Christopher Viera Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

New York, New York, United States

As a Research Analyst II, I lead and successfully support the evaluation of CUNY city-wide initiatives, impacting over 100,000 underserved students annually from high school through postsecondary education. Notably, I serve as the lead analyst, playing a key role in spearheading and supporting programs such as College Now, CUNY Tutor Corps, and John Jay’s College Institute for Justice and Opportunity. Leveraging my expertise in RStudio, Tableau, ORACLE SQL, and Microsoft Access, I collect and analyze program participant data (e.g., demographic, program experience, etc.) and higher education administrative data (e.g., matriculation and retention rates, first semester GPA, etc.). This data-driven approach allows me to generate parameterized reports and interactive dashboards, providing valuable insights. The key findings derived from these analyses play a pivotal role in informing annual program planning and shaping university-wide policy decisions. In addition to my role in creating descriptive and interactive data reporting, I play a key part in enhancing the CUNY Tutor Corps program through the development of qualitative research instruments. Using Formstack and Qualtrics, I craft qualitative surveys to assess both student and staff experiences within the program. The insights gleaned from these surveys led to impactful changes in the support services provided to students participating in the CUNY Tutor Corps.As a lead research analyst, I play a pivotal role in training, supporting, and supervising Research Analyst I’s to deliver high-quality, actionable data and evaluations to college readiness programs. In this supervisory capacity, I have not only learned to effectively manage the workload of the team but also maintain key collaborative efforts to ensure the timely production of key deliverables.

New York, New York, United States

As a Research Analyst I, I was central in supporting program directors and university deans as part of a collaborative research team. Utilizing RStudio and Tableau, I created comprehensive reports and interactive dashboards, offering descriptive breakdowns of program participation and outcomes. I established the data infrastructure and reporting process for university-wide college readiness metrics as part of CUNY’s Performance Management Process (PMP). This initiative significantly contributed to informed annual planning and policy decisions.Additionally, I had the privilege of actively participating in rigorous research studies and contributing to publications, including research later presented at national conferences. I conducted literature reviews and meticulously analyzed survey data, leading to the creation of research papers and presentations for the prestigious Association of Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) conference. I co-authored a white paper titled 'College After Prison: A Review of the Literature on Barriers and Supports to Postsecondary Education for Formerly Incarcerated College Students.' This collaborative effort was part of the John Jay’s College Institute for Justice and Opportunity program evaluation process. The white paper delves into the comprehensive examination of barriers and supports formerly incarcerated college students face, contributing valuable insights to the Institute's mission. The document has been recognized for informing discussions and initiatives related to postsecondary education for this population. This white paper emphasized the critical need to recognize the formerly incarcerated as a population requiring dedicated programming, support, and research within higher education.

New York, New York, United States

My internship focused extensively on qualitative data collection and analysis, along with preparing education program datasets. I conducted 20 hours of in-depth student interviews as part of the CUNY Foster Care Initiative, contributing to a comprehensive research paper addressing program support for foster care students in New York City. The insights gathered from these interviews informed program planning, shedding light on the unique challenges and needs of foster care students in college. Throughout my tenure as an intern, I utilized NVIVO software to analyze 1 hour of data from a 7-person focus group; this analysis proved instrumental in generating a report that successfully secured grant funding for the expansion of the Early College Initiative. The report, with a specific focus on supporting students with previous experience in the criminal legal system, highlighted the impactful outcomes of the data analysis.

New York, New York, United States

During my tenure as a graduate assistant in the sociology department at St. John’s University, I played a vital role in supporting fellow graduate students enrolled in Sociology 127: Statistics for the Social Sciences. I provided comprehensive assistance in understanding complex statistical methods, including measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion, and linear and logistic regression analysis. Holding weekly office hours, I offered personalized support to address students' challenges and facilitated their mastery of SPSS for data manipulation and analysis, encompassing datasets of varying complexities. Additionally, I meticulously graded assignments, offering detailed feedback to enhance student comprehension. As a lecturer, I conducted review sessions before both midterm and final exams, ensuring students were well-prepared and confident in their understanding of course material.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

As an undergraduate researcher in the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (MURAP), I undertook a comprehensive research project titled 'Beyond Scared Straight: Explaining the Sources of Prison Violence in the United States.' Utilizing an ordinary least squares regression model, I analyzed the 2005 Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities (ICPSR # 24642) dataset, encompassing data from over 1,800 public and private prisons. The findings revealed a lower incidence of violence in private prisons compared to public ones, emphasizing the correlation with additional resources and funding for private facilities. Furthermore, the research suggested a likelihood of lower-level, non-violent offenders being placed in private rather than public prisons. This project not only allowed me to refine my research skills, particularly in SPSS, but also underscored the importance of advocating for criminal legal system reform in the United States.

Master Of Arts - Ma, Sociology

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Sociology, Summa Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: The National Society of Leadership and Success Minor in Sports Management