Our Team: Staff

Rebecca J. GriffithsRebecca J. Griffiths, Principal Investigator
Rebecca J. Griffiths is a principal researcher and co-director of the Digital Learning and Technology Policy program at SRI Education. She conducts research on how educational innovations can increase student learning and success in postsecondary and K12 systems. Her studies blend qualitative and quantitative methods to shed new light on the benefits and challenges of technology-enabled instructional models for diverse students, as well as the factors that drive successful implementation and scaling. Learn More ▸

Deborah JonasDeborah Jonas, Co-Principal Investigator
Deborah Jonas is the director of SRI’s Center for Education Research & Innovation, where she leads a team of approximately 75 researchers in conceptualizing, designing, and conducting research, evaluation, and evidence-related technical support projects to inform policy and practice across the P20W spectrum. Jonas is an experimental cognitive psychologist who has studied memory and attention across the lifespan, including executive function constructs, such as metacognition, which are critical for successful self-directed learning skills. Learn More ▸

Nikki EdgecombeNikki Edgecombe, Co-Principal Investigator
Nikki Edgecombe is a senior research scholar at the Community College Research Center (CCRC) and a research professor in the Education Policy and Social Analysis Department at Teachers College, Columbia University. She conducts research on teaching and learning, developmental education, education equity, English learners, faculty development, minority-serving institutions, and higher education finance, among other topics. Learn More ▸

Jessica MislevyJessica Mislevy, Co-Principal Investigator
Jessica Mislevy co-directs SRI’s Digital Learning & Technology Policy program, in which she studies highly innovative teaching and learning approaches that use advanced technology in the STEM disciplines. With a background in measurement and statistics, she leads mixed-methods research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects to improve college readiness and completion through the effective adoption of evidence-based practices and products. Learn More ▸

Kori Hamilton BiagasKori Hamilton Biagas
Kori Hamilton Biagas has more than 15 years of experience in instruction, education policy, and technical assistance (TA) across the country. She has held various roles with federally funded centers for supporting students with disabilities and connecting students in rural communities with opportunities in college and career. Kori has extensive experience in design and implementation of dissemination plans and product development activities for federally funded TA projects. Learn More ▸
Susan BickerstaffSusan Bickerstaff
Susan Bickerstaff is a senior research associate and program lead at the Community College Research Center (CCRC). She conducts qualitative research on developmental education reform, teaching and learning, faculty learning and engagement, and student experiences at community colleges. Her current CCRC projects include the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) and the Caring Campus Initiative. Learn More ▸

Jared BoyceJared Boyce
Jared Boyce, PhD, is a senior education researcher at SRI Education who specializes in using continuous quality improvement and improvement science to understand and improve instructional practices, educational leadership, and data use in schools. He has firsthand experience building researcher–practitioner partnerships that empower educators in collecting, interpreting, and acting on their own data through sustainable processes and improvement science. Learn More ▸

Thomas BrockThomas Brock
Thomas Brock is the director of the Community College Research Center (CCRC) and a research professor at Teachers College. From 2013 to 2018, Brock was the commissioner of the National Center for Education Research (NCER) at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Learn More ▸

 

Amy Brown PhotoAmy E. Brown
Amy E. Brown is a research associate at the Community College Research Center (CCRC). She conducts qualitative research on large-scale college reform implementation and costs, teaching and learning, STEM education, and student experiences at community colleges. Learn More ▸

 

Hannah Cheever Hannah Cheever
Hannah Cheever is a technical assistance provider and education researcher at SRI Education. Cheever conducts research and provides technical support for projects across content areas and policy contexts, executing strategic project planning and creating systems to ensure quality, timeliness, and responsiveness to client and stakeholder needs. Learn More ▸

Elizabeth GangaElizabeth Ganga
Elizabeth Ganga is the communications manager at the Community College Research Center (CCRC). She works to ensure that the insights and knowledge developed through CCRC studies reach the people who can benefit from them, including community college educators and administrators, state and system leaders, and policymakers. Learn More ▸

Paul HernandezPaul Hernandez
Dr. Paul Hernandez is senior adviser to the president at Achieving the Dream. Dr. Hernandez is a community college leader and practitioner and an Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow serving most recently as vice president for academic and student affairs at Mount Wachusett Community College. Learn More ▸

Jonathan IuzziniJonathan Iuzzini
Jonathan Iuzzini is director of Teaching and Learning at Achieving the Dream. In this role, Jon is responsible for the strategic leadership and implementation of ATD’s teaching and learning portfolio, including our coaching services related to teaching, learning, and faculty/educational development. Learn More ▸

Krystal ThomasKrystal Thomas
Krystal Thomas is an education researcher at SRI Education who brings a developmental psychology and equity lens to research, evaluation, and capacity building. Her projects span issues of teacher quality and practices, students’ academic and social identities, and patterns of contextual inequality in the classroom. Thomas is involved in several studies at SRI, including leading survey development and project management. Learn More ▸

Louise YarnallLouise Yarnall
Louise Yarnall is a senior research social scientist at SRI Education. She studies ways to help educators and employers prepare learners for careers. Yarnall’s work focuses on supporting novel ways to integrate career exploration and preparation into both K–16 and the workplace settings. She has published research on how instructors can incorporate workplace simulation projects and employability skills development into the classroom. Learn More ▸