The agency director in this case clearly does not value having a client representative on the evaluation steering committee, and it would appear that she has no experience working with the mentally ill in a collaborative fashion. The director not only believes that her clients are impaired and therefore incapable of contributing to the work of the committee, but that they would be disruptive. In her defense, it should be noted that the director believes the board of directors is deeply committed to serving client interests and is responsive to their needs. She believes that the same will hold true for the steering committee and that, therefore, there is no pressing need for client representation on the committee. This difficult situation presents an opportunity for the evaluator to mentor the agency director on the key issues involved, namely, ethics and practices in the field. A wise evaluator will recognize the value in providing relevant information to the director and increasing her level of comfort regarding a collaborative working relationship with the agency's clients.