Alumni
Browse Alumni careers and dissertation topicsVideo Testimonials
Carol Barry, 2010 graduate. Current position is Senior Psychometrician,
American Board of Surgery
Bo Bashkov, 2015 graduate. Current position is Manager of Research, IXL Learning
Andrew Jones, 2009 graduate. Current position is Director of Psychometrics, American Board of Surgery.
Daniel Jurich, 2014 graduate. Current position is Manager,National Board of Medical Examiners
Pamela Kaliski, 2009 graduate. Current position is Senior Measurement Scientist,
American Board of Internal Medicine. .
Jason Kopp, 2014 graduate. Position is Quantitative Researcher. Facebook.
Ross Markle, 2010 graduate. Current position is Founder and Managing Director, DIA Higher Education Collaborators .
Javarro Russell, 2011 graduate. Current position is Senior Director
MCAT.
Kristen Smith, 2017 graduate. Current position is Manager of Learning Research at Macmillan Learning.
John Willse, 2001 graduate. Current position is Department Chair and Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Jerusha Hendrek, 2015 graduate. Current position is Senior Psychometrician at NBME.
Current Careers and Dissertation Topics
| Name | Current Career | Grad Year and Dissertation |
|---|---|---|
| Robin D. Anderson | Department Head, Graduate Psychology Professor of Graduate Psychology James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA ander2rd@jmu.edu |
Graduated: 2001 Dissertation: Stereotype Threat: The Effects of Gender Identification on Standardized Test Performance |
| Carol L. Barry | Senior Psychometrician
American Board of Surgery cbarry@absurgery.org |
Graduated: 2010 Dissertation: Examining Change in Motivation Across the Course of a Low-Stakes Testing Session: An Application of Latent Growth Modeling |
| Susan K. Barnes | Assessment Specialist/Independent Consultant Graham,NC barnessk@jmu.edu |
Graduated: 2010 Dissertation: Using Computer-Based Testing with Young Children |
| Bozhidar M. Bashkov | Manager of Research IXL Learning San Mateo, CA Email: bbashkov@ixl.com |
Graduated: 2015 Dissertation: Examining the Performance of the Metropolis-Hastings Robbins-Monro Algorithm in the Estimation of Multilevel Multidimensional IRT Models |
| Katie Busby | Director, Institutional Research The University of Mississippi Oxford, MS kbusby@olemiss.edu |
Graduated: 2005 Dissertation: Validity Study of the Leadership Attitudes and Beliefs Scale III |
| Hilary Campbell | Assistant Director, Assessment, Accreditation, & Accountability, Education Programs James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA campb2hl@jmu.edu |
Graduated: 2007 Dissertation: Invariance of the Modified Achievement Goal Questionnaire Across College Students with and without Disabilities |
| Jaime Cid | Psychometrics Manager Educational Testing Service Princeton, NJ jcid@ets.org |
Graduated: 2009 Dissertation: Using explanatory item response models to examine the impact of linguistic features of a reading comprehension test on English language learners |
| Christopher M. Coleman | Associate Director of Institutional Effectiveness University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL cmcoleman6@bama.ua.edu |
Graduated: 2013 Dissertation: Effects of Negative Keying and Wording in Attitude Measures: A Mixed-Methods Study |
| Nicholas A. Curtis | Director of Assessment Marquette University Milwaukee, WI |
Graduated: 2018 Dissertation: A new paradigm for improvement: Student-faculty partnership in learning outcomes assessment |
| Amanda Dainis | Research Scientist, CEB/SHL Chantilly, VA Measurement Consultant |
Graduated: 2008 Dissertation: Methods for Identifying Differential Item and Test Functioning: An Investigation of Type I Error Rates and Power |
| Susan L. Davis-Becker | Founding Partner ACS Ventures, LLC sdavisbecker@acsventures.com |
Graduated: 2005 Dissertation: Achievement Goal Orientation Across the College Career: A Latent Growth Analysis |
| Megan France | Consultant meganfrance@icloud.com |
Graduated: 2011 Dissertation: Construct Validity Evidence for University Mattering: Evaluating Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, and Latent Mean Differences of Transfer and Native Students |
| Kelly J. Foelber Rewley | Measurement Scientist American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Philadelphia, PA KFoelber@ABIM.ORG |
Graduated: 2017 Dissertation: Using multiple imputation to mitigate the effects of low examinee motivation on estimates of student learning |
| Keston Fulcher | Executive Director of the Center for Assessment and Research Studies Professor of Graduate Psychology James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA fulchekh@jmu.edu |
Graduated: 2004 Dissertation: Towards Measuring Lifelong Learning: The Curiosity Index |
| Mandalyn Gilles | Director of Assessment and Planning for SEES Old Dominion University mgilles@odu.edu |
Graduated: 2015 Dissertation: Extending an IRT Mixture Model to Detect Random Responders on Non-Cognitive Polytomously Scored Assessments |
| Megan Rodgers Good | Assistant Professor of Graduate Psychology/ Associate Assessment Specialist James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA good2mr@jmu.edu |
Graduated: 2015 Dissertation: Improving Student Learning in Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Study |
| Makayla Grays | Institutional Research Specialist Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT |
Graduated: 2013 Dissertation: Measuring Motivation for Coursework across the Academic Career: A Longitudinal Invariance Study |
| Nikole Gregg | Research Scientist HumRRO Nikole works remotely ngregg11@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2021 Dissertation: Getting caught up in the process: Does it really matter? |
| Sara Lambert Gutierrez | Manager, Research & Development CEB Global sara.gutierrez@cebglobal.com |
Graduated: 2009 Dissertation: Examining the Psychometric Properties of a Multimedia Innovative Item Format: Comparison of Innovative and Non-Innovative Versions of a Situational Judgment Test |
| Heather D. Harris | Statistical and Data Science Consultant Solstice Studios, Hollywood CA Heather works remotely from Rockville, MD heather@harris.works |
Graduated: 2018 Dissertation: The influence of covariate measurement error on treatment effect estimates and numeric balance diagnostics following several common methods of propensity score matching: A simulation study |
| Jerusha Henderek | Senior Psychometrician National Board of Medical Examiners Philadelphia, PA jerusha.henderek@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2015 Dissertation: Addressing Serial-Order and Negative Keying Effects: A Mixed-Methods Study |
| Emily R. Hoole | Head of Client Engagement-Europe Center for Creative Leadership United Arab Emirates hoolee@ccl.org |
Graduated: 2005 Dissertation: Integrating and Evaluating Mathematical Models of Assessing Structural Knowledge: Comparing Associative Network Methodologies |
| Madison Holzman | Research Scientist Curriculum Associates Billerica, MA Madison works remotely from Harrisonburg, VA MHolzman@cainc.com |
Graduated: 2018 Dissertation: Evaluating rater effects in the context of ethical reasoning essay assessment: An application of the many-facets rasch measurement model |
| S. Jeanne Horst | Director of Research CommonLit Washington, DC Jeanne works from home in Harrisonburg, VA jeanne.horst@commonlit.org |
Graduated: 2010 Dissertation: A Mixture-Modeling Approach to Exploring Test-Taking Motivation in Large-Scale Low-Stakes Contexts |
| Jessica N. Jacovidis | Research Associate Inflexion Eugene, OR Jessica works remotely from Harrisonburg, VA jnjacovidis@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2017 Dissertation: Evaluating the performance of propensity score matching methods: A simulation study |
| Jilliam N. Joe | Senior Director of Research LEAP Innovations Chicago, IL jilliamjoe@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2008 Dissertation: Using Verbal Reports to Explore Rater Perceptual Processes in scoring: An Application to Oral Communication Assessment |
| Mary M. Johnston | Psychometrician American Board of Emergency Medicine East Lansing, MI mary.m.johnston@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2016 Dissertation: Applying solution behavior thresholds to a noncognitive measure to identify rapid responders: An empirical investigation |
| Andrew T. Jones | Director of Psychometrics American Board of Surgery Philadelphia, PA ajones@absurgery.org |
Graduated: 2009 Dissertation: Using the Right Tool for the Job: An Analysis of Item Selection Statistics for Criterion-Referenced Tests |
| Cassandra Jones | Director of Assessment Montgomery College Rockville, MD Cassandra.Jones@montgomerycollege.edu |
Graduated: 2009 Dissertation: Nonresponse bias in online course evaluations |
| Daniel P. Jurich | Manager National Board of Medical Examiners Philadelphia, PA jurichdp@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2014 Dissertation: Assessing Model Fit of Multidimensional Item Response Theory and Diagnostic Classification Models using Limited-Information Statistics |
| Pamela K. Kaliski | Senior Measurement Scientist American Board of Internal Medicine Philadelphia, PA pkaliski@abim.org |
Graduated: 2009 Dissertation: An Empirical Demonstration of Direct and Indirect Mixture Modeling When Studying Personality Traits: A Methodological-Substantive Synergy |
| James R. Koepfler | Senior Analytical Consultant SAS Cary, NC james.koepfler@sas.com |
Graduated: 2012 Dissertation: Examining the Bifactor IRT Model for Vertical Scaling in K-12 Assessment |
| Xiaojing "Jadie" Kong | Senior Research Scientist Pearson Educational Measurement Sunnyvale, CA jadie.kong@pearson.com |
Graduated: 2007 Dissertation: Using Response Time and the Effort-Moderated Model to Investigate the Effects of Rapid Guessing on Estimation of Item and Person Parameters |
| Jason P. Kopp | Quantitative Researcher Seattle, WA koppjp@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2014 Dissertation: The Treatment of Missing Data when Estimating Student Growth with Pre-Post Educational Accountability Data |
| Abigail Lau Cahill | Professional Lecturer in Educational Leadership George Washington University Washington, DC Adjunct Graduate Faculty James Madison University Cahilla@gwu.edu |
Graduated: 2009 Dissertation: Using a mixture IRT model to improve parameter estimates when some examinees are amotivated |
| Rory A. Lazowski | Associate Research Scientist The College Board Newtown, PA rlazowski@collegeboard.org |
Graduated: 2001 Dissertation: A meta-analytic tutorial and a narrative review on motivation interventions in education |
| Susan M. Lottridge | Senior Director, Automated Scoring Cambium Assessment Sue works remotely from Harrisonburg, VA Susan.lottridge@cambiumassessment.com |
Graduated: 2006 Dissertation: Comparing the Relative Measurement Efficiency of Dichotomous and Polytomous Models in Linear and Adaptive Testing Conditions |
| Ross E. Markle | Founder, Managing Director DIA Higher Education Collaborators Nashville, TN ross@diahighered.com |
Graduated: 2010 Dissertation: Examining the Bricks and Mortar of Socioeconomic Status: An Empirical Comparison of Measurement Methods |
| Kimberly “Becca” Marsh-Runyon | Director of New Product Development Educational Testing Service Philadelphia, PA krm.marsh@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2013 Dissertation: The Effects of Item and Respondent Characteristics on Midpoint Response Option Endorsement: A Mixed-Methods Study |
| BJ Miller | Director of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment National Defense University Washington, DC bj.miller.civ@ndu.edu |
Graduated: 2007 Dissertation: Unfolding Analyses of the Academic Motivation Scale: A Different Approach to Evaluating Scale Validity and Self-Determination Theory |
| Thai Ong | Psychometrician National Board of Medical Examiners Philadelphia, PA tong@nbme.org |
Graduated: 2019 Dissertation: Are all cognitive items equally prone to position effects? Exploring the relationships among item features and position effects |
| Christopher Orem | Director of Institutional Research James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA oremcd@jmu.edu |
Graduated: 2012 Dissertation: Demonstrating Validity Evidence of Meta-Assessment Scores Using Generalizability Theory |
| Christopher R. Patterson | Postdoctoral Fellow for the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health at the University of Iowa | Graduated: 2023 Dissertation: Observing how College Students Process Culturally Responsive Test Items |
| Beth Perkins | Research Fellow AAC&U Washington, D.C. Beth works from home in Harrisonburg, VA bperkins@aacu.org |
Graduated: 2021 Dissertation: Does Coding Method Matter? An Examination of Propensity Score Methods When the Treatment Group is Larger Than the Comparison Group |
| Sue Pieper | Coordinator of Assessment, E-Learning Center Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ Sue.Pieper@nau.edu |
Graduated: 2003 Dissertation: Refining and Extending the 2 x 2 Achievement Goal Framework: Another Look at Work-Avoidance |
| Andrea Pope | Associate Research Scientist Curriculum Associates Andrea works remotely from Washington, DC |
Graduated: 2020 Dissertation: Evidence-Informed Programming in Student Affairs: A Mixed Methods Study Examining Behaviors, Perceptions, and Barriers Related to the Use of Theory and Research in Program Development |
| Caroline Prendergast | Psychometrician American Board of Surgery Caroline works remotely from Harrisonburg, VA |
Graduated: 2022 Dissertation: Learning Improvement at Scale: Improving Rhetorical Awareness in a First-Year Writing Program |
| Shelley Ragland | Psychometrics Manager Western Governers University Salt Lake City, UT shelley.ragland@wgu.edu |
Graduated: 2010 Dissertation: An Evaluation of a New Method of IRT Scaling |
| Barbara E. Rowan | Owner/Consultant All Things Research Macon, GA barbara@allthingsresearchllc.com |
Graduated: 2010 Dissertation: Comparability of Paper-and-Pencil and Computer-Based Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Measures in a Low-Stakes Testing Environment |
| Javarro Russell | Senior Director MCAT Washington, DC j.a.russell06@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2011 Dissertation: Development and Validation of the Preservice Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Items (PMKT): A Mixed-Methods Approach |
| Courtney B. Sanders | Institutional Research & Planning Analyst University of California, Office of the President cbeasand@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2017 Dissertation: Student engagement and post-college outcomes: A comparison of formative and reflective models |
| Paulius Satkus | Associate Psychometrician Graduate Management Admission Council Reston, VA |
Graduated: 2022 Dissertation: The Use of Complex-structure Items in Multi-stage Testing |
| Derek Sauder | Psychometrician American Board of Internal Medicine Philadelphia, PA derekcsauder@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2020 Dissertation: Can Auxiliary Information Improve Rasch Estimation at Small Sample Sizes? |
| J. Carl Setzer | Lead Psychometrician Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) Washington, DC carl.setzer@aicpa-cima.com |
Graduated: 2008 Dissertation: Parameter Recovery of the Explanatory Multidimensional Rasch Model |
| Kara Siegert | Special Assistant to the President; Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment Salisbury University Salisbury, MD kmowens@salisbury.edu |
Graduated: 2005 Dissertation: Cyberspace Versus Face-to-Face: The Influence of Learning Strategies, Self-Regulation, and Achievement Goal Orientation |
| Kristen L. Smith | Learning Research Manager MacMillan Learning Kristen works remotely from Charlottesville, VA. kristenlynnsmith@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2017 Dissertation: Integrating implementation fidelity and learning improvement to enhance students’ ethical reasoning abilities |
| Alan B. Socha | Assistant Director for Assessment University of Maryland Washington, DC asocha@umd.edu |
Graduated: 2014 Dissertation: An Investigation of the Effects of Complex Items on Augmented Subscores |
| Elisabeth M. Spratto | Research Scientist HumRRo Monterey, CA lspratto@humrro.org |
Graduated: 2018 Dissertation: In search of equality: Developing an equal interval Likert response scale |
| Scott N. Strickman | Associate Psychometrician Pearson Scott works remotely from Jacksonville, FL scottstrickman@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2017 Dissertation: You only live up to the standards you set: An evaluation of different approaches to standard setting |
| Matthew S. Swain | Psychometrician American Board of Internal Medicine Philadelphia, PA MSwain@ABIM.org |
Graduated: 2015 Dissertation: The Effects of a Planned Missingness Design on Examinee Motivation and Psychometric Quality |
| Peter Swerdzewski | Director of Research Curriculum Associates Billerica, MA pswerdzewski@cainc.com |
Graduated: 2008 Dissertation: Should We Worry About the Way We Measure Worry Over Time? A Longitudinal Analysis of Student Worry During the First Two Years of College |
| Melinda Taylor | Senior Research Scientist II Northwest Educational Association (NWEA) Melinda works remotely from Austin, TX taylor.melinda@gmail.com |
Graduated: 2009 Dissertation: An Application of Generalizability Theory to Evaluate the Technical Quality of An Alternate Assessment |
| Amy Thelk | Assistant Dean for Accreditation, Assessment, and Accountability College of Education, James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA thelkad@jmu.edu |
Graduated: 2006 Dissertation: Examinee Awareness of Performance Expectations and its Effects on Motivation and Test Scores |
| Kathryn N. Thompson | Testing and Psychometrics Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University | Graduated: 2023 Dissertation: A Novel Examination of None-Of-The-Above as it Influences Examinee Item Responses |
| G. Thomas Waterbury | Research Scientist HumRRO Monterey, CA twaterbury@humrro.org |
Graduated: 2020 Dissertation: RISE and Shine: A Comparison of Item Fit Statistics for the Rasch Model |
| Laura M. Williams | Manager, Program Assessment Western Governor's University Salt Lake City, UT l.williams@wgu.edu |
Graduated: 2015 Dissertation: The Effect of Examinee Motivation on Value-Added Estimates |
| John Willse | Principal Data Scientist, Udemy John works remotely from the Greensboro, NC area John.willse@udemy.com |
Graduated: 2002 Dissertation: Controlling Computer Adaptive Testing's Capitalization on Chance Errors in Item Parameter Estimates |
| Anna Zilberberg | Educational Program Manager Pearson Evaluation Systems Cambridge, MA |
Graduated: 2013 Dissertation: Students' Attitudes toward Institutional Accountability Testing in Higher Education: Implications for the Validity of Test Scores |
Department of Graduate Psychology
- Johnston Hall
- MSC 7401
- 70 Alumnae Drive
- Harrisonburg, VA 22807
- Phone: (540) 568-6439
- Fax: (540) 568-4747
- Last Updated: June 14, 2023
