The Research-to-Policy Collaboration relies on the coordinating power of a handful of staff who are supported by a range of voluntary researchers at various career stages. Working most closely on both brokering researcher-policymaker interactions as well as evaluating processes that optimize their impact are the RPC Co-Directors, Policy Associate, fellows, and interns. Read below to learn more about our exceptional team.
Max Crowley
Co-Director
dmc397@psu.edu
Max Crowley, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Human Development, Family Studies, and Public Policy, and directs the Prevention Economics Planning and Research Program. He is an expert in economic evaluation and the financing of early childhood programs and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Committee on the Use of Economic Estimates to Invest in Children, Youth and Families. This work sits at the intersection of human development, economics and public policy. Max leads multiple efforts to increase the use of evidence in the early childhood and health space in a thoughtful manner that will protect children and the public while mobilizing new resources to support evidence-based programming. Max is a frequent consultant and invited speaker on the economics of prevention for initiatives around the country. This includes ongoing consultation to many Federal and State agencies. Additionally, Max’s work involves utilizing advanced analytic designs, administrative data and technological solutions to optimize preventive strategies.
Taylor Scott
Co-Director
taylor.scott@research2policy.org
Dr. Taylor Scott is the Co-Director of the Research-to-Policy Collaboration, one of the various research translation strategies that she oversees as the Director of Research Translation in the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative. In 2015, she and Dr. Max Crowley launched the Research-to-Policy Collaboration via a pilot supported by the National Prevention Science Coalition. Since then, she has helped to develop it as a replicable, theory-based model as well as demonstrate its effectiveness with rigorous study. She also directs the RPC fellowship training program and oversees scholarly research activities that shed light on the best practices for research translation, science communication, and facilitating productive interactions between researchers and policymakers. In this capacity, she has consulted on myriad activities that bridge research and policy, supported congressional briefings and policy papers, and authored numerous peer-reviewed papers.
Brittany Gay
Associate director
of implementation Science
brittany_gay@research2policy.org
Brittany Gay earned her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Her research, which intersects developmental and community psychology, centers on the contextual factors that contribute to the well-being of children and their families. Aligned with her interests in evaluation, poverty, and education, Brittany has worked with organization and programmatic decision makers on issues such as juvenile workforce training, food insecurity, and early literacy engagement, consulting on feasible program goals and evaluation capacity development. She currently supports the implementation of the RPC through outreach to congressional staff and researchers and brokering collaborations between them. She also provides technical assistance for process evaluation.
Jessica Pugel
Associate Director
of Insights & Analytics
jessica_pugel@research2policy.org
Jessica Pugel earned her M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University. Throughout undergraduate and graduate training, she studied how structural factors of our immediate communities affect individuals, groups, and intergroup relations. These findings repeatedly pointed to the need to change the system to effectively improve relations, which contributed to her interest in policy. Her undergraduate honors thesis and graduate thesis both emphasized the importance of intergroup contact (political parties and ethnic groups, respectively). She was able to study yet another type of intergroup contact when she joined the RPC as an intern in January 2020: contact between researchers and policymakers. Now as a research associate, Jessica’s role includes (1) supporting analytic capacity, (2) enhancing researcher engagement, and (3) maintaining partnerships with related organizations.
Rachel Storace
Research Project Manager
rachel.storace@research2policy.org
Rachel provides support for the RPC by scheduling meetings with congressional offices, supporting researcher network enrollment and communication, and coordinating Rapid Response events and collaborations. She assists in the RPC’s evaluation by ensuring that implementation efforts are effectively documented and organized for reporting purposes. Rachel manages the RPC’s administrative needs and uses her role to develop and streamline procedures to ensure the group’s efficiency and organization. While earning her B.A. in Psychology, Rachel was involved in the Community Research and Evaluation Team and participated in the Research Scholars program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Ayana Best
Policy Associate
ayana.best@research2policy.org
Emily Warthman
Associate Director of Policy Operations
emily.warthman@research2policy.org
Emily Warthman earned her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. She also earned master’s degrees in Human Resources Management (Franklin University) and Public Health (Walden University). In previous legal and HR roles, Emily helped create positive work environments in public and nonprofit sectors, including in positions at a large municipality, a leading pediatric hospital, and a state supreme court. She has also worked closely with researchers and public officials on a variety of policy and personnel matters. Her current professional interests include interdisciplinary collaboration, optimizing operations, personnel management, equity in policymaking, and identifying and implementing best practices to support researcher and policymaker interactions. Emily oversees a variety of RPC implementation activities, in addition to fostering trusted relationships between the research and policy communities.
Beth Long
Director of Research and Evaluation
ecl5218@psu.edu
Elizabeth (Beth) Long earned her Ph.D. in Clinical and Translational Science from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her current research interests include investigating ways to improve the use of research in policymaking to improve lives and prevent problem behaviors, especially substance use disorders (SUDs). These interests grew out of her undergraduate and graduate research examining social, neuropsychological, and genetic risk factors related to SUDs, where she came to recognize the significant influence of environmental risk factors for SUDs and related problems, leading to her interest in informing large-scale impact through policy. She joined the RPC in 2018 to lead the quantitative evaluation of the RPC’s impact. More specifically, this work involves (1) survey development and programming; (2) data collection; and (3) data management and analysis. In addition to the quantitative evaluation of the RPC, Beth pioneered the evaluation methodology for examining strategies to optimize electronic research dissemination approaches to improve the reach of research syntheses among policymakers.
Victoria Stamadianou
research project manager
victoria.stamadianos@research2policy.org
Victoria Stamadianou earned her M.A. in Development Studies in Poverty, Conflict, and Reconstruction from the University of Manchester Institute for Development Policy and Management. She worked with London-based International Alert and partners to support conflict resolution in the Middle East and Asia. In her previous role as Senior Research Specialist with the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, she supported the evaluation of projects that aimed to improve the delivery of mental health and substance use treatment services. She has extensive experience in project design, project management, evaluation, and partnership building. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Qualitative, Quantitative, and Psychometric Methods at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Donna Hatch
Administrative assistant
donna.hatch@research2policy.org
Donna’s primary focus is communication for the Research-to-Policy Collaboration. She also provides administrative support by coordinating projects and streamlining procedures. Her background as a copywriter, historical researcher and blogger, workshop presenter, and a multi-award-winning historical romance author has refined her research and writing skills as well as her ability to be an effective communicator. She enjoys historical costuming, music, hiking, watersports, and dancing–everything from classical ballroom to Polynesian. Donna is pursuing a B.A. in Communications from Ensign College of Business.
Laura Huber
Administrative assistant
laura.huber@research2policy.org
Laura’s background in crisis management and legal services drew her to the RPC and their mission. She has assisted in practice areas of employment, Title IX, domestic violence, and sexual harassment. She has extensive experience with complex scheduling and building relationships through case management, collaboration, and community outreach. She utilizes this experience to support the implementation and administration of the RPC. Laura is currently pursuing a B.S./B.A in Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and intends to gain her J.D. specializing in constitutional law, as well as women, family, and LGBTQ+ issues.
Stephanie Silverstan
Administrative assistant
sbs7040@psu.edu
Stephanie provides administrative support to the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative by organizing meetings, managing records, and coordinating various projects. Her background in veterinary medicine and inventory management has given her strong communication skills and a keen eye for detail. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys reading, knitting, and hiking.
Sarah Davis
Administrative assistant
sarah.davis@research2policy.org
Sarah assists the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative with administrative support. Her background in business and certification in project management aids her in organizing meetings, coordinating projects, and tracking expenses with the administrative team. Her focus pertains to organization, continual growth and optimization, and building partnerships through effective communication. She enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and baking.
Fellowship and Internship Program
Many research training programs do not offer much training with regard to how researchers can engage and support the policymaking process. Moreover, there is substantial demand among junior scholars for hands-on experiences outside of academic settings. Our fellowship and internship program offers applied training experiences for junior scholars who desire experience with research translation and/or policy research. Applications are taken on a rotating basis.
Selected Interns become involved in at least one project that contributes to their professional development goals. Fellows contribute to the broadest array of activities, and earn this status after contributing 150 hours or more (i.e., approximately one full-time practicum or internship).
Not only does this opportunity provide a valuable training experience, the talented fellows and interns who work with us have expanded our capacity to:
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Respond to policymakers’ requests for research evidence and identify experts in the field
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Engage research experts from across the country in federal policy efforts
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Support events and congressional meetings at the Capitol
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Investigate how research evidence can be leveraged in legislation
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Evaluate our efforts to disseminate research to policymakers
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Present or publish, including peer-reviewed research papers as well as policy and practice briefs