Alan joined Kardia Group in 2024 as a Senior Program Director. Alan helps lead the Game Changer Academies program, overseeing a team of 22 expert facilitators (Discussion Leaders) and directing the program’s research, data, and evaluation efforts. With a strong background in mixed methods research and program evaluation, Alan is dedicated to using evidence-based insights to inform strategic decision-making. His work emphasizes thoughtful analysis and the translation of complex data into actionable outcomes that advance Kardia Group’s mission.

I spearheaded end-to-end management of market-sizing, competitive intelligence, and customer satisfaction surveys to support informed marketing, product, and sales decision-making. I built quantitative research capabilities for market analysis and competitive assessment by reconstructing the research team and driving the company’s commitment to research and development.I reviewed customer and user behavior by developing and implementing generative and evaluative research projects. I compiled datasets, translated results into understandable terms, and delivered metrics-driven research reports using PowerPoint, Power BI, and Tableau.I organized comprehensive training sessions to educate data scientists and two qualitative researchers on steering the annual mixed methods study for Q3 marketing campaigns.Highlights of accomplishment in this role included: ➙Promoted to Senior after receiving positive feedback and recognition by executive leadership for optimizing the connection between research and business strategy, highlighting the value of research, and influencing marketing campaigns, sales strategies, and go-to-market plans.

In this role, I supported the C-GCA faculty development program as a Moderator and Program Analyst, helping to secure an additional three years of NSF funding. I headed series of focus groups and evaluations and contributed to two rounds of evaluations, including administering surveys and facilitating focus groups. I led focus groups and semi-structured interviews with program participants to evaluate learning modules and program deliverables. I communicated complex findings from social science literature and delivered recommendations to program participants and leadership.Highlights of accomplishment in this role include:➙I provided hands-on leadership to Kardia Group and NSF staff to guide strategic approach and deliver program content related to improving grant review process with a focus on identifying and funding high-risk/high-reward proposals in Engineering.

As a Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice & Sociology, I instructed seven undergraduate classes of ~25 students annually, ranging from introductory to upper-division and senior capstone courses. I maintained scholarly activities, including presenting at conferences, conducting research projects, publishing findings, and writing grant proposals. I maintained an active research program and secured publication in the Urban Affairs Association (UAA) journal, “The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and the City”. I oversaw weekly lessons for undergraduate “quantitative data analysis” course to guide students in fundamentals of social science statistics by using Excel and SPSS. I delivered research findings via presentations, reports, and peer-reviewed publications to non-technical and technical audiences that included changes to DEI programming.Highlights of accomplishment in this role include:➙I played an instrumental role in executing collaborative research efforts with a focus on user experience, human-centered design, and behavioral science research methodologies.➙I steered development of advanced data analysis course to create mandatory requirements for Criminal Justice and Sociology majors with an impact on ~40 students per semester.➙I designed and implemented a data analysis course to meet general-education math literacy requirements, attract non-majors, and broaden student reach.➙I provided inspirational leadership and guidance to 30 students over three years in completing both primary and secondary research projects within predefined constraints.

In this role, I led two research projects a year by implementing innovative research methodologies, including ethnographic research and statistical analysis. I managed weekly labs on techniques and methods for undergraduate statistics courses, created lessons, including coding variables, formulated frequency distributions, and conducted t-tests and regressions by using SPSS.Highlights of accomplishment in this role include:➙I won Charles Phelps Taft Research Center award ($17.6k) to conduct ethnographic research, including the recruitment and sampling of 40 in semi-structured interviews with 200+ hours of non-participant observation of social interactions.➙I supported quantitative data collection on 20th-century demographic trends by modeling population estimates and data on racial disparities from American Community Survey and online datasets.

Graduate Teaching Assistant for undergraduate-level social science statistics course. SPSS software.