People at HSRI
Melissa Alford
Research Assistant
Ms. Alford provides research assistance on several mental health projects including the Mental Health Transformation Grant, Services in Supported Housing, and Trauma Informed Care. Prior to coming to HSRI, she has done research on topics related to mental health service evaluation, consumer empowerment, trauma, and gender issues and conflict. Ms. Alford has a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is both a Certified Peer Specialist and a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner.
Karen Auerbach
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Auerbach is a statistician and senior research associate for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She has previously conducted research in the areas of substance use, developmental disabilities, adolescent and young adult development, and education. Dr. Auerbach holds a master’s degree and doctorate in human development and family studies with a minor in statistics from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in developmental and educational psychology from Boston College, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and women’s studies from Oberlin College.
Elizabeth Avis
Project Assistant
Ms. Avis assists with project management for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Liz has a background in marketing and communications and has also served as a clinical research coordinator in addiction medicine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Amherst College.
Kristin Battis
Research Analyst
Ms. Battis is a research analyst for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to joining HSRI as a research assistant, she worked as a clinical research assistant, a mental health residential counselor, and also performed HIV, STI, and safer sex outreach. Ms. Battis holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Northeastern University, as well as minors in psychology and women's studies.
Julie Bershadsky
Research Associate
Dr. Bershadsky is the primary statistician and data analyst on several projects at HSRI. She works on the National Core Indicators (NCI) project, an effort to develop indicators and benchmarks of performance across 30 states developmental disabilities service systems. She also works on Sage Resources, an effort to use assessment to develop the best match of waiver dollars to the support needs of participants. She holds a BA in Statistics and a PhD in Health Services Research from the University of Minnesota.
Erin Bliss
Research Assistant
Ms. Bliss is a research assistant for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to joining HSRI, she worked in the fields of women’s health and nonprofit development. Ms. Bliss holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bates College, as well as a minor in economics.
Tyler Blouin
Research Analyst
As a research analyst for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Mr. Blouin’s primary focus is on the Drug-Free Communities (DFC), Sober Truth On Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP Act), and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) programs. Prior to joining HSRI, he worked as a consultant for a Washington, D.C.-based government management firm performing a wide range of research for various federal agencies. He holds a master’s degree in forensic psychology from Marymount University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Vermont.
Teresita Camacho-Gonsalves
Senior Research Specialist
Dr. Camacho-Gonsalves is Senior Research Specialist at HSRI. Dr. Camacho-Gonsalves is currently involved in the evaluations of the: 1) SAMHSA funded Co-occurring State Incentive Grants (COSIG); 2) SAMHSA funded HIV/AIDS Related Mental Health Services in Minority Communities project in the Cambridge Health Alliance; 3) Hogg Foundation for Mental Health Seclusion and Restraint Reduction Project; and the 4) SAMHSA funded Minority Fellowship Program. Past projects included involvement in the SAMHSA funded Best Practices Dissemination Project and the evaluation of the SAMHSA funded Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers and the SAMHSA funded eight-site project on alternative interventions for the reduction and elimination of the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health facilities. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of New Hampshire.
Leanne Candura
Assistant Project Director
Ms. Candura is the assistant project director for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to this role, she worked at HSRI as a Research Analyst for CSAP’s Data Consolidation and Coordination Center (DCCC). Before joining HSRI, Ms. Candura worked as a Research Associate at OMNI Research and Training in Denver, Colo. At OMNI, she honed her research and management skills working on a variety of prevention research and evaluation projects funded through SAMHSA and the Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. She holds a master's degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Stonehill College in Easton, Mass.
Clifton Chow
Research Associate
Mr. Chow is a Project Manager and Analyst at Human Services Research Institute who has been with the institute for over 10 years. Mr. Chow currently serves as the manager and analyst of the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant Evaluation project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). He is also one of the analysts of the SAMHSA mental health Block Grant Cost-Efficiency simulation modeling project and the Cambridge Health Alliance HIV-AIDS mental health evaluation project. Mr. Chow also coordinates on-site training and data collection and implemented analysis using HSRIs computer simulation resource allocation modeling for doing needs assessment of adult mental health and substance abuse systems. Since joining HSRI, he has also managed the Evaluation Center’s Evidence-based Practices and Toolkits and Materials Program, also funded formerly by SAMHSA to deliver evaluation technical assistance to adult public mental health service agencies, served as project manager and analyst for gap analysis projects in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Mexico and Colorado, and managed SAMHSA’s Managed Care for Vulnerable Populations Project. Additionally, he has worked on the Employment Intervention and Demonstration Program. His primary areas of interest are quantitative synthesis and econometric analysis for evaluation using techniques such as meta-analysis, cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit analysis and duration model techniques (survival analysis). He is currently completing his dissertation on assessing policies to improve employment outcomes for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
Ben Cichocki
Policy Analyst
Mr. Cichocki is currently working on the MHT SIG cross-site evaluation and other projects. He has over 11 years experience in the field of mental health, including 7 years as a service provider. Prior to joining HSRI, Ben worked on an ACT program, at the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, and at Maine Medical Center, where he was involved with their PIER (EDIPPP) program. He has been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) since 2003, and is also a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP). Ben has a M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling with a specialty in Psychiatric Rehabilitation from Boston University, and is currently pursuing his doctorate (Sc.D.) in Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University, specializing in Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
Unda Ioana Crisan
Research Analyst
Ms. Crisan is currently a research analyst for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Previously, she was involved as a research assistant with the evaluation of the SAMHSA-funded Minority Fellowship Program and the Study of Children's Use of Psychiatric Crisis Services in Connecticut. She holds a master’s degree in community social psychology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from West University of Timisoara, Romania
Bevin Croft
Research Assistant
Ms. Croft assists with several projects related to mental health systems and program evaluation, including the Milwaukee County Mental Health System Redesign and the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant Evaluation. Prior to her work at HSRI, Ms. Croft was the Quality Management Coordinator at Cascap, Inc., a psychiatric rehabilitation provider in Cambridge, MA. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Policy at the Heller School at Brandeis as a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Fellow.
Jaime Daignault
Policy Associate
Ms. Daignault's primary responsibilities involve project management and technical assistance to community organizations. She has contributed to several studies of disability service systems including state-level gap analyses and systems reform projects to improve self-determination and quality assurance. Working at the community level, she has provided training and technical assistance to community organizations regarding strategic planning, peer support, and capacity building. Currently, she directs systems change projects in Arkansas, Illinois, North Carolina, and Florida. She also contributes to other projects including the evaluation of Ohio's Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project, conducting qualitative analysis of mental health and alcohol and drug services.
Jenny Davidow
Research Analyst
Ms. Davidow is a research analyst on the Evaluation of SAMHSA’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence. Prior to joining HSRI, she worked as a research coordinator within the department of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine where she primarily worked on research investigating the responses to both investigational and FDA approved medications in the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). She holds a Masters Degree in Psychology from the New School for Social Research and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Union College.
Anna Edwards
Financial Manager
Ms. Edwards has been with HSRI since 1997, she manages all financial components of the organization. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore School of Business and Economics and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University.
Joshua Engler
Policy Associate
Mr. Engler is the Project Coordinator for the National Core Indicators (NCI), an effort that began in 1997 to develop indicators and benchmarks of performance across state developmental disabilities service systems. He is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who, prior to HSRI, worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for 8 years in the public and private sectors. He holds a Master's degree in Evidence-Based Social Work from Oxford University, as well as a Master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Texas at Austin.
Rachel Fink
Software Developer
Ms. Fink joined HSRI in 2010 and has worked with several of HSRI’s survey and data collection applications. Prior to this, she worked as a Programmer/Analyst Lead at New England Research Institutes, where she developed systems for public health studies as well as clinical trials. Ms. Fink received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Oberlin College and has done graduate-level work in Computer Science, Web Development, and Media Production.
Jon Fortune
Senior Research Specialist
Dr. Fortune is primarily responsible for managing and working on projects related to assessment informed resource allocation. Dr. Fortune also works to provide technical assistance to state leadership regarding system redesign and Medicaid services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 1990, Dr. Fortune joined the Wyoming Department of Health Developmental Disabilities Division where he held senior management positions. He was instrumental in designing and implementing Wyoming’s system of community services for persons with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury, including developing Medicaid HCBS waivers for both populations. Dr. Fortune also was the chief architect of the precedent- setting Wyoming DOORS model through which people with disabilities are assigned individual budgets based on their assessed needs and other factors. He has published extensively and made numerous presentations at national conferences concerning individual budgeting and community services.
Rachael Gerber
Research Analyst
Ms. Gerber is a research analyst for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She is also involved in the DACCC’s national cross-site evaluation of HIV/SA prevention programs. Previously, Ms. Gerber was a research assistant at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale, and a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa. She holds a master’s degree in public health from Yale and a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston University.
Stephanie Giordano
Research Assistant
Ms. Giordano is a Project Coordinator with the National Core Indicators (NCI), an effort that began in 1997 to develop indicators and benchmarks of performance across state developmental disabilities service systems. She holds a Master's Degree from Suffolk University.
Teresa Gomez
Community Development Coordinator
Ms. Gómez is a Community Development Coordinator for HSRI's social service initiative, Juntos Podemos/ Together We Can Family Center in Salem, Oregon. She has a younger sister with Down Syndrome. In helping her family, she realized that there is a great need within the broader community for specialists, professionals and advocates that speak Spanish, understand the culture and know how to address special education issues. Ms. Gómez is a graduate of Western Oregon University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with a minor in Special Education.
Katie Howard
Research Analyst
As a research analyst for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Ms. Howard focuses primarily on a national cross site analysis of CSAP-funded programs that target HIV, hepatitis, and substance abuse prevention in minority communities. She is a certified health education specialist and holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in sociology with honors from the University of Oregon.
Lisa Iannacci
Research Analyst
Ms. Iannacci is a research analyst for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to this, she worked as a research assistant for the Office of Institutional Research at Massasoit Community College. Ms. Iannacci also previously worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant for the Criminal Justice Department at UMass Lowell. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a master’s degree in criminal justice and a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Nilufer Isvan
Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Isvan is a senior research fellow at HSRI, and currently serves as the data analysis team lead for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She has previously conducted research and published in the areas of economic sociology, gender, work, and the family. She holds a doctorate degree in sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, a master’s degree in computer science and systems analysis from Bogazici University in Istanbul, and a bachelor’s degree in statistics and computer science from the University of London.
Sebrina Johniken
Office Manager - HSRI East
Ms. Johniken is an Office Manager at HSRI and handles office administration duties, including benefits and Human Resource Management. Ms. Johniken's background is in childcare and she has attended the Katharine Gibbs certificate program for Legal Administration and UMass Boston certificate program for Human Resource Management.
Yoshiko Kardell
Policy Analyst
Ms. Kardell is a policy analyst with HSRI and helps coordinate projects related to self-advocacy. She has several years of experience working for people with disabilities including providing direct support and state level advocacy. She has a graduate degree in Social Work from Portland State University and an undergraduate degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska – Omaha.
Madeleine Kimmich
Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Kimmich is a senior research fellow in HSRI's Oregon office, where she also co-directs the office. She leads HSRI’s Child & Family Services Team, with oversight responsibility for multiple projects in child welfare and children’s services. She currently directs a multi-year evaluation of Ohio's Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project, and guides multi-site research on the impact of Differential Response to reports of child abuse and neglect. She has previously done research and published in the areas of quality assurance, performance measurement, systems reform, and program effectiveness related to low-income populations of children and families, adolescents, the elderly, and people with developmental disabilities. She holds a Master's and a Doctorate in social welfare policy from the University of California-Berkeley.
Allie Kurlanski
Administrative Assistant
Ms. Kurlanski provides administrative support to the Camp Street Office. She is a member of the HR Team and assists the Office Manager with various projects. Ms. Kurlanski received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Northeastern University.
Lavonia LeBeau
Senior Research Associate
Dr. LeBeau is a research associate for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to joining the HSRI team, she was a post doctoral fellow at Harvard University conducting research in social psychophysiology. She holds a doctorate degree in social psychology from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Towson University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northeastern University.
Jessica Maloney
Editor
Ms. Maloney is the editor for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). In this role, she is responsible for ensuring the consistency and quality of project reports and other communications. Before joining HSRI, she worked as a managing editor for a research firm focused on the technology market and as a freelance editor for scientific and business-to-business publications. Ms. Maloney holds a master's degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of New Hampshire.
Amoya Mankertz
Administrative Assistant - HSRI West
Ms. Mankertz provides administrative support for the Tualatin, Oregon Office. She handles a variety administrative needs from office procurement to assisting staff with their project needs. Amoya has 15+ year of administrative experience.
Katie McInerney
Research Assistant
Ms. McInerney is a research assistant for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to joining HSRI, Katie worked as a research assistant at the Northeastern University Center for Criminal Justice Policy Research studying youth risk behaviors and human trafficking. She holds a bachelor's degree summa cum laude in sociology from Northeastern University.
Kerri Melda
Policy Associate
Ms. Melda has been employed with HSRI since 1992, and her primary responsibilities include project leadership, policy and statistical analyses, program evaluation, and provision of training and technical assistance. Specifically, her work focuses on projects related to family support policy and practice, person-centered funding, performance gap analyses, and studies assessing the impact of change on service recipients. Ms. Melda currently serves as Director of HSRI's Juntos Podemos (Together We Can) Family Center, connecting Latino families who have children with disabilities to community services and supports. She oversees the family support related activities of the National Core Indicators project, which analyzes family support satisfaction data across 30 states. She recently completed a study of the impact of service reductions on Florida's service population, and has worked on reimbursement projects in Colorado, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Ms. Melda holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration (University of Oregon) and a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education (Indiana University).
Nelly Moura Oliver
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Oliver is a senior research associate for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). In this role, she spends the majority of her time on the HIV Cross-site Evaluation. She has a doctoral degree in sociology from Northeastern University, master’s degree in applied sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and a bachelor’s degree in social psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Kate Mullins
Assistant Project Manager
Ms. Mullins currently assists with project management for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Northeastern University, where she is also currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration.
Julie Murphy
Project Manager
Ms. Murphy is the Project Manager for several multi-site child welfare evaluations in Ohio, including the IV-E Waiver, Kinship Navigator and Differential Response evaluations. She has been involved in coordinating numerous projects exploring issues in the field of child and family services and developmental disabilities, including alcohol and drug services, youth transition programs, family resource centers, early intervention programs, and performance and outcome measurement. She holds a Master's of Social Work from the University of Michigan, with a specialization in Administration and Evaluation.
Jennifer Negus
Policy Assistant
Ms. Negus is a Policy Assistant that works with HSRI's Developmental Disabilities team in Oregon. She supports multiple self-advocacy projects and works directly with self-advocates on a variety of day-to-day tasks including off-site coordination in multiple states, event planning, production of user-friendly materials for self-advocates, tracks project budgets and coordinates both the production of The Riot! e-newsletter and it’s National Conversation Series. She has worked for HSRI since 2002.
Linda Newton-Curtis
Research Associate
Ms. Newton-Curtis is a Research Associate at HSRI. She is currently involved in the evaluation of the Title IV-E Waiver Project in Ohio as well as an evaluation of Differential Response in Child Protective Services in six Ohio counties. Linda has been involved for several years in child welfare research and evaluation and has experience in both qualitative and quantitative methodology. She holds a Master’s degree in psychology from Portland State University.
Steven Noyes
Software Architect
Mr. Noyes manages the design, development, deployment and ongoing maintenance of web and database applications for numerous federal- and state-level projects including SAMHSA’s evaluation of the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant, National Core Indicators, the Minority Fellowship Program, and the Block Grant Cost-Efficiency Simulation Model. He is also responsible for data analysis and data processing tasks used in various statistical modeling and systems planning projects. Mr. Noyes joined HSRI in 2003 and worked previously as a senior programmer/analyst for the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership. He holds a Master's Degree in computer science from Boston University.
Alicia O'Brien
Logistics Coordinator
Mrs. O’Brien is the logistics coordinator for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Alicia’s background includes meeting and event planning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Villanova University.
Katherine Olson
Project Assistant
As a project assistant for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Ms. Olson provides administrative and analytic support for a wide range of projects and reports. Prior to joining HSRI, she was a working student at Boston University; as part of a research team in the School of Social Work, Ms. Olson helped investigate the effects of childhood maltreatment on substance abuse in adulthood. She has former experience in non-profit management and fundraising from her time spent at Room to Grow, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of babies born into poverty during the first three years of life. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston University as well as a minor in philosophy.
Laysha Ostrow
Policy Analyst
Ms. Ostrow is a mental health consumer in recovery and a family member of person with mental illness, which informs her involvement in research and evaluation and approaches to technical assistance. She was Project Coordinator at HSRI on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded research study that looked at consumer perceptions of mental health treatment, quality of treatment care processes, and cultural competency for diverse racial/ethnic groups. Ms. Ostrow is writing educational guides for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations’ Office of Consumer Affairs on person-centered planning in mental health treatment, and provides technical assistance to mental health consumer advocacy groups on peer-run services. Ms. Ostrow assists on mental health system redesign projects using HSRI’s system planning simulation model. She has a B.S. in Psychology from Lesley University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Elizabeth Pell
Policy Analyst
Ms. Pell has worked in the advocacy field on behalf of persons with mental and physical disabilities for over twenty years. At HSRI, she has coordinated evaluation projects such as the National Evaluation of the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program and worked on numerous quality improvement projects involving individuals and families with developmental disabilities. Prior to HSRI, Ms. Pell worked as a Legal Advocate for persons with developmental and psychiatric disabilities with the federal Protection and Advocacy systems in Alabama and Massachusetts, as Director of an Elder Abuse and Protection department in Massachusetts, and as Director of Social Services with a hospice agency in Oregon.
Deborah Peterson
Research Analyst
Ms. Peterson is a Research Analyst on the Data Analysis Consolidation and Coordination Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She started work as research assistant for New Haven City Plan after which she moved on to a twenty year career in developing and monitoring community mental health and substance abuse treatment services while earning an MBA in Health Care Administration from Boston University. Subsequently, she earned an M.Ed and taught Middle School for many year . Before coming to HSRI, she was an analyst on an NIH funded study to determine the effectiveness of a high school based social norms campaign.
Deborah Potter
Senior Research Specialist
Dr. Potter is responsible for directing HSRI’s Evaluation of SAMHSA’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence. She has thirty years of research experience (in evaluation, survey, and public health research) including recent senior positions on HSRI’s Evaluation of SAMHSA’s Minority Fellowship Program; Evaluation of the National Child Stress and Trauma Network; and various state evaluations in child mental health. She has a joint Ph.D. (Sociology and Social Policy) from Brandeis University where she was awarded a 3-year Fellowship from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Helena Qvicklund
Research Assistant
Ms. Qvicklund serves as the research assistant for the Services in Supportive Housing Program National Outcomes Evaluation project. She has previously worked in the fields of affordable housing and homelessness services research and training. She holds a Masters Degree in Community Development and Planning from Clark University and a Bachelors Degree in Public and Community Service from Providence College.
Sandra Richman
Research Analyst
Ms. Richman divides her time between the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) project and the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) cross-site evaluation for SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to joining HSRI, Ms. Richman worked in survey research at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Smith College and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lesley University.
Luz Rivera
Director
Ms. Rivera is Director of Juntos Podemos/Together We Can Family Center based in Salem, Oregon. As the Director of this family center, Ms. Rivera is responsible for the administrative management of this social service initiative serving families who have children with developmental disabilities. She has a strong commitment to strengthen families, empowering self-advocates and community collaboration. Ms. Rivera has extensive experience in non-profit management, public-speaking and facilitation, cultural competency/diversity and is a licensed psychotherapist.
Kevin Rogers
Research Associate/Application Developer
Mr. Rogers is a senior member of the Data Analysis Team for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). He develops, maintains and provides training for a variety of applications to support the team’s analytic and reporting needs. He is also the technical liaison to CSAP’s Data Information Technology Infrastructure Contract. Mr. Rogers previously worked for the Channing Bete Company developing analytic and report production software to support the company’s Communities That Care Youth Survey and other prevention science-related initiatives.
June Elizabeth Rowe
Senior Project Director
Since coming to the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) in 2001 Ms. Rowe has provided technical assistance and training in over 30 states and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the development of quality management and improvement systems that meet state and federal requirements for home and community based waiver services. As well she has provided assistance and training in such related areas as risk assessment, planning and management and incident reporting and investigation systems. She has worked extensively with states to develop monitoring instruments and review protocols (e.g., sampling, interview and record review guides), designed and conducted inter-rater reliability studies and provided training to state survey staff. Ms. Rowe received her C.A.G.S in Rehabilitation Counseling from Northeastern University.
Cheryl Sartori
Assistant Project Manager
Ms. Sartori works with the HSRI Developmental Disabilities team on a variety of projects, including the National Quality Enterprise (NQE) project, National Core Indicators (NCI), the Florida DD Council Organizational Functional Analysis, and the Georgia Delmarva projects. Ms. Sartori is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services at Northeastern University and is expected to complete her degree in June 2011.
Anna Schlissel
Project Assistant
Ms. Schlissel assists with project management for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to joining HSRI, she worked as an executive assistant at Stand for Children. Ms. Schlissel holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Goucher College.
Pat Shelton
Office Manager - HSRI West
Ms. Shelton has been managing the Oregon (Tualatin and Salem) offices since 2001. She handles all the day to day operations for these offices; including HR, Network Administration and Bookkeeping. Her background includes various Inventory, Customer Service and Office Management positions, as well as experience in HR and various staff training programs.
Drew Smith
Policy Analyst
Mr. Smith works on several projects related to developing person-centered funding strategies, assessing the impacts of service changes and reductions, and supporting self-advocacy. While at HSRI, Mr. Smith has worked on resource allocation projects in Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Rhode Island, North Dakota and Virginia, as well as strategic planning projects in Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois and North Carolina. Mr. Smith currently also works with the University of Minnesota on the Residential Information Systems Project (RISP). He is a graduate of Portland State University in Business Administration.
Amy Stuczynski
Research Associate
As part of the Child and Family Services Team at HSRI, Ms. Stuczynski is currently conducting program reviews of the 20 Independent Living Programs in Oregon aimed at assisting youth in foster care as they transition to adulthood. She has analyzed qualitative data and measured outcomes in the child welfare evaluation of Ohio’s Title IV-E Waiver since 2005. Prior to that she worked at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory where she conducted evaluation research and provided technical assistance to K-12 schools for six years. Her publications include Challenges in Measuring the Fidelity of a Child Welfare Service Intervention (December 2010, Journal of Public Child Welfare), Culturally Responsive, Standards Based Teaching: Classroom to Community and Back (2010, Corwin Press), and Tapestry of Tales: Stories of Self, Family and Community Provide Rich Fabric for Learning (2005, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory). She completed her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Sarah Taub
Senior Policy Specialist
Ms. Taub currently oversees HSRI’s work on the National Core Indicators (NCI) Program, an effort to measure indicators and benchmarks of performance across state developmental disabilities service systems, and is the lead for the California Quality Assessment Services project. She also provides technical assistance to states in the areas of quality assurance and improvement strategies and has worked with the SAGE Resources team on the development of individual resource allocation methods. Prior to joining HSRI, she worked for the NWW Committee for Community Living providing direct support to adults with intellectual disabilities. She holds a Master’s Degree in Management of Human Services from the Heller School at Brandeis University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Cornell University.
Lilia Teninty
Senior Policy Specialist
Ms. Teninty's work focuses on a variety of HSRI priorities including system re-design, resource allocation, self-directed services, family support, and quality improvement. She works with others at HSRI to generate policy solutions to promote community integration and self-direction. Ms. Teninty served for four years as the Director of the Illinois Division of Developmental Disabilities within the Department of Human Services. In that position she was responsible for all aspects of the state service delivery system that served 30,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities and had an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Most notably, she managed to make progress in Illinois to promote community centered responses to the needs of people with developmental disabilities, even in times of significant budget stress. Previously, she served as the Chief of Staff for the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, and has held a number of other management positions requiring expertise pertaining to state systems and Medicaid financing. Ms. Teninty earned a Masters in Public Affairs from Indiana University in Bloomington in 2000.
Lee Vorderer
Senior Project Director
Ms. Vorderer is primarily responsible for the Route to Success project, a systems change model that assists Developmental Disabilities Councils and other funders in thinking more systemically about their impact on supports and services. She is involved in a number of other evaluation projects, and has taught in special education and at the undergraduate and graduate levels for more than 40 years. She has a Master's Degree in Education from Vanderbilt University.
Cailin Wheeler
Research Assistant
Ms. Wheeler is a Research Assistant for the Child and Family Services Team at HSRI. She is currently working on the Evaluation of Ohio’s Title IV-E Waiver project. Cailin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon and worked previously as a Research Assistant studying brain plasticity in young children at the Brain Development Lab at the University of Oregon.
Dow Wieman
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Wieman currently serves as a Research Associate at HSRI, where he has worked on a variety of projects related to quality measurement and improvement in mental health care and evaluation of managed mental health care. He also serves as Research Coordinator at the Cambridge Hospital Department of Psychiatry in Cambridge, MA.
Yue Maggie Yuan
Senior Research Analyst
Dr. Yuan is a senior research analyst for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Prior to joining HSRI, she worked as a research assistant at Harvard University on a longitudinal, mixed-methods study – funded by the National Science Foundation – examining poverty, parenting, and immigration and their impacts on child outcomes among immigrant and low-income families. She also worked as a school-based therapist at a middle school with Arbour Counseling. She holds a doctorate (Ed.D.) and a master’s (Ed.M.) in human development and psychology, and a certificate of advanced study (C.A.S.) in risk and prevention/counseling (now, prevention science and practice) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She received a bachelor’s degree with distinction in psychology from Cornell University.