Abdullah Ferdous is a principal researcher/psychometrician in the International Development program at AIR. His primary responsibilities include managing and implementing technical assistance projects related to assessment, evaluation, and capacity building. He supports Ministries of Educations with designing and implementing national literacy and numeracy assessments and strengthening their systems through capacity-building ...
Jessica Heppen, a nationally recognized expert in education research, policy, and practice, is the president & CEO of AIR. Dr. Heppen been with AIR for 20 years and, in that time, has held several key roles during her tenure.
Elizabeth Spier is a principal researcher at AIR. She has over 20 years of experience designing and managing large-scale, policy-relevant studies examining the effectiveness of programs, and interventions designed to improve developmental and educational outcomes for children. Her expertise includes child development, safe and supportive learning environments, child and family ...
Kathleen L. Pfannenstiel is a senior researcher at AIR and provides technical assistance and professional development to states and school districts with an emphasis on improving results for students with disabilities. Dr. Pfannenstiel is the principle investigator for an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) model demonstration grant. She works ...
Katie Rich is a senior researcher at AIR. She leads and supports a variety of projects related to mathematics and computer science education. She is currently serving as a coaching and technical assistance lead for the Engagement and Achievement through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership within the Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, ...
Nicholas Sorensen is a principal researcher at AIR. His research is primarily focused on dropout prevention and helping struggling students succeed across the transition to high school. His work emphasizes the role of social psychological interventions, strategies to support success in algebra and mathematics, and use of early warning systems ...
Amanda Latimore is a social epidemiologist and the Director of AIR's Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES). AIR CARES’s multidisciplinary team conducts research, delivers education and technical assistance, engages communities, and translates research into action with the goal of preventing addiction and addressing the needs of those ...
Rachel Shapiro is a senior researcher at AIR. Shapiro has experience conducting qualitative and mixed-methods research focusing on a range of health care delivery and payment reforms that aim to achieve better quality of care, improve population health, and lower costs of care. Her experience covers a range of policy ...
Erika Kessler, Ph.D., is a researcher at AIR with expertise in climate change and environmental education and employing advanced statistical analysis techniques with large-scale, complex survey data.Dr. Kessler brings a breadth of work experience and expertise across a diverse array of topics to AIR. She has particular interest and experience in the ...
Benjamin Ongeri is a public health supply chain expert on the USAID Kenya supply chain Third Party Monitoring activity (Afya Uwazi). He is primary responsible for providing Afya Uwazi with expert advice on best practices in supply chain risk monitoring and accountability, with specific focus on health products and technologies. ...