People‐Centered Evaluation: Integrating Theories and Practices for a Transformative Model

ABSTRACT This overview article advances People‐Centered Evaluation (PCE) as a transformative stance rooted in relational accountability, memory, and ethical responsiveness. Drawing particularly from Culturally Responsive, Indigenous, and Equitable Evaluation approaches, it proposes PCE not as a fixed method but as a relational and justice‐oriented perspective that centers people—not systems or interventions. Through Bledsoe's research perspective and evaluation experience, and Pérez‐Troncoso's research and evaluation work with the SEAS Islands Alliance , the article illustrates how PCE emerges in practice and articulates its core tenets: relational accountability; ownership of knowledge and data; prioritization of lived experience; contextualization; equity as a central focus; methodological flexibility; community‐led definitions of value; evaluator reflexivity and positionality; and recognition of intersectionality. These tenets guide evaluators toward co‐producing meaning with communities, honoring memory, embracing complexity, and ensuring that people are at the center of the evaluative process.