In this episode of Data Jam, Dr. Michael Quinn Patton reflects on his personal and professional journey through the field of evaluation, tracing his early roots in sociology, his foundational work in qualitative methods, and the development of major evaluation approaches like Utilization-Focused Evaluation, Developmental Evaluation, and Blue Marble Evaluation. He critiques the continued dominance of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as the gold standard, arguing instead for understanding natural variation and embracing methodological pluralism. Patton underscores the importance of relationships, context, and values in effective evaluation, emphasizing that meaningful use must be planned from the outset—not treated as an afterthought. He calls for evaluators to be adaptive, relational, and principled, positioning “evaluation science” as a mother discipline that informs and integrates other applied sciences.