AP-NORC Center Experts

Don, an American Statistical Association fellow, has expertise in statistical and data science methods. Don has over 25 years of experience managing and directing large-scale national federal statistical projects and methodological research associated with federal statistics programs. Don leads a group of statisticians and data scientists with expertise in design and analytic techniques necessary for social science research. He helped his team establish roles in complex sample designs, experimental and observational study designs, data collection and processing, and statistical inference. In the wake of big data and data analytics, he led his group to augment their roles by expanding modern capabilities in data analytics, advanced statistical computing, Bayesian modeling, data mining, and machine learning. As research embraces more timely and cost-efficient data to include newer research methodologies, such as data analytics and rapid-cycle evaluation, so have the services and resources offered by the Data Science group he leads. His vision to bring data scientific and statistical values to evidence-based social science research and informed decision-making has continued to be realized under his leadership. Through seamless integration with NORC’s research team, our Data Science group can implement high-level, high-quality methodologies, providing a strong statistical framework for every research project.

Don’s longtime commitment to supporting the National Science Foundation’s NCSES programs dates back to his tenure at Mathematica. Don has led all statistical tasks for the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT) project since 1996. The SESTAT database integrates data collected through three national sample surveys supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF): the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), the Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR), and the National Survey of Recent College Graduates (NSRCG). For that project, Don has led all activities needed for statistical support of the SESTAT system, including linking multiple survey data; optimum sample allocation to meet several statistical precision goals; dynamic, streamlined, real-time data processing for data editing, imputation, and model-based weighting production for large scale data collection, developing SESTAT variance estimation methodologies, constructing longitudinal weights for longitudinal data analysis, and providing general statistical consultations to NSF and data collection contractors.

Don led the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)’s data innovation projects to help create new data products that fill crucial data gaps and inform health care policy and research to address the nation’s emerging health issues. Data products include Synthetic Healthcare Database for Research (SyH-DR), Social Determinants of Health Research Database (SDOH-RD), and Physician and Physician Research Database (3P-RD).

Don is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute, and the current Chair of the Survey Research Methods Section of the American Statistical Association for the 2024 term. He served on the ASA board of directors from 2018 to 2020. He also served as President of the Korean International Statistical Society from 2019 to 2020. He was a board member of Hope Nicaragua from 2007 to 2018.

Jennifer is an evaluation methodologist who leads teams to produce actionable results that inform decision-making. As the senior vice president of the Education & Child Development department at NORC, Jennifer has dedicated over 30 years to enhancing the social, academic, and economic outcomes of students through rigorous research and innovative methodologies.

Jennifer collaborates closely with policymakers, practitioners, and other education stakeholders to ensure that research addresses their needs, ultimately contributing to a more efficient education system. Her deep knowledge and methodological skills ensure that projects are conducted with the highest degree of rigor, leading to more effective and streamlined educational practices.

As a principal investigator, Jennifer oversees a variety of research studies from kindergarten to post-secondary education. She is leading a project for the Gates Foundation to create a research and development ecosystem that helps educators access high-quality instructional materials, thereby improving academic outcomes. Additionally, Jennifer is evaluating civics curricula to assess their impact on high school students’ civic learning and engagement, which is crucial for developing an informed and active citizenry.

Jennifer’s work emphasizes the role of education in workforce development and its economic outcomes. By improving educational practices and outcomes, her research supports the preparation of students for successful careers, contributing to a stronger economy. Before joining NORC, Jennifer was a senior scientist at Westat, where she enhanced the rigor and validity of numerous education studies. She remains driven by her desire to make a positive impact in education through research, collaboration, and a focus on efficiency and economic development.

While Karen’s primary research career has focused on managing complex, large-scale survey projects, she has great passion and strong expertise in survey methodology and continuous project improvement.

Since joining NORC in 1993, Karen has gained extensive experience through her work, which spans the length of NORC’s extensive library of social science surveys. She currently works as the Project Director for the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Doctorate Recipients and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation funded Entrepreneurship in the Population (EPOP) Survey Project. She maintains project oversight responsibilities for NORC’s broad portfolio of higher education related projects including the Hillel Campus Climate Initiative Project, the suite of College Point Advising evaluation collections, and the Association of American Law Schools research initiatives. As a project leader of major enterprise projects, Karen is responsible for all aspects of management, including for all facets of the project, including client management communication, project team leadership, obtaining IRB and Office of Management and Budget clearance, sample design, controlled experiment designs methodological plans, system architecture, data collection oversight, data products and deliverables such as final reports, and external data users’ requests.

Karen regularly authors multiple presentations and reports and she frequently produces or co-writes other publications in support of her projects. In the past, Karen co-authored a guideline for the U.S. Department of Education, How to Solicit Rigorous Evaluations of Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) Projects: A User-Friendly Guide for MSP State Coordinators (2005). Earlier in her career with NORC, Karen was the Director of the Data Preparation Center. This experience has given her a thorough understanding of the most effective data collection and quality assurance methodologies, which are seamlessly incorporated into her current project protocols.

Karen received her undergraduate degree and a secondary teaching certificate from the University of Michigan while working at the Institute for Social Research. Since that time, she earned a Master of Project Management.