About

Providing credible, objective, and relevant data and analysis.

The Office of Assessment and Decision Support (OADS) was established in 2011, bringing together and expanding upon the functions of the former Office of Planning and Institutional Research with additional analytical and assessment-related elements to strengthen the connection between assessment of student learning and institutional assessment.

OADS continues to develop the capacity for advanced data analytics with the goal of applying more rigorous methods and statistical models to help decision-makers understand the likely impacts of their decisions.

As our portfolio and mission continues to evolve to support the University, we remain dedicating to ensuring the quality of our analytical product. OADS has a responsibility to advocate for the right data systems, methods, and communication tools that will tell a more complete story and enable decision makers to better respond to stakeholder needs. Read more about our core values.

Expertise

  • Extensive experience with the myriad sources of Georgetown University data and how to access and combine those data in meaningful ways.
  • Analytic expertise in statistical modeling, survey research, assessment, program evaluation, and data mining.
  • Technical capabilities in database management and development, reporting tool creation, and data modeling.
  • Familiarity with and access to data on peer institutions and the broader higher education context via participation in data sharing consortia.

Our Team

Please feel free to contact us individually to discuss your projects or data needs. You can also reach our office by emailing oads@georgetown.edu.

Scott leads the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in providing strategic coordination in data collection, analysis, institutional research and assessment in support of University planning and continuous improvement of educational programs. 
 
Scott has more than 20 years of experience in higher education settings. He was previously the Vice President for Institutional Strategy and Chief Information Officer at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). Prior to that position, he held roles as Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness & Strategic Planning and Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at EMU. His main areas of responsibility were strategic planning, assessment, institutional research, accreditation, analytics, and oversight of campus technology. Scott has also served as the Director of Assessment and Institutional Research and the Interim Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Goshen College. Scott gained early experience in Institutional Research (IR) serving in a variety of roles including Research Analyst over five years in the IR office at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his Ed.D. and Ed.M in Higher Education from Harvard University and B.A. from Goshen College.

Contact: sb2145@georgetown.edu

Marianne Bujacich joined the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in October 2022. As an institutional research analyst, she assists with institutional reporting and assessment projects related to student data.

Marianne graduated from The George Washington University with a BA in Psychology, a BS in Biological Anthropology, and an MA in Organizational Sciences.

Contact: mb2469@georgetown.edu

Lu Hao joined the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in 2014. As the Assistant Director/Senior Analyst, she leads the institutional research team and oversees institutional reporting to government agencies and higher-education associations. Lu also directs a variety of projects involving statistical analytics, survey research and data management to support strategic planning and decision making.  

Lu graduated from Georgetown University with an M.S. in Mathematics & Statistics and an M.A. in Communication, Culture & Technology. Her prior work focused on standard setting in globalized value chains.

Contact: lu.hao@georgetown.edu

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Trent Kennedy joined the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in February 2022 as a Senior Institutional Research Analyst. In that role, he serves as the primary analyst for the Georgetown University Law Center and Georgetown University – Qatar, providing support for survey research projects, external reporting, and select internal data needs. In addition to those responsibilities, he is committed to helping Georgetown stakeholders grow their capacity for data-driven projects and data-informed insights.

Trent earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota, his M.A. in Student Personnel Services from Northwestern State University, and his B.A. in Higher Education Administration from Hampshire College. He currently serves on the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar Advisory Group on Data Collection and has previously chaired the Association of American Law Schools sections on Student Services and Empirical Study of Legal Education and the Legal Profession. His research areas include statistical disclosure limitation strategies and the use of professional standards among law student affairs professionals. Outside of work, Trent is an avid reader and a happy (if not always graceful) hiker.

Contact: trent.kennedy@georgetown.edu

Dr. Ming Li joined OADS in 2015. In her current role as the Lead Statistical Analyst, Ming oversees projects involving the use of research methodologies and statistical techniques to inform the University’s data-driven decision-making and strategic planning. Notably, Ming has been taking a leadership role in survey research and predictive analytics for student enrollment.

Prior to OADS, Ming taught in higher education and engaged in research with a focus on methodological issues in statistical analysis and applied research within K-12 educational assessments. She brings a substantial depth of expertise in educational assessment and program evaluation to her roles.

Ming earned her Doctoral Degree in Measurement and Statistics from the University of Maryland.

Contact: ml1584@georgetown.edu

Christian joined the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in September 2022. As Evaluation and Research Coordinator, he coordinates and manages end-of-course evaluations for the Main Campus and is the primary University contact for the Blue course evaluation system. In this role he also provides project management and administrative support for related projects, including for the University’s Survey Coordinating Group.

Christian received an MPA from Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Villanova University’s School of Business, where he received a research fellowship. He has worked in the nonprofit and private sectors, focusing on elder rights advocacy, museum programming, and market research for global brands in the tech and healthcare industries. Prior to joining Georgetown, Christian’s roles were centered on impact evaluation, social enterprises, and the creative communication of quantitative information, while his research publications include articles on marketing ethics, customer service, and sustainable packaging for consumer goods.

Contact: cl1602@georgetown.edu

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Thanh Tran joined Georgetown in 2019 and is a Senior Institutional Research Analyst for OADS. He is an expert of Quickbase, the Georgetown Main Campus’ budgeting and financial planning system, and has been maintaining the data integrity, as well as assisting users with functionalities. As part of the OADS team, Thanh supports the institutional planning and reporting for the University, particularly on faculty and staff data, while also performing analyses and delivering insights (e.g., on Budget and Actuals, Admissions, Enrollment/Tuition Management, Union negotiations, etc.) using a variety of analytic tools, especially R (tidyverse). He enjoys efficiency and always looks to automate and enhance processes in order to improve the workflow of the University.

Thanh graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in Mathematics and Psychology, along with a minor in Japanese. At Bowdoin, he worked at the Office of Institutional Research, Analytics & Consulting for three years, gaining invaluable insights into the world of institutional research. He consistently strives to build on the mathematical foundation and to advocate for data analytics in higher education.

Contact: thanh.tran@georgetown.edu

Yifei Yin joined the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in February 2024. As Institutional Research Analyst, Yifei is responsible for institutional reporting and responding to data requests related to student data. Prior to her current role, Yifei was a data analyst intern in the Business Design and Optimization Group, where she worked with internal stakeholders, including the OADS, on data analysis, visualization, and modeling projects. 

Yifei graduated from University of California, Berkeley with B.A. in Data Science and Economics. She is currently working towards her M.S. in Data Science and Analytics from Georgetown University.

Contact: yy422@georgetown.edu

Graduate Research Assistants

Contact: ism13@georgetown.edu

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Jiaqi Song joined the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in June 2022 as a Graduate Research Assistant. She supports specific data management and analysis projects of significant strategy and operational importance to Georgetown University for the OADS team, applying a variety of analytic tools such as Python, R and SQL. Her wide interests involve data wrangling, visualization, statistics, machine learning and so on.

Jiaqi is currently a graduate student in the Data Science and Analytics program of Georgetown University, and graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen with a BS in Data Science (2021). In her spare time, Jiaqi enjoys having fun in music festivals or concerts.

Contact: js4979@georgetown.edu

Research Affiliates

Richard Daker is a PhD candidate in the Psychology Department at Georgetown University. His research focuses on predictors of academic success, with the goal of A) identifying factors that support student success and B) using those findings to develop methods to foster this success and help students achieve their academic potential. 

Richard has published several research articles, including in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General as well as in npj Science of Learning. Before beginning his PhD, he worked at ideas42, a non-profit that aims to use behavioral science to do social good, where he developed and tested methods to boost academic success and graduation rates of community college students.

Contact: rjd107@georgetown.edu

Danny Holzman is a PhD student in the Psychology Department at Georgetown University. His research focuses on better understanding and enhancing human cognition. Before beginning his PhD, Danny worked in the neurotechnology industry doing research on noninvasive brain stimulation.

Contact: dh1097@georgetown.edu

Contact: cw823@georgetown.edu

Contact: km1735@georgetown.edu

Contact: mcp158@georgetown.edu

Contact: psn10@georgetown.edu

Contact: jp2030@georgetown.edu

Contact: dj506@georgetown.edu

Jackie Schlipp is the lead data analyst within the Provost’s Office of Academic Appointments. She is responsible for the coordination and execution of GU faculty internal reporting requests for the Office of Main Campus Faculty Affairs, the Office of Assessment and Decision Support, and in support of leadership across main campus. In addition, she oversees the ongoing design and development of more efficient business processes to improve the operations of the faculty affairs team. She also provides direct appointment oversight and support to the McDonough School of Business.

Jackie has been at Georgetown University since 2012. Before coming to GU, she worked as a Staff Accountant for payroll and an HRIS Analyst for HR at Chico’s FAS, Inc. in Fort Myers, FL. She earned a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Central Florida.

Contact: jc2338@georgetown.edu | 202.687.0704

Liza serves as the Senior Assessment and Learning Analytics Data Scientist for CNDLS. In this role, she works with all areas of CNDLS to do research and analysis projects, as well as quantify the impact of CNDLS programs and initiatives on the Georgetown community.

Liza received a B.A. in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and an M.S. in Higher Education Policy, Research, and Administration from Goucher College. She first joined Georgetown working in the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in 2021, and transitioned to CNDLS in 2023. Liza continues to liaise with OADS to facilitate the flow of data and ideas between the two offices.

Her passions include data storytelling and creative visualization, making data science more efficient, overanalyzing most situations, and petting dogs.

Contact: lm1466@georgetown.edu