Rita Deedrick has over 20 years’ experience in the informal learning field with specialization in evaluation capacity building as well as the development and evaluation of informal learning experiences. Rita began her career in the Education Department of COSI, the science center in Columbus, Ohio, where she supported program development and fundraising. Rita developed the first formal program evaluation function at COSI, working with staff throughout the organization to integrate evaluation into all aspects of the guest experience. In 2011, Rita became the first Director of the COSI Center for Research and Evaluation, a first-of-its-kind social science research center imbedded in a museum. Inspired by academic centers, the COSI Center for Research and Evaluation partnered with The Ohio State University to forward the field of informal learning, collaborating on numerous projects throughout the country. The Center became the hub for the development, implementation, and administration of sponsored projects for the science center and offered consulting, evaluation, and facilitation services as a revenue-generating enterprise. Rita left COSI in 2021 to pursue her passion for lifelong learning as an independent consultant.