Cari Patterson, PhD

My work is deeply informed by what I have witnessed and learned from First Nations and African Nova Scotian communities, and by ongoing efforts to understand the true histories of Canada and Nova Scotia. These lessons remind me that research and evaluation must be grounded in justice, shaped by multiple ways of knowing, and responsive to what emerges when people gather to explore big questions together.

My journey has taken me from coordinating family violence prevention initiatives in rural Ontario and Alberta, to co-founding Horizons Community Development Associates  and co-directing it for 18 years, to my recent work with GEO Nova Scotia and the Community Oven. With the love and support of my community every step of the way, I recently achieved a lifelong goal of completing my PhD in Community Psychology. My dissertation explored how to transform and decolonize the ecosystem in which evaluation takes place so it can better serve  African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaw communities.

I have been privileged to work with many diverse communities and organizations—including First Nations and Indigenous communities, African Nova Scotian and Black communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations, rural family violence prevention groups, seniors’ advocacy groups, sexual and reproductive health leaders, youth movements, and survivors of the mental health system. Each of these relationships has shaped me, teaching me to listen deeply, honour diverse perspectives, and create space where differing needs and interests can be validated and woven into collective action.

My work is rooted in both rigor and care. I bring strong skills in evaluation, community-based research, facilitation, adult education, and systems change—while always weaving in creativity, reflection, and kindness. Whether building a learning culture, guiding a participatory evaluation, or facilitating a strategic conversation, my goal is to empower communities, nurture belonging, and support transformative change.

I am proud to be a Credentialed Evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society, and grateful to have been recognized with awards such as Acadia University’s Community Leadership Award. Today, I continue to learn from the communities I walk alongside, who remind me daily that good work is not only about outcomes—it’s about relationships, love, and the ways we lift each other up along the way.

Professional Service & Affiliation

• Adjunct Professor @ Acadia University Department of Community Development

• Editorial Board Member @ Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community

• Peer Reviewer @ Community Psychology in Global Perspective

• Reviewer @ Case Studies in Community Psychology Practice: A Global Lens

• Advisor @ the Community Tool Box

• Member and Credentialed Evaluator @ the Canadian Evaluation Society

• Member @ the Society for Community Research and Action

• Member @ the Community Development Society

• Member (and former Board member/Secretary General) @ the International Association for Community Development

Positons Held 

• Community Psychologist @ Cari Patterson Consulting Inc | (February 2022 – present)

• Evaluation & Learning Lead @ GEO Nova Scotia | (September 2020 – September 2025)

• Director of Research & Evaluation @ Inspiring Communities | (September 2017 - February 2022)

• Acting Executive Director @ Inspiring Communities | (September 2020 - April 2021)

• Director @ Horizons Community Development Associates | (October 2002 - June 2019)

• Executive Director @ Planned Parenthood Nova Scotia | (September 1994 – July 1997)

Community and Volunteer Involvement

Community has always been at the heart of my work. I served as Co-Chair of the Canning Area Food Bank and as a Board Member and Run Director with KFROGS (Kaleigh French Reaching Out Globally Society), helping raise funds to support youth pursuing global community development work.

In past years, I’ve served as a Board member and Secretary General with the International Association for Community Development (IACD) in Scotland, and as co-founder and President of the Nova Scotia Health Promotion Clearinghouse.

I’ve also volunteered with organizations focused on recreation, gender-based violence prevention, refugee support, and environmental protection—including co-founding Friends of the Whaleback in Alberta, which successfully protected a vital Montane ecosystem from industrial development.

Across all of these roles, I’ve been guided by values of collaboration, justice, love, and care for both people and the planet.