strategic planning, policy and research. In Canada, his firm, the New Economy Development Group has learned from its experiences in both urban and rural areas, as well as from extensive involvement with First Nations, Aboriginal and Inuit communities.

Internationally, his clients have included CIDA, IDRC, CARE Canada, the Aga Khan Canada Foundation, and the International Program of the Canadian Co-operative Association. Past international experience has included management of CIDA’s largest micro-finance and HRD program located in Bangladesh. The focus of his recent international work with IDRC has been on utilization-focussed evaluation, participatory and developmental evaluation, monitoring and learning. Great emphasis has been placed on engaging regional and in-country resources to reinforce evaluation and research communications capacity through active, cost-effective mentoring and support mechanisms. His assignments have taken him to countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

His publications have included subjects as varied as a Primer on Utilization Focussed Evaluation (with Ricardo Ramirez) which was recently released, Le Chantier in Saint-Michel – Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion (in Montreal), Transforming a Large Micro-Finance Institution (Bangladesh), Community Organizing in Canada, and Community Economic Development in Canada.