In this episode of Indigenous Insights, host Gladys Rowe welcomes Dr. Carolee Dodge Francis, Joseph Jean, and Linnea Hjelm for a conversation on kinship, mentorship, and the role of culturally responsive Indigenous evaluation. Together, they share how evaluation is more than a technical process, it is a relational practice that centers community, reciprocity, and the responsibilities evaluators carry in honoring Indigenous ways of knowing.
Dr. Dodge Francis shares insights on Indigenous kinship as a framework for evaluation and mentorship, while Joseph and Linnea reflect on their experiences as emerging evaluators navigating academia and community-based research. The conversation highlights the importance of intergenerational knowledge-sharing, humility in evaluation, and the need to challenge extractive research practices.
Tune in for a rich discussion on transforming evaluation through Indigenous values, fostering mentorship rooted in care, and ensuring that evaluation serves as a tool for strengthening relationships and building decolonial futures.
Dr. Carolee Dodge Francis is a Native American (citizen of Oneida Nation) qualitative social behavioral researcher, Chair of the Civil Society and Community Studies Department and Endowed Lola Culver Professor within the School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison. She strives to intertwine community engagement, research scholarship and student mentorship as a reflection of her cultural understanding within a contemporary context that is focused upon the well-being of Indigenous populations. Dr. Dodge Francis has over 30+ years’ work experience in public health/community wellness, Indigenous evaluation & program development, and community-based participatory research. She intersects curriculum adaptation and culture to create culturally responsive educational materials for urban and rural Native American communities. Dr. Dodge Francis is a published author and has been a Principal Investigator with federal and foundation funding entities for the past two decades.
Joseph Jean (He/Him) is a mixed Dinè (Navajo) queer Ph.D. student in Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research aims to address social injustices and improve community health for Indigenous and Queer communities with whom he identifies with. He holds an M.P.H. from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he specialized in social and behavioral health and biological sciences. He has held various positions, including lecturer, teaching assistant, program assistant, and research assistant for numerous University-affiliated centers, institutes, and laboratories. His experiences include designing, collecting, and reporting on qualitative and quantitative research methods. His academic and professional interests include public health, evaluation, Indigenous frameworks, and health behavior theories. Email: jdjean@wisc.edu
Linnea Hjelm, MS, is a PhD Candidate in the Civil Society and Community Research department in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Human Ecology. Linnea is a mixed, Hispanic woman who has a rich cultural background that merges her Swedish and Mexican roots. As a graduate student, she has received a comprehensive training in community-based participatory research methods and transformative evaluation design, and has applied these approaches in projects with many unique community partners. Building from her experiences as a peer educator and crisis advocate, Linnea’s dissertation research explores the impacts of youth leadership and engagement in sexual violence prevention, specifically in the context of a county-level sexual violence resource center, with whom she has been a collabo