The author reflects on his 27 year history as an internal evaluator in a large government social service agency, with particular emphasis on how and why they began doing evaluation, the evolution of their evaluation methodology over time, the impact of external forces on that evolution, and some of the specific distinctions between their original approach and their more recent systems. A "lessons learned" discussion may have particular value to evaluators beginning their careers or moving into

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... valuation in government settings. Emphasis is placed on interpersonal skills and consensus-building, taking advantage of technology, and the growth in understanding that evaluation has become an expected part of service administration and management.