Jennifer Gordon is a social science research professional with more than 25 years of experience leading the design, management, and implementation of applied research, program evaluation, and public policy projects. In addition to her research responsibilities, Ms. Gordon manages ARPE’s business operations including strategic planning, business development, budgeting, and staffing.

Ms. Gordon’s research has a strong focus on education reform and improvement initiatives including work at the local, state, and regional levels. Her areas of expertise include logic modeling, research design, and project management. She has extensive experience integrating quantitative and qualitative data including student assessments, activity logs, surveys, and interviews. Ms. Gordon has authored numerous reports presenting research results and surfacing key findings to support her clients’ program development efforts and help them demonstrate the impact of their work.

Ms. Gordon has an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned a master’s degree in public policy with a concentration in quantitative methods and program evaluation from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Jordan Abbott has more than two decades of combined experience as a K-12 practitioner and a researcher in K-12 and higher education settings. Employing qualitative and mixed methods approaches, Dr. Abbott’s research has examined secondary special education service delivery, college-focused transition services for students with learning disabilities, and the transition and in-college experiences of students, particularly those from underrepresented groups. Her research is informed by more than a decade working as a special educator in Massachusetts public schools. Since joining the institute in 2022, Dr. Abbott has contributed to the evaluation of several state-level initiatives and programs supported by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Department of Higher Education.

Dr. Abbott earned a PhD in special education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has a master’s in education and counseling from Springfield College and a bachelor of arts in literature from Yale University.

Logan Adams is a seasoned accounting professional with a wealth of experience navigating complex financial landscapes. With a certification in accounting and over 15 years of experience in the field, Logan demonstrates adeptness in strategic financial planning. Before joining the institute, Logan spearheaded operations at a North Carolina-based accounting firm catering to small businesses, showcasing a commitment to fostering financial health at every level.

Sophia Baxendale has supported human services and public health projects with ARPE since 2022. Her evaluation work includes projects related to newcomer supports and education, housing security, and programs to support a positive future for youth. Ms. Baxendale’s work is informed by her desire to bring a lens of equity and inclusion to her interactions and deliverables. She seeks to make data collection, interpretation, and presentation more transparent and accessible to multiple audiences. Ms. Baxendale’s previous academic research experience spanned emotional, behavioral, biological, and survey self-reported data collection and quantitative analysis of children aged 3 to 8 and college students. Her prior professional experience includes working on issues ranging from access to sexual education to climate justice concerning farmers in Massachusetts. 

Ms. Baxendale received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in literary criticism and analysis from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Jill Capitani has more than 20 years of experience providing program evaluation services, strategic planning, and technical assistance to clients in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.  Throughout her career, Ms. Capitani has worked across a broad range of subject areas includin gpublic health, human services, youth development, education, and violence prevention. Her current portfolio includes work with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on their first extensive study supporting Massachusetts students and their families experiencing homelessness. In addition, Ms. Capitani serves as an evaluator for multiple Determination of Need, Community Health Initiatives with Newton Wellesley Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital focused on advancing health equity for children, youth, and families in metro south west communities. Prior to joining the Institute, Ms. Capitani worked for both Caliber Associates (now part of ICF Consulting) and the Urban Institute in Washington, DC.

She has an undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University. 

Christina Citino has more than 30 years of experience providing program development, needs assessment, and program evaluation services to state agencies, hospitals and health systems, and community-based organizations. Her professional experience includes work in mental and behavioral health, housing and homelessness, economic mobility, food security, community violence, and primary prevention focused on high-risk behaviors. Ms. Citino also has a deep understanding of the unique needs facing the human services workforce, having authored seven reports on the Massachusetts human services industry and its workforce since 2006. Findings from her human services workforce reports have been used to increase awareness of the social and economic impact of the human services industry, advocate for pay equity, and develop strategies to improve workforce recruitment and retention.
 
Throughout her career, she has provided training and technical assistance related to the development of logic models and outcomes measurement systems and has supported numerous agencies in the implementation of systems to document program outcomes. Ms. Citino’s experience with community-level process and outcome evaluations in the health and human services field is extensive and includes numerous projects focused on eliminating health inequities. Since 2016, Ms. Citino has been involved in seven Determination of Need Community Health Initiatives, including three initiatives with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, three initiatives with Newton Wellesley Hospital, and is currently leading work with Boston Children’s Hospital on their Metro South West Community Health Initiative.

Ms. Citino has a bachelor’s in sociology from Temple University.

Christina DeMalia has experience in both qualitative and quantitative research methods and data analysis. Her previous research focused on juvenile recidivism and the implementation of risk-assessment for youths using evidence-based practices. Prior to joining the institute, she worked in the mental and behavioral health care field serving at-risk youths for Youth Opportunities Upheld Inc. She has also completed clinical counseling internships in community healthcare and college settings.

Ms. DeMalia earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Nichols College. She has a master’s degree in clinical counseling psychology from Assumption University with a concentration in cognitive-behavioral therapy from the Aaron T. Beck Institute for Cognitive Studies.

Felicia Dennis has a quantitative, mixed-methods research and program evaluation background. Her work has focused on minority students in both K-12 and higher education settings. Specifically, Dr. Dennis has examined factors impacting K-12 immigrant students' science achievement in large-scale assessments, minority students and the achievement gap, and in-state college tuition policy for undocumented students. Prior to joining the institute, Dr. Dennis worked as a database researcher in the Research, Evaluation and Accountability department for Broward County Public Schools.

Dr. Dennis earned her Ph.D. in educational research and program evaluation at Nova Southeastern University. She received her master's in business administration with a concentration in human resources management from American InterContinental University.

Lacey Gillis is committed to advancing public health initiatives and fostering inclusive practices through her fluency in Spanish. Her recent background involved conducting clinical research at Massachusetts General Hospital, specifically within the emergency department. This experience, coupled with her diverse healthcare engagements, has underscored the importance of preventative measures in bolstering community health and vitality. Throughout her academic journey, she was actively involved in research, first as an undergraduate research associate and later as a lab manager. Her research focus centered on investigating sex differences in aging and women's health, highlighting her dedication to understanding and addressing complex health disparities.

Lacey holds dual undergraduate degrees in public health and psychology (neuroscience track) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Caroline Gurek is driven by her interests in public health and policy, as well as community engagement and empowerment. She brings valuable experience from her role at Broadsight, a women-owned consulting firm based in Amherst. Her professional journey has seen her evaluating programs across various sectors, including education, higher education, public health, and the arts, showcasing her versatility and commitment to social impact.

Caroline earned her undergraduate degree in International and Global Studies from Sewanee: The University of the South. Her studies were focused on European and African economic and political landscapes, as well as proficiency in French.

Jeremiah Johnson has more than 10 years of experience evaluating K–12 and post-secondary programs and policies. He has managed large-scale, state-level, and multi-state evaluations of educational assessments and interventions that encompass hundreds of public schools and districts. A focus of his work has been assessing the efficacy of educational interventions designed to improve the STEM pipeline, with a particular emphasis on programs that serve populations that have been traditionally underrepresented in STEM. More recently, his work has focused on college and career readiness, and dropout prevention and recovery. Dr. Johnson has served as the lead quantitative researcher for a number of projects, and has implemented a broad array of analytic techniques including experimental and quasi-experimental design, propensity score weighting, hierarchical linear modeling, comparative interrupted time series analysis, and regression discontinuity analysis.

Dr. Johnson has a strong background in public education, program evaluation, and statistics. He was integrally involved in the development and field testing of the Values Engaged, Educative Evaluation Approach to STEM program evaluation—an effort funded by the National Science Foundation in which he contributed to five refereed journal articles or conference presentations. Dr. Johnson also managed a team of researchers that developed and field tested the “accessible block alternative” for the National Assessment of Educational Progress grade 4 and grade 8 mathematics assessments—an effort funded by the National Center for Educational Statistics and supported by the American Institutes for Research. More recently, Dr. Johnson’s work has focused on the evaluation of state-level initiatives supported by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Higher Education. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Johnson worked as a research associate at the University of Illinois I-STEM Center. 

Dr. Johnson earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Whitworth University. He earned his master’s degree and doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Illinois, specializing in evaluation and statistics.

Ms. Osorio Herrera's previous academic experience in quantitative research methods and data analysis and her passion for education issues motivated her to pursue a professional career as a researcher. Currently, Ms. Osorio Herrera supports education and human services programs.

Ms. Osorio Herrera has a bachelor's degree in quantitative economics from Smith College.

Aliza Porth, M.P.H. is a Research Manager with nearly 20 years of experience providing program evaluation and grant management services. Throughout her career, Ms. Porth has worked across a variety of public health, human service, and education sectors including the areas of substance use prevention, housing, mental and behavioral health, youth development, student education retention, economic mobility, violence prevention, and workforce development. Her current portfolio includes work with World Education Services, evaluating one of their initiatives that supports immigrant and refugee workforce inclusion in communities across the U.S. In addition, she leads evaluation projects focused on housing and economic mobility, the retention of underrepresented students in STEM, and leadership and community engagement opportunities for justice-involved youth and adults.

Prior to joining the Institute, Ms. Porth worked for the Town of Enfield, Connecticut where she managed several public health prevention grants. She has an undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and a master’s in public health degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Anthony Rainey is a quantitative sociologist specializing in the areas of workplaces, organizations, and labor market institutions. He has published research related to workplace bullying and rising between-workplace income inequalities in academic journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Work & Occupations, and Research in Social Stratification and Mobility. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Rainey was a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School, working on a project related to shift-work scheduling practices in the American retail industry.

Dr. Rainey received his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He received his bachelor's of science from Sam Houston State University.

Jackie Stein has over 10 years of experience conducting and managing mixed-methods research related to education, sociology, and public health—often with a focus on social and economic disparities. Her research and evaluation work has included inquiries into public opinion about economic inequality, access to STEM education in K-12 and post-secondary settings, diversification efforts for educational leadership, community food access, and workplace inequities related to time and scheduling. 

Dr. Stein earned a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She received her master’s in public health from the University of California Berkeley and her bachelor of arts in biology from Williams College.

Hanni has over ten years of experience in the higher education sector, with a strong background in qualitative research methodologies. Her previous publications have included research on international education, internationalization, and more recently inclusive education and the experiences of students and faculty with disabilities. Prior to joining ARPE, Hanni supported numerous local, state, and international education-based grants serving all ages from early childhood through post-secondary. She is a former Fulbright grantee and has previously taught at the high school and college levels in France and Hungary.

Hanni is a doctoral candidate in higher education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She received her master’s in bilingual/ESL/multicultural education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College.

Ms. Young is experienced in the mixed-method evaluation of public health and human services initiatives. With a commitment to fostering equity and addressing the social determinants of health, she partners with community-based organizations to gather process and outcome data to meet reporting requirements and ensure program impact. Sarah has worked extensively with community- and hospital-based programs running prevention and intervention programming and providing mental health services and has contributed to work highlighting the critical needs of the human services workforce. She also has experience in evaluating educational initiatives. 

Ms. Young is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in applied psychology and prevention science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She received a master's in applied psychology with a concentration in community psychology from Sacred Heart University. She also received a bachelor's in psychology and literatures in English from Connecticut College.

Ivana Zuliani, M.A. is a Research Manager with nearly 25 years of experience providing program evaluation services in the field of K-12 education. Ms. Zuliani has extensive experience managing and conducting evaluation projects using a mixed-methods approach. Her portfolio consists of evaluations of community-based initiatives as well as state-level, regional, and national education programs. The areas of focus are wide-ranging and include school and district-level reform programs, professional development initiatives, personalized learning environments for students, adolescent literacy, as well as STEM education in K-12 and post-secondary settings. Currently, she is working on the evaluation of the Department of Higher Education’s STEM Starter Academy and the Office of Head Start’s National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations. Prior to joining the institute, Ms. Zuliani served as a senior research associate with The Education Alliance at Brown University. 

She received her M.A. in Sociology from Brown University and also holds a graduate diploma in Institutional Administration from Concordia University, where she received her bachelor's of arts.