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Chelsie Hess, Ph.D. Senior Research Analyst Dr. Chelsie Hess joined ASR in 2022. Chelsie has a M.A. in School Counseling and previously served as a licensed school counselor for the State of Colorado. She has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, doctoral minor in Applied Statistics and Research Methods and doctoral specialty in Child Development from the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to joining ASR, Chelsie worked in higher education for fifteen years. Her program evaluation work has focused on teacher program effectiveness and community programs serving children and families. During her time with the College of Education at the University of Northern Colorado, she assisted in evaluation of multiple teacher preparation and licensed personnel programs to ensure alignment with national, state, and college accreditation standards. In her role as a tenured-faculty and Associate Professor of Psychology at Colorado Mesa University, she taught Research and Child Development courses while serving as Chair of the Institutional Review Board and on multiple executive boards for the community. Her training has been in assessment and measurement, focus groups, longitudinal restricted datasets, multiple regression, sampling procedures, survey design and validation, qualitative methodology, and program evaluation. She enjoys a balance of teaching, research, and partnerships with local schools and community agencies to better bridge the gap between practice and research. She has a commitment to data integrity, multi-displinary and applied research, providing meaningful and actionable feedback to impact community and child outcomes. In her free time, Dr. Hess enjoys spending time in the mountains of Colorado with her two children--- skiing, hiking, rafting, and camping. She also loves cooking, oil painting, movies, and collecting folk rock vinyl records. < Back Chelsie@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Meet The Team For staff here at ASR, this work is more than a job – it is a calling. We came to ASR because we wanted to be at the front lines of community change. Our team includes more than two dozen researchers, analysts, and support experts across our California Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, and Sacramento offices. Our team of social scientists includes academics and practitioners from the fields of developmental psychology, human development, sociology, anthropology, education, public health, and public policy. Many of us are bi-lingual and/or bi-cultural. We have staff fluent in Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Italian, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Russian, Hebrew, and Bahasa Indonesia. Click on our team members to learn more. Jennifer Anderson-Ochoa, MIA Senior Project Director Susan Brutschy President Connie Chu Research Analyst II John Connery Senior Project Manager Keri Corre a Copy Editor Kim Gillette , MPH Senior Project Manager Juliana Huaroc, MPA, MA Project Manager Jordan Katti , PhD Project Director Alyssa Mullins , PhD Senior Project Manager Alex Werner Research Analyst Sandra Arellano Research Analyst II Julie Burr Project Manager Lisa Colvig-Niclai, MA Senior Vice President of Planning and Evaluation Laura Connery Director of Operations and Impact Javari F airclough, PhD Senior Data Analyst Rebecca Handman, PhD Senior Research Analyst and Communications Specialist Jessica Irwin, PhD Project Manager Claire Miller , PhD Senior Research Analyst Daphna Ram, PhD Senior Research Analyst Jim Wright, PhD Project Manager Christa Bixby, MA Senior Research Analyst Kim Carpenter, PhD VP of Research and Evaluation James Conne ry, MBA VP of Research and Operations Peter Connery Vice President and CFO Angie Flamenco, MA Project Manager Chelsie Hess, Ph.D. Senior Research Analyst Laura Johnsen Operations Coordinator Elizabeth Mower (Martinez) , MA Project Director Sofia Stepanyan , PhD Senior Research Analyst

Claire Miller, PhD Senior Research Analyst Dr. Miller has 15 years of research experience within the areas of social sciences, experimental research design, advanced quantitative research methodology, and learning analytics. In addition, she has extensive experience working with large data sets, designing data visualization dashboards in Tableau, and writing reports for publication. Dr. Miller has expertise in basic inferential statistics, including parametric and nonparametric analytic methods, as well as advanced quantitative methodologies, such as structural equation models (path analysis, factor analysis, multivariate analysis, latent growth curve models) and generalized linear mixed models (hierarchical models). Her work has been presented at multiple national conferences, including the American Educational Research Association and American Psychological Association, and has been published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Miller has over 10 years of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses, including educational psychology, classroom assessment, research methods, and advanced statistical methods (e.g., multiple regression). In her spare time, Dr. Miller enjoys traveling and paddleboarding. < Back claire@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Sandra Arellano Research Analyst II Sandra Arellano joined Applied Survey Research in September 2021. She received her Bachelors of Art in Child and Adolescent Development at San Jose State University. Sandra has dedicated her time to the community by working firsthand with children in early childhood and parents of low-income and first-generation to enhance children's all domains of development. She is most passionate about supporting families who do not have or know that they have resources to help exceed their children's full potential. Apart from helping families, Sandra enjoys trying different cultural foods and spending time with her family. Her favorite type of day is spending the day in San Francisco with her daughter and fiancé. < Back Sandra@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Christa Bixby, MA Senior Research Analyst Christa joined ASR in 2024. She comes from a background in higher education, specifically focusing on the domains of TESOL and academic writing. She comes from a wealth of international experience, having lived in six countries throughout her tenure in education. Her educational journey has been marked by a dedication and commitment to fostering equitable education and engaging students with innovative instructional methods. Over time, Christa advanced into administrative positions where she gained experience in strategic planning, data-driven decision-making, evaluation planning, and project management. Christa is currently working on research related to the equitable use of AI in education, focusing on the integration of it in higher institutions of learning. In her free time, Christa enjoys woodworking, practicing yoga, throwing pottery, and learning every and anything new. She classifies herself as a life-long learner, one who is inspired by all that the world around her has to teach us. < Back Christa@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Alex Werner Research Analyst Alex Werner joined ASR in 2019 as a student intern and was pleased to continue with his work after graduation from the University of Oregon. Alex majored in Business Administration with a finance concentration and a minor in Latin American studies. He is applying these skills by supporting program evaluations, assessments and planning in several areas. His work includes survey, data collection, tabulation, analysis, and report development including work on the homeless census in several bay area counties. He is most passionate about equality and striving to make positive change. Outside of work, Alex enjoys kayaking, playing video games and spending time with his family. < Back Alex@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Jim Wright, PhD Project Manager Jim joined ASR in 2024 as a Senior Research Analyst. He earned his Ph.D. in speech-language pathology with a specialization in educational data science from the University of Oregon. His research has primarily focused on the evaluation of treatments to support individuals experiencing cognitive challenges following acquired brain injury. He has also participated in research and program evaluation projects to support initiatives related to teacher recruitment and retention, digital learning, literacy intervention and instruction, school accountability systems, and community wellbeing. Jim specializes in research methodology, implementation science, statistical analysis, and data collection, management, and visualization. He additionally has worked clinically as a speech-language pathologist in medical and educational settings supporting individuals with communication disorders and maintains his Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. In his free time, Jim enjoys swimming, hiking, and spending time with his wife and two children. < Back Jim@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Jessica Irwin, PhD Project Manager Dr. Jessica Irwin joined ASR in 2023 as a Senior Research Analyst. She earned a Ph.D. in developmental psychology with a minor in statistics from Wayne State University, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester, UCLA, and Chapman University. Her research used a biopsychosocial theoretical framework to examine risk and resilience in the context of early life experiences. Dr. Irwin has extensive training in data analysis and expertise ranging from design and implementation of research protocols and assessments, to cleaning, organizing, and analyzing data, and creating engaging visuals of the results. She also has years of experience teaching statistics, research methods, and developmental psychology courses as a university professor. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and spending time with her fiancé and dog. She is also a passionate advocate for disability rights. < Back Jessica@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Angie Flamenco, MA Project Manager Angie rejoined the ASR team in 2024. She has experience with strategic planning, research, community needs assessments, quality improvement, and program evaluation. Before rejoining ASR, she led a non-profit in becoming accredited and developed quality improvement, health and safety, and training programs, as well as a community advisory board. As part of her accreditation experience, Angie wrote organizational policies and plans, developed trainings, and spearheaded agency-wide quality improvement projects. Angie has extensive experience leading community coalitions and has worked in the fields of public health, housing services, and philanthropy. Angie served as a lead consultant for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s Community Health Needs Assessment, Community Health Improvement Plan, and a violence assessment. She served as a project manager for various community indicator reports, such as the Silicon Valley Latino Report Card. Angie has a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University. On her free time, Angie enjoys baking and playing games with her three children, hiking, traveling, and volunteering at her church. < Back angie@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Juliana Huaroc, MPA, MA Project Manager Juliana joined ASR in November 2019. As a Senior Research Analyst II at ASR, Juliana has contributed her expertise as a bilingual, community-based researcher and evaluator, to a variety of program evaluations and community-wide needs assessments, with partners seeking to improve the lives of historically marginalized communities including, system-impacted youth and adults, people with mental health and substance use disorder needs, and people experiencing homelessness. She possesses lived experience and content expertise in the unique needs of Hispanic/Latin(o)(a)(x)(e) communities disproportionately affected by U.S. immigration policy. Juliana is skilled in qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including research design, data collection and analysis, and report writing, as well as evaluation planning, implementation and ongoing project management. Juliana earned a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from San Diego State University, where she focused her thesis research on the invaluable contribution and key role of rural women as seasonal agricultural workers in Chile’s fruit export industry. During her graduate studies, Juliana worked as a researcher in the San Diego-Tijuana border region, uplifting the stories and struggles of asylum-seekers and migrants in the United States, including individuals and families held in detention facilities and released by federal authorities onto San Diego’s streets. Juliana also holds a BA in Political Science and Religious Studies with a minor in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Outside of ASR, Juliana enjoys spending time with her partner and their Siberian Husky, eating Peruvian food, and traveling with her loved ones. < Back Juliana@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Julie Burr Project Manager Ms. Burr has been engaged with ASR since 2014 in a number of different capacities including intern, community partner, and now ASR team member. Julie is a public health professional with a varied background in finance, research, writing, project management and community organizing. Her areas of experience have primarily been focused on the prevention of chronic disease, community violence, and addressing systemic inequities. Her passion lies in working towards equity and thriving for all through individual and collaborative action. She received an associate’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting from Cabrillo College, and her bachelor’s degree in Collaborative Health and Human Services from California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). In 2014-2015, Julie interned with the Santa Cruz County Youth Violence Prevention Network (YVPN) and helped co-author Turning the Curve: Youth Violence Strategic Plan for Santa Cruz County. Since graduation, she has worked as a Research Analyst with the Institute for Community Collaborative Studies at CSUMB, and as the Community Impact Coordinator for YVPN at the United Way of Santa Cruz County. In her role with YVPN, she organized the multi-sector collaborative network in addressing community needs and implementing activities that promoted the inclusion of youth and community voice in public safety efforts. With ASR, Julie has supported a variety of projects across the greater Bay Area including community assessments, homeless point-in-time counts, program evaluations and strategic planning. Julie continues to stay connected to the California Violence Prevention Network (CalVPN) , currently serving as one of the Network’s Administrators. She was also an active alumni and practitioner coach with the Radical Transformational Leadership Program in the Bay Area for seven years. Her other research interests include community trauma and healing, women’s health, civic engagement, food security, criminal legal system reform, racial equity and other issues impacting social injustice. < Back Julie@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Kim Gillette, MPH Senior Project Manager Kim Gillette joined ASR in June 2021. She has over 20 years of experience managing nonprofit and government programs, including developing and evaluating programs, fundraising, and building collaborations to improve communities. Some of her recent ASR projects include the Kaiser Permanente East Bay Community Health Needs Assessment, San Mateo County Juvenile Probation annual programmatic evaluations, and the First 5 Solano report on Foundation Giving in Solano County and the Bay Area. In her last role, as a consultant at BuildingBlox Consulting, Kim provided training to nonprofit executives and board members to effectively lead their organizations, coached leaders and provided them with tools and expertise to solve challenges, and conducted needs and feasibility assessments to help nonprofit organizations strategically plan for the future. Prior to that, she was the Director of the Daly City Youth Health Center for ten years. In this role she managed the team members and operations of a comprehensive health center for low-income youth, providing them with primary health care, behavioral health services, health education and vocation programs. She successfully led the planning and fundraising to enable the Health Center to move into a new, state-of-the-art, teen-friendly facility. Kim received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan in Health Behavior Health Education and Interdepartmental Concentration in Reproductive and Women’s health and her Bachelor’s in Psychology from UC Berkeley. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, crafting, and snuggling in the hammock with her pup and a good book. < Back Gillette@appliedsurveyresearch.org