My name is Anne Heberger Marino and I am a professional evaluator, program director, and boundary spanner.  I work on breaking down silos, building connections, and integrating knowledge. I’m interested in the social side of science, innovation, collaboration, connectivity, and systems change.  At the moment I’m rather obsessed with the Sustainable Development Goals and the intersection of improving lives and saving the planet.  I currently work as an evaluation, collaboration, and team science consultant.

I believe that groups of bright people who care about an issue and see it differently can collaborate their way to breakthroughs.

The reason I believe this is because I’ve designed experiences than help it happen. I’ve seen it and studied it and written about it.

For more than 12 years I was involved in research, evaluation, and direction for the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative  (NAKFI), a 15-year, $40 million program of the National Academies of Sciences Engineering, and Medicine.  NAKFI was part immersive training experience, part scientific conference and part grant program.  NAKFI’s $14.6 million investment in “venture science” seed grants led to $158 million in follow-on funding, 205 peer-reviewed publications, 6 patents, 2 new organizations, and training for over 150 graduate students and post-doctoral scholars.

Much of what I know and love about science, interdisciplinary research, philanthropy,  and cross-sector collaboration springs from my NAKFI experiences.   I’m co-author of the book Collaborations of Consequence, the official NAKFI story. It covers the history, evolution, evaluation, and impact of the program. We also a made video.  The NAKFI program officially ended in 2018, and the world still needs programs and people that push us beyond our boundaries together. It was a $40 million idea before anyone knew if it would work.  I know it does and I’m one of a handful of people who know how we made the magic.

EvaluatedLife started as a humble tribute to the questions: “How do you make a difference?” and “How do you know?”

This is a playground for research, experimentation, exploration, reflection, curiosity, learning, and compassion.

You can also follow me on twitter: @evaluatedlife.

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.

John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra