Search

Dr. Kerry Hofer has almost 20 years of experience conducting rigorous research in early childhood settings. Dr. Hofer has in-depth knowledge of large-scale childcare programs, including public state-run prekindergarten programs and Head Start/Early Head Start, as well as more informal care settings.  She has worked with early educational programs and staff across the country.  Dr. Hofer has been a key member on several large-scale projects funded by organizations such as the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institutes of Health, primarily focusing on analytic techniques with quantitative data. The majority of her research involves rigorous quantitative evaluations of early educational programs and practices targeted at children from impoverished families, focusing on program impact and model delivery.

Alexandra Nastase is the Chief Technical Director, based in London. She has more than 15 years of experience in design, implementation, and evaluation of large reform and technical assistance programs to improve public sector performance and strengthen civil society.Nastase has held leadership and senior advisory roles for multi-million technical assistance programs funded by World Bank, European Commission, World Food Programme, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade, United Nations Development Program, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO).

Hannah Betesh has over a decade of experience designing, managing, and conducting rigorous implementation and impact studies of interventions for low-income workers and families, including programs that address substance use disorder. Betesh’s methodological expertise is in measuring and documenting program implementation to support adoption of evidence-based practices. Her federal clients have included the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Nduka Iwuchukwu is a Medical Doctor with more than 30 years of experience in clinical care, public health, safety, environment, and innovation management. He has provided technical assistance on vector control interventions to National Malaria  Programs in Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Guatemala. He has developed several innovations in malaria vector control including indoor residual spraying (IRS) supervision and monitoring tools, field operational protocols, and novel designs for implementing community-based IRS operations.

David Kaz, a principal associate in Abt’s Social and Economic Policy Division, has nearly 20 years of experience providing technical assistance, training, research, and policy analysis. He has worked on a wide range of programs and policies that affect low-income populations. He has directed, designed, and conducted both large- and small-scale, multi-faceted technical assistance projects for federal and state agencies and other clients and stakeholders. Clients have included the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services, King County, and the City of Seattle. He has worked on workforce legislation with members of Congress.

Lindsey Freeze has worked in external affairs for nearly 20 years, leading brand, editorial, and advocacy strategies for global development organizations. She has produced multimedia coverage of health barriers and innovations in more than 30 countries. Her work with photojournalists, filmmakers, and issue experts has won awards and led to coverage in such news outlets as The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, the BBC, The Telegraph, Devex, and other media worldwide.

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.

Barbara Goodson is a nationally recognized expert in research and policy on families and young children. She has more than 40 years of experience designing and conducting large, multi-site implementation and impact studies examining interventions for low-income and language minority children and families. Goodson is an expert on research methodology and measuring ECE environmental quality and fidelity of implementation of educational interventions. She specializes in the evaluation of pre-grade 12 interventions and early learning programs, designing logic models and conducting program improvement research to ensure successful implementations.

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.