Build Evidence through Solution-Oriented, Strengths-Based, and Transformative Learning Group

Whether you are looking to evaluate a program, strengthen organizational capacity, or turn insights into action, The BESST Learning Group is ready to partner with you.

About Us

The BESST Learning Group is a research and evaluation consulting firm that collaborates with organizations as their learning partner to co-creating equitable, strengths-based, and solution-oriented strategies to deepen impact.

We help clients turn data into insight, and insight into action, through culturally responsive evaluation, strategic learning, and capacity-building support. Together, we cultivate the conditions for continuous improvement, reflection, and transformative growth.

At The BESST Learning Group, we use research, evaluation, and strategic learning to build equitable, evidence-informed solutions that drive impact. Our work is rooted in collaboration, strengths-based inquiry, and adaptive learning to ensure that every engagement leads to growth, insight, and transformation.

The BESST Mission

To partner with organizations to build equitable, strengths-based, and solution-oriented strategies that transform how they learn, grow, and lead.
Through culturally responsive evaluation, strategic learning, and capacity-building, we turn data into insight and insight into meaningful actions supporting sustainable impact across programs, systems, and communities.

The BESST Vision

Our vision is to lead the way in driving equitable outcomes in communities through strategy, innovation, and transformative learning practices that make a real difference in the lives of individuals and the well-being of society.

The BESST Commitment

Equity isn’t just a goal—it is the foundation of everything we do. We understand that achieving true equity requires strategic, data-driven action, and we are committed to partnering with you to create solutions that are both effective and sustainable.

The BESST Choice

When you choose The BESST Learning Group, you are not just hiring a consultant—you’re gaining a partner who is deeply invested in your success. We work closely with you and your team to understand your unique needs and challenges, ensuring that the strategies we develop are practical, impactful, and aligned with your goals.

Let us work together to create a more equitable future. With a focus on strategic solutions and transformative learning, we are here to help you achieve your vision—one step at a time. Together, we can transform communities with one strategic solution at a time.

Our Core Values

We believe learning is not a final step but a continuous, strategic process. We embed reflection, adaptation, and insight into every phase of our work—because data without learning doesn’t create change.
We center the voices, experiences, and expertise of those most impacted by the work. Our methods are designed to challenge inequities, elevate community knowledge, and ensure culturally responsive approaches guide every engagement.
We specialize in both formative and summative evaluations:
- Formative evaluations assess program implementation, surface strengths, and identify areas for improvement to guide real-time adjustments.
- Summative evaluations examine outcomes and overall effectiveness to determine whether your program achieved its intended results.
We also support clients in monitoring and measuring impact helping you move beyond tracking outputs to capturing meaningful, measurable change. Our team equips partners with the tools and systems to monitor progress over time, align data with strategic goals, and meet funder expectations with confidence.
Our Evaluation Services Include:
- Evaluation Planning & Design
- Program and Organizational Audits
- Evaluation Frameworks
- Custom Indicator Development & KPI Tracking
- Data Collection Tools (surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation protocols)
- Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed-Methods Analysis
- Monitoring Systems
- Data Storytelling & Impact Reporting
- Visualizations, Slide Decks, and Stakeholder Presentations
We approach every challenge with the goal of co-creating actionable, strengths-based solutions. Our work is grounded in possibility—not just problems—so that evaluation becomes a pathway for impact, not just measurement.
We do not work for clients—we work with them. We believe in mutual respect, shared power, and collaborative design. Our role is to support, listen, question, and build alongside our partners.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethical practice, methodological rigor, and accountability. We honor complexity, challenge assumptions, and commit to truth-telling through data.
Our goal is lasting change, not short-term checkboxes. We support organizations in building sustainable capacity, cultivating adaptive systems, and using learning to transform people, programs, and policies.

The BESST APPROACH

At The BESST Learning Group, we believe that transformational solutions emerge where diverse perspectives converge with purpose. Our partnership model reflects how we co-create change through:

Thought Partnership
Multidisciplinary Learning
Collaborative Action

Our partnership model presents a unique but essential dimension of our work that brings together individual voices, organizational knowledge, and community-based insights. At the center, where all three dimensions intersect, is the space where transformational learning occurs.

This is the heart of the BESST Learning Group Partnership Model:

Grounded in equity
Informed by evidence
Designed for action

We use this model to guide how we:
✔ Engage partners in generative dialogue
✔ Build shared ownership over evaluation and strategy
✔ Bridge systems-level insight with grassroots experience
✔ Co-design adaptive, meaningful, and measurable change

At The BESST Learning Group, we don’t just work for our partners, we work with them.

Through mutual respect, co-creation, and continuous learning, we transform evaluation into a pathway for strategic growth and lasting impact.

About the Founder

Dr. Christopher D. Hill is a researcher, evaluator, and professor in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He is committed to advancing culturally responsive, equity-centered methodologies that elevate the voices and experiences of communities most impacted by systemic inequities. A proud native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dr. Hill is an alumnus of Jackson State University (B.S. in Psychology) and Howard University (M.S. and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology) with formal training in program evaluation through postdoctoral work at Loyola Marymount University and as a fellow in the Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) Program.

Trained as a research psychologist, Dr. Hill brings a systems-thinking approach to research and evaluation, with experience that spans K–12 and postsecondary education, public and mental health, youth development, and equity-centered program design. His work is rooted in both rigorous methodology and deep respect for lived experience.

What drives Dr. Hill’s work is a profound commitment to helping mission-driven organizations—particularly those that have long served their communities—demonstrate their impact, tell their story, and sustain what matters most. He uses the skills and insights developed through his formal training and professional journey to partner with programs that are already making a difference, helping them build the evidence and capacity they need to grow, thrive, and continue meeting community needs.

“I see evaluation not as judgment, but as a tool for learning, reflection, and long-term sustainability. My goal is to help organizations demonstrate the impact of what they’ve always done—so they can continue doing the work their communities depend on.”

— Christopher D. Hill, Ph.D.

Our Services

Needs Assessment

Identify your organization’s or program’s strengths and challenges to drive it forward.
Program Evaluation

Understand what is working, improve what is not, and show how your work makes a difference.
Research Consulting

Support for academic, applied, and dissertation research that’s rigourous, relevant, and rooted in equity-centered insight.
Grant Writing & Proposal Development

Transform your ideas into funded solutions with expert grant and evaluation support.
Learning & Capacity Strengtening

Foster a culture of continuous learning that drives equity, insight, and innovation.
Data Collection, Analytics & Reporting

Collect the right data. Analyze it with rigor. Communicate it with clarity. Use it to drive change.

Whether you are launching a new program or initiative, refining an existing project, restructuring your program, or planning for growth, a needs assessment offers a clear picture of where you are and where you need to go.
We conduct comprehensive assessments that examine the internal capacity, the external landscape, and stakeholder perspectives that shape your work. Whether focused on an organization-wide initiative or a single program, our approach helps you make informed, strategic decisions grounded in evidence, data-driven insights, and clarity.
We partner with you to uncover strengths to leverage, identify areas for improvement, and co-design actionable strategies that support the sustainable success of your programs, projects, and mission.
We offer full-service evaluation—from planning to presentation. Our evaluation services are designed to help you understand how your programs are working, identify opportunities for improvement, and communicate results with clarity and credibility.
We specialize in both formative and summative evaluations:
- Formative evaluations assess program implementation, surface strengths, and identify areas for improvement to guide real-time adjustments.
- Summative evaluations examine outcomes and overall effectiveness to determine whether your program achieved its intended results.
We also support clients in monitoring and measuring impact helping you move beyond tracking outputs to capturing meaningful, measurable change. Our team equips partners with the tools and systems to monitor progress over time, align data with strategic goals, and meet funder expectations with confidence.
Our Evaluation Services Include:
- Evaluation Planning & Design
- Program and Organizational Audits
- Evaluation Frameworks
- Custom Indicator Development & KPI Tracking
- Data Collection Tools (surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation protocols)
- Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed-Methods Analysis
- Monitoring Systems
- Data Storytelling & Impact Reporting
- Visualizations, Slide Decks, and Stakeholder Presentations
We provide support for academic, applied, and dissertation research that is rigorous, relevant, and guided by best practice. Whether you're launching a new study, advancing a scholarly project, or navigating the dissertation journey, we provide tailored support to help you design, execute, and elevate your research.
Our team brings deep expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research, grounded in real-world relevance and methodological rigor. We collaborate with students, scholars, and practitioners to ensure your research is ethically sound, methodologically strong, and socially impactful.
Services include:
- Dissertation coaching and mentorship
- Study design and IRB preparation
- Data collection and analysis
- Thought partnership from concept to publication
Reach out to learn how we can support your research journey every step of the way.
Do you have a great idea but need the right funding to bring it to life? Do you need support with organizing or structuring your proposal to make it compelling and competitive for your next project? We help organizations craft proposals that are strategically aligned, evidence-informed, and data-driven.
We support every stage of the proposal writing process—from concept framing and narrative writing to logic models and evaluation plans. Whether you are leading the proposal or collaborating as a partner, we help make your case compelling, credible, and funder ready.
We believe learning is not a one-time activity but a strategic asset. Our learning and capacity strengthening services help organizations build the mindset, skills, and structures needed to evolve, adapt, and lead with purpose.
We design and facilitate blended learning experiences that integrate data, dialogue, and reflection ensuring that knowledge is not just acquired, but applied. Whether through training, coaching, or co-learning spaces, we support teams in becoming more adaptive, aware, and impact driven.
We offer end-to-end support for data collection, analysis, and reporting that is intentional, ethical, and equity centered. We help organizations move beyond data for data’s sake to ensure that what you collect is meaningful, how you analyze it is rigorous, and how you report it leads to real impact.
Our services are designed to support organizations and their programs at every stage of the data lifecycle whether you are launching a new initiative, strengthening ongoing monitoring efforts, or preparing for evaluation or funding reporting.