AP-NORC Center Experts

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Ariel Kalil

Professor, Co-Director Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
Phone: (773) 834-2090

Ariel Kalil is a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. At Harris, she directs the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy and co-directs the Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab. She also holds an appointment as an adjunct professor in the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen, Norway. She is a developmental psychologist who studies economic conditions, parenting, and child development. Her current research examines the historical evolution of income-based gaps in parenting behavior and children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills. In addition, at the Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab, she is leading a variety of field experiments designed to strengthen parental engagement and child development in low-income families using tools drawn from behavioral economics and neuroscience.

Kalil received her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan. Before joining the Harris faculty in 1999, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan’s National Poverty Center. Kalil has received the William T. Grant Foundation Faculty Scholars Award, the Changing Faces of America’s Children Young Scholars Award from the Foundation for Child Development, the National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, and in 2003 she was the first-ever recipient of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Award for Early Research Contributions. Her work has been funded by NIH, NSF, and by a number of private foundations.

Ariel Kalil

Professor, Co-Director Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
(773) 834-2090

Ariel Kalil is a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. At Harris, she directs the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy and co-directs the Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab. She also holds an appointment as an adjunct professor in the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen, Norway. She is a developmental psychologist who studies economic conditions, parenting, and child development. Her current research examines the historical evolution of income-based gaps in parenting behavior and children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills. In addition, at the Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab, she is leading a variety of field experiments designed to strengthen parental engagement and child development in low-income families using tools drawn from behavioral economics and neuroscience.

Kalil received her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan. Before joining the Harris faculty in 1999, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan’s National Poverty Center. Kalil has received the William T. Grant Foundation Faculty Scholars Award, the Changing Faces of America’s Children Young Scholars Award from the Foundation for Child Development, the National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, and in 2003 she was the first-ever recipient of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Award for Early Research Contributions. Her work has been funded by NIH, NSF, and by a number of private foundations.

Amelia Burke-Garcia

Director of Digital Strategy and Outreach
Public Health
Phone: (301) 634-5437

Amelia Burke-Garcia is NORC’s program area director of digital strategy and outreach in the Public Health Department. Burke-Garcia is a seasoned communications professional with more than 15 years of experience in digital, social, and mobile media, with specific expertise in developing and evaluating digital health communications campaigns.

Burke-Garcia builds and implements strategy for NORC to strengthen the use of digital media to influence behavior. In this role, Burke-Garcia develops NORC’s capabilities in new digital and mobile data collection methodologies and communication solutions to enhance the offerings NORC provides to its clients.

Prior to NORC, Burke-Garcia was the senior director of digital media at Westat, as well as the director of Westat’s Center for Digital Strategy and Research. At Westat, Amelia directed the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities communication contract, where her work focused on communications strategy, developing an integrated communications evaluation framework, while also building an online influencer program. She also acted as research director for a social media and breast cancer grant funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and as campaign director for CDC’s National Influenza Vaccination Campaign.

Burke-Garcia is actively involved in the Society for Health Communication’s where she holds two co-chair positions surrounding innovations in research and social media. She is also a member of the American College of Preventative Medicine’s social media committee as well as an editorial board member of Social Marketing Quarterly. She is on the board of ShiftCon, a health and wellness online influencer network, and she was recently named to VeryWellHealth.com’s list of 10 Modern Female Innovators Shaking Up Health Care. Her book, Influencing Health: A Comprehensive Guide to Working with Online Influencers, will be published by Routledge on July 18, 2019.

Amelia Burke-Garcia

Director of Digital Strategy and Outreach
Public Health
(301) 634-5437

Amelia Burke-Garcia is NORC’s program area director of digital strategy and outreach in the Public Health Department. Burke-Garcia is a seasoned communications professional with more than 15 years of experience in digital, social, and mobile media, with specific expertise in developing and evaluating digital health communications campaigns.

Burke-Garcia builds and implements strategy for NORC to strengthen the use of digital media to influence behavior. In this role, Burke-Garcia develops NORC’s capabilities in new digital and mobile data collection methodologies and communication solutions to enhance the offerings NORC provides to its clients.

Prior to NORC, Burke-Garcia was the senior director of digital media at Westat, as well as the director of Westat’s Center for Digital Strategy and Research. At Westat, Amelia directed the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities communication contract, where her work focused on communications strategy, developing an integrated communications evaluation framework, while also building an online influencer program. She also acted as research director for a social media and breast cancer grant funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and as campaign director for CDC’s National Influenza Vaccination Campaign.

Burke-Garcia is actively involved in the Society for Health Communication’s where she holds two co-chair positions surrounding innovations in research and social media. She is also a member of the American College of Preventative Medicine’s social media committee as well as an editorial board member of Social Marketing Quarterly. She is on the board of ShiftCon, a health and wellness online influencer network, and she was recently named to VeryWellHealth.com’s list of 10 Modern Female Innovators Shaking Up Health Care. Her book, Influencing Health: A Comprehensive Guide to Working with Online Influencers, will be published by Routledge on July 18, 2019.

John Roman

Senior Fellow
Economics, Justice, and Society
Phone: 202-695-0518

John K. Roman, Ph.D. is a senior fellow in the Economics, Justice and Society Group at NORC at the University of Chicago. Roman’s research focuses on evaluations of innovative crime control policies and justice programs. His research focuses on the economics of crime in juvenile and adult justice systems focusing on prisoner reentry, diversion and alternative sentencing. Roman also investigates justice system interactions with substance abuse, adolescent development, workforce development, and education. Roman’s work also includes studies on cost-benefit methodology and public private partnerships.

Roman has conducted research on behalf of numerous federal agencies, including the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, as well as research on behalf of state and local governments and foundations, including the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Using both experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, he has investigated drug courts and other specialized courts, prisoner reentry, substance abuse policy, capital punishment, wrongful conviction, forensics, impact investing, and bullying.

Roman is the coeditor of two books, Cost-Benefit Analysis and Crime Control and Juvenile Drug Courts and Teen Substance Abuse, and the author of dozens of scholarly articles and book chapters. He is also a regular contributor to CityLab and the Huffington Post. Dr. Roman is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and an affiliated professor at Georgetown University and has lectured and testified widely.

Roman is a Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Experimental Criminology and Drug Court Review. He has received awards for excellence in research from the National Institute of Justice, the Division of Experimental Criminology at the American Society of Criminology, and the Urban Institute.

John Roman

Senior Fellow
Economics, Justice, and Society
202-695-0518

John K. Roman, Ph.D. is a senior fellow in the Economics, Justice and Society Group at NORC at the University of Chicago. Roman’s research focuses on evaluations of innovative crime control policies and justice programs. His research focuses on the economics of crime in juvenile and adult justice systems focusing on prisoner reentry, diversion and alternative sentencing. Roman also investigates justice system interactions with substance abuse, adolescent development, workforce development, and education. Roman’s work also includes studies on cost-benefit methodology and public private partnerships.

Roman has conducted research on behalf of numerous federal agencies, including the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, as well as research on behalf of state and local governments and foundations, including the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Using both experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, he has investigated drug courts and other specialized courts, prisoner reentry, substance abuse policy, capital punishment, wrongful conviction, forensics, impact investing, and bullying.

Roman is the coeditor of two books, Cost-Benefit Analysis and Crime Control and Juvenile Drug Courts and Teen Substance Abuse, and the author of dozens of scholarly articles and book chapters. He is also a regular contributor to CityLab and the Huffington Post. Dr. Roman is a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and an affiliated professor at Georgetown University and has lectured and testified widely.

Roman is a Fellow of the Academy of Experimental Criminology, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Experimental Criminology and Drug Court Review. He has received awards for excellence in research from the National Institute of Justice, the Division of Experimental Criminology at the American Society of Criminology, and the Urban Institute.

Trevor Tompson

Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Media Research
Phone: (773) 256-6338

Trevor Tompson is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Media Research. He is also the Director of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Tompson is a political and social researcher with a specialization in research for public release. He has conducted hundreds of surveys on a wide range of topics, including politics and elections, racial attitudes, health care policy, technology, and sports and entertainment. He has conducted research in dozens of countries including the United States, the E.U., and countries such as Cuba, Russia, and Vietnam.

Tompson was one of the founders of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, a partnership of AP and NORC that aims to combine the best of journalism and social science research to bring insights about important issues to policymakers and the public. He was also instrumental in creating the Media Insight Project, a partnership of AP, NORC, and the American Press Institute to better understand how people consume news. Trevor led the team at NORC that developed AP VoteCast, the next generation election survey data product developed as an alternative to the legacy U.S. media exit poll.

Prior to joining NORC, Tompson was global director of polling for AP, the world’s largest independent news agency, where he also served as polling editor and a senior analyst for political and elections coverage. He has also held positions with several other research companies and universities.

Tompson graduated with a degree in political science from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and he received graduate level training in survey methodology, political science and political psychology at Northwestern University and The Ohio State University. Tompson’s work has been published in leading academic journals including Public Opinion Quarterly and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. His surveys have also been covered by media around the globe, including on every major national television newscast in the United States and on the front pages of hundreds of newspapers.

Tompson is a past member of the executive council of the World Association for Public Opinion Research and has held several other offices in professional organizations, including as a member of the professional standards committee of AAPOR.

Trevor Tompson

Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Media Research
(773) 256-6338

Trevor Tompson is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Media Research. He is also the Director of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Tompson is a political and social researcher with a specialization in research for public release. He has conducted hundreds of surveys on a wide range of topics, including politics and elections, racial attitudes, health care policy, technology, and sports and entertainment. He has conducted research in dozens of countries including the United States, the E.U., and countries such as Cuba, Russia, and Vietnam.

Tompson was one of the founders of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, a partnership of AP and NORC that aims to combine the best of journalism and social science research to bring insights about important issues to policymakers and the public. He was also instrumental in creating the Media Insight Project, a partnership of AP, NORC, and the American Press Institute to better understand how people consume news. Trevor led the team at NORC that developed AP VoteCast, the next generation election survey data product developed as an alternative to the legacy U.S. media exit poll.

Prior to joining NORC, Tompson was global director of polling for AP, the world’s largest independent news agency, where he also served as polling editor and a senior analyst for political and elections coverage. He has also held positions with several other research companies and universities.

Tompson graduated with a degree in political science from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and he received graduate level training in survey methodology, political science and political psychology at Northwestern University and The Ohio State University. Tompson’s work has been published in leading academic journals including Public Opinion Quarterly and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. His surveys have also been covered by media around the globe, including on every major national television newscast in the United States and on the front pages of hundreds of newspapers.

Tompson is a past member of the executive council of the World Association for Public Opinion Research and has held several other offices in professional organizations, including as a member of the professional standards committee of AAPOR.

Jennifer Benz

Deputy Director
Public Affairs and Media Research
Phone: (617) 316-3702

Jennifer Benz is a Principal Research Scientist and Deputy Director of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Benz is a political scientist whose research focuses on the connection between public policy and citizen engagement. Benz’s research includes numerous studies measuring awareness, understanding, and perceptions of public policy issues among the general public and targeted constituencies. She has a successful track record of distilling and packaging complex research for different audiences including journalists, policy makers, and the mass public.

Benz has managed and conducted survey research on a variety of topics including the public’s priorities and attitudes toward government, race and ethnicity, public health and health care, economic issues, news and media, international relations and defense, and environmental and energy policy. With training and experience in political science, social psychology, and public health, Benz’s research uses an interdisciplinary approach in both theory and method, and much of her research complements survey research with qualitative and experimental methods. Benz has also published research on the relationships between interest organizations, PACs, and public policy, with a particular focus on state-level politics and policy. Prior to joining the AP-NORC Center, Benz worked as a Research Scientist for NORC’s Public Health research department where her project work focuses on issues in health disparities, access to primary care, and the dissemination and evaluation of comparative effectiveness research (CER).

Her research has been published by Georgetown University Press, Health Affairs, State Politics and Policy, Publius, and the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, among others.

Jennifer Benz

Deputy Director
Public Affairs and Media Research
(617) 316-3702

Jennifer Benz is a Principal Research Scientist and Deputy Director of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Benz is a political scientist whose research focuses on the connection between public policy and citizen engagement. Benz’s research includes numerous studies measuring awareness, understanding, and perceptions of public policy issues among the general public and targeted constituencies. She has a successful track record of distilling and packaging complex research for different audiences including journalists, policy makers, and the mass public.

Benz has managed and conducted survey research on a variety of topics including the public’s priorities and attitudes toward government, race and ethnicity, public health and health care, economic issues, news and media, international relations and defense, and environmental and energy policy. With training and experience in political science, social psychology, and public health, Benz’s research uses an interdisciplinary approach in both theory and method, and much of her research complements survey research with qualitative and experimental methods. Benz has also published research on the relationships between interest organizations, PACs, and public policy, with a particular focus on state-level politics and policy. Prior to joining the AP-NORC Center, Benz worked as a Research Scientist for NORC’s Public Health research department where her project work focuses on issues in health disparities, access to primary care, and the dissemination and evaluation of comparative effectiveness research (CER).

Her research has been published by Georgetown University Press, Health Affairs, State Politics and Policy, Publius, and the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, among others.