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Mubita Lifwatila has more than 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and managing health and education projects in Southern, East, and West Africa. He has provided technical assistance to national malaria programs to institutionalize improved surveillance systems, data analytics using DHIS2, health information systems, epidemic detection, and rapid response capacities. He also has helped strengthen government systems for education service delivery and implementing strategies for mobilizing community support for education initiatives.

Dr. Mariam Reda, MD, is a public health physician with over 10 years of experience in clinical medicine and public health. She has served as a clinician, technical expert, strategic thinker, and innovative health programs designer and implementer. Reda has provided technical and management support for a wide range of health programs. She has demonstrated her ability to integrate strategies, turn challenges into learning opportunities, respond to evolving field demands, and continuously monitor and correct course as needed. Her technical expertise in health includes health systems strengthening, global health security, and management of emerging and re-emerging diseases. She also has experience with local systems capacity strengthening, development of academic curricula for nurses and midwives’ training, and strengthening countries’ bio-surveillance systems. She has worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of States, the U.S. National Security Council, and international partners.

Raquel González, Ph.D., has over 20 years of experience conducting research and evaluations focused on early childhood development, K-12 school systems, and institutes of higher education. Her work includes developing and conducting culturally responsive and equitable evaluations aimed at supporting the whole child, with a focus on children from birth to five and their families. She also has led large-scale impact evaluations to assess the efficacy of programs. She brings expertise working with a variety of local and state agencies in California, as well as with foundations and non-profits.

Anika Vartan has more than 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating public health and international development programs to improve access to—and quality of—health care, and increase community participation in social, economic, and political life. Vartan’s expertise is in mixed-methods and qualitative research, project management, health policy analysis, capacity building, adult education and technical assistance, organizational assessment and development, and community-driven development. She has supported the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Drug Administration (FDA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Department of State (DOS) clients.

Catherine Hersey, a senior associate, is a seasoned health services researcher and project manager with over 15 years of experience in both Medicare and Medicaid. Her research areas include the implementation and evaluation of accountable care organizations and other alternative payment models, maternal health, substance use disorder, meaningful use of electronic health records, and hospital-acquired infections. Hersey also has experience in quality measurement and improvement. In addition, she has experience in both quantitative and qualitative analyses and managing large and complex projects.

Allison Dymnicki has 19 years of experience in designing, directing, and conducting research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects aimed at promoting youth development, behavioral health, and wellbeing, with a particular focus on school, community, and out-of-school settings. She is deeply committed to promoting positive outcomes for all youth, particularly populations who have been historically underserved or are under-resourced. She has partnered with federal agencies like the National Institute of Justice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Department of Education, as well as foundations, state and local educational agencies, and non-profit organizations. Much of her work focuses on developing researcher practitioner partnerships intended to elevate diverse perspectives, practitioner viewpoints, and youth voices. 

Dr. Jennifer Bronson is a medical sociologist with 16 years of experience conducting complex quantitative, qualitative, and evaluation studies designed to improve the health and safety  of individuals and communities. She focuses on criminal justice and behavioral health research. Her research findings have provided support for correctional and community-based health programming and policy change. Her research also helps reimagine law enforcement and behavioral health crisis responses. Bronson has worked closely with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); the  Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP); and various state government agencies and community groups. She helps them develop, manage, and implement tailored surveys, research studies, and program evaluations.

Stan Crock has more than 40 years of writing experience, including three decades as a journalist for major news outlets, more than a decade of proposal writing, and marketing and communications experience. He has written for such outlets as Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, The New Republic, Investopedia, TheStreet.com, and bestsories.ca. He has worked on proposals for Accenture, McKinsey, IBM, Abt Global, and other firms. Crock has worked in marketing and media relations for Abt since 2018.

Shelly Spoeth brings more than 25 years of strategic communication and social marketing experience to tackling complex health and social issues.  She  worked for a decade with pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients while at public relations firms including Ketchum, FleishmanHillard and Cohn & Wolfe. She then worked as a consultant for government and nonprofit clients, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on behavioral change challenges ranging from HIV/AIDS to COVID-19. Spoeth has implemented, evaluated, and managed dozens of projects that improved health outcomes. Her capabilities include formative research and digital outreach.

Sean McClellan, Ph.D. is a mixed-methods researcher with over a decade of experience in full cycle health services research. He has experience managing research projects, developing analytic designs, cleaning and analyzing administrative data, fielding rigorous surveys, conducting qualitative interviews, and communicating findings in plain language.