Meet the VentureWell staff—a team of experts, leaders, and high-performing individuals committed to expanding the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Department
Meet the VentureWell staff—a team of experts, leaders, and high-performing individuals committed to expanding the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Department
Chithra Adams
Associate Vice President, Data Intelligence
Chithra Adams brings to her role 15 years of experience in program evaluation, including successfully leading an evaluation team for the last nine years. She has worked across multiple disciplines evaluating programs of varying scale in: special education, employment, mental health and substance use, community integration, health and wellness, translation science, and assistive technology. Chithra has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Kentucky.
Olivia Arstein-Kerslake
Senior Data Intelligence Specialist
Olivia leads the data management for Higher Education and Global Programs, including developing data infrastructure and creating data products. Previously, Olivia worked in nonprofit data roles where she streamlined data systems, conducted a quantitative analysis to drive program decision-making, and created compelling data visualizations. Olivia holds a B.S. in Cognitive Sciences and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a M.Ed. in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Wen Yi Aw
Data Intelligence Associate
Wen Yi will support the Data Systems team with the management, documentation, cleaning, and quality assurance of data related to NSF I-Corps™ regional hubs. She previously worked as part of an academic research team collecting data on small chocolate makers; most recently, she cleaned and managed data for a math tutoring center and for a vote tracking software. Wen Yi holds a B.S. in Applied Math and an M.S. in Information Management from the University of Washington.
Lauren Baur
Data Intelligence Associate
Lauren supports data management, including data cleaning, quality control, research, and documentation of program outcomes, specifically focused on NSF I-Corps™. She has over 10 years of experience working with data in the context of ecology research. She holds a B.S. in biology and an M.S. in ecology.
Adam Blandford
Data Intelligence Analyst
Adam analyzes the impacts of VentureWell’s programs and assesses their outcomes using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. His prior experience includes applied economics research on behalf of public, private, and not-for-profit organizations, with specific emphasis on the energy industry and economic impact analyses. Adam holds an M.A. in International Commerce with a concentration in Development Economics from the Patterson School at the University of Kentucky.
Ian Dinnie
Data Intelligence Specialist
Ian supports VentureWell’s data systems team in management, reporting, and product creation for the NSF I-Corps™, SBIR Bootcamp, I-Corps™ at the NIH, and more. He previously worked at a nonprofit economic consulting company, where he used data to study a variety of topics related to labor markets, economic development, and demographics. He holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.S. in Data Analytics and Computational Social Science.
Lauren Gunterman
Data Intelligence Analyst
Lauren Gunterman supports data stewardship and management efforts to aid VentureWell in using data for decision-making. In a previous position at Eastern Kentucky University, she helped to pioneer the Data Initiatives Team by training new members, supporting university projects, and streamlining processes. She holds a B.A. in Psychology, a B.A. in Spanish, and a M.S. in Psychology.
Vicky Harris
Vice President, Enterprise and Shared Services
Vicky Harris is responsible for leading VentureWell’s team of senior experts to provide internal solutions, infrastructure, and program support through data intelligence, enterprise optimization, and IT operations. She brings over 15 years of experience in aligning business strategy objectives with established project management methodologies, organizational change management, and the development of process optimization paradigms. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Wellington University, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Franklin University, and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Kentucky State University.
Joey Kleiner
Data Engineer
Joey Kleiner designs and builds data infrastructure, including maintaining and improving data processes at VentureWell. He previously worked for nearly 10 years at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Water Supply, where he helped lead data engineering and modeling efforts, with a focus on environmental sustainability in water resources. Joey holds a B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech, and has continued his professional development over the years by completing several technical courses ranging from SQL to tools in Python.
Samantha Langan
Senior Data Intelligence Analyst
Sam provides evaluation support for VentureWell’s Higher Ed Catalyst Team. She has worked both internally and independently as an evaluator, collaborating closely with stakeholders to design and conduct formative and developmental evaluations, facilitating logic modeling with staff working within complex systems, and helping lead strategic development and planning work. She holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s in Applied Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Stefanie Leite
Director, Data Intelligence Insights
Stefanie provides support for learning and evaluation within VentureWell’s early-stage entrepreneurship programs. Stefanie has served as an evaluation analyst for 13 years in nonprofit, higher education, and philanthropic organizations for programs in social services, workforce development, education, and public health. She holds a B.S. in psychology from Worcester State University and an M.A. in psychology with a co-concentration in organizational behavior and program evaluation from Claremont Graduate University.
Patrick Maloney
Data Intelligence Analyst
Patrick works to extract insights from data and to supply program teams with the information and tools they need to succeed. He was previously an analyst for Northwestern University in the international security department, where he developed predictive models for assessing risks on international programs; he has also worked as a data science consultant for insurance companies, NGOs, and political campaigns. Patrick holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, and a Master’s degree in Data Science from the City University of New York.
Emily Markese
Data Intelligence Analyst
Emily lends her evaluation expertise to the biomedical engineering programs portfolio, including the Innovation Funnel projects. Emily previously worked at a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives and mental health of foster children and others in the community, and was recognized for her work collecting and analyzing data that helped further the organization’s goals of safety, well-being, and permanency. Emily holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a minor in Biology.
Olivia Noel
Data Intelligence Analyst
Olivia supports VentureWell’s evaluation work across programs, including leading the Evaluation Team’s questionnaire development and methodology efforts. She brings a keen organizational eye from her previous positions with local and international nonprofits, which she uses to ensure consistency and efficiency in program evaluation at VentureWell. Olivia holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Hampshire College, where her research focused on globalization and traditional foodways.
Jacki Purtell
Senior Data Intelligence Analyst
Jacki supports the evaluation of the type I Princeton and University of Georgia’s regional innovation engine. For nearly 10 years, Jacki was the program evaluator and strategic plan coordinator for the DukeEngage program at Duke University, where she developed evaluations for all stakeholders. Throughout her career, Jacki has focused on creating inclusive evaluations. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Latin American Studies from Plattsburgh State University, and a Master of Public Policy from Duke University.
Harrison Sharitt
Data Engineer
Harrison maintains data integrity across various VentureWell systems and provides insights with his data analytic capabilities. He previously worked at an environmental engineering consulting firm where he produced statistical analyses and data visualizations for high-profile client projects. Harrison holds an M.S. in Statistics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Pa Thao
Senior Data Intelligence Analyst
Pa provides learning and evaluation support for VentureWell’s federal innovation team. Pa has a decade of experience in higher education, supporting student success and institutional decision-making by designing, conducting, and reporting on key research topics. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Minnesota: a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in Higher Education Policy; and a Bachelor of Individualized Studies with focus areas in Asian American Studies, Communication Studies, and Family Social Science.
Polly Todd
Data Intelligence Analyst
Polly works collaboratively to support evaluation for a range of projects and programs in the Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems (HEIE) vertical, specifically those supported by the Federal Innovation Team. She is well suited to support the HEIE vertical, with 13 years of prior experience in higher education, eight of which were spent working in program evaluation, assessing outcomes of community-based programs designed to prevent youth crime, violence, and drug use. Polly holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Colorado State University (CSU) and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Data Analytics from CSU Global.
Jahannie Torres-Rodríguez
Senior Data Intelligence Specialist
Jahannie leads the data management for L2M and USVD programs. She facilitates data access and use by creating products such as visualizations, reports, and integrations with third-party data. Before joining VentureWell, Jahannie worked in developing non-profit data strategies, particularly assessing and measuring innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Jahannie holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering with a specialization in Computing Systems and a Minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez. She also completed a Professional Certificate in Data Science.
Ashleigh Williams
Data Intelligence Analyst
Ashleigh supports program evaluation work for the Ventures and Health Commercialization programs. She joined VentureWell after three years working with the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University, where she conducted evaluations for various government entities. She was a Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) Scholar with the American Evaluation Association, where she worked with the National Science Foundation. Ashleigh holds a B.S. in Experimental Psychology and an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
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