Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment
Program Evaluation Staff
Roy Kruger: Unit Director
Dr. Kruger, Evaluation Program Unit Manager, is responsible for providing overall management and direction to the unit. His primary duties are designing and implementing evaluation projects, identifying and promoting resource development, supervising program staff, monitoring project activities and budgets, and developing new products and services. Dr. Kruger’s
particular areas of expertise are program evaluation, program improvement,
data analysis, outcome assessment, evaluation technical assistance, and research methodology.
Theresa Deussen: Project Director
Dr. Deussen provides leadership for the Reading First Project. She has extensive research experience that includes work with refugees, drug and alcohol prevention and treatment, and education. Dr. Deussen coordinates training for evaluation on-site visit teams and mentors new evaluators. She has a focused interest in the evaluation of reading initiatives and her experience includes the Reading Excellence Act grants for Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Montana. She is currently directing work on the evaluations of Reading First Grants in Washington, Arizona, Alaska, while advising and providing technical assistance in Montana.
Phyllis Campbell Ault: Senior Evaluation Advisor
Ms. Ault has experience as a researcher, curriculum and program developer, and teacher. She has been the principal evaluator for numerous grant projects concerned with program and curriculum materials as well as staff development. Ms. Ault has evaluated federally funded technology grants, a statewide school-to-work initiative, and innovative programs in non-formal learning. She has expertise in conducting site visits, contextual observations, student work reviews, rubric development, data analysis, and analyses of quantitative and qualitative data. Ms. Ault is currently evaluating four programs to improve the teaching of American history, in addition to work with NSF-funded projects, inititives working with minority youth, and Parent Information Resource Centers.
Ann Davis: Senior Evaluation Advisor
Ms. Davis has extensive experience as a program evaluator, most recently as the Idaho state evaluator for the Regional Educational Laboratory project and the Northwest Eisenhower Regional Consortium for Mathematics and Science. Other experience includes evaluations of the Health Sciences/Biotechnology Magnet Program in the Portland Public Schools, a cost-benefit study for the Portland I Have a Dream Program, and the effect of the mathematics curriculum, Visual Mathematics, on student achievement. Her current responsibilities include evaluation design, planning and administration of data-collection instruments, implementation of scoring rubrics for high-performing learning communities, data collection monitoring, analyses of surveys, and student achievement data and reliability studies. Ms. Davis currently works on several different evaluation teams, including the Washington Reading First project.
Kari Nelsestuen: Senior Evaluation Advisor
Ms. Nelsestuen is an experienced field researcher with expertise in evaluation design, data analysis, and technical report writing. She has evaluated numerous public education and social service programs throughout the United States. Her current focus is on evaluating literacy initiatives, primarily state implementation of the federal Reading First program which seeks to improve K-3 reading in high-poverty schools. Additionally, Ms. Nelsestuen has evaluated programs in areas such as service learning, after-school education, middle school reform, and college preparation such as the federal GEAR UP initiative. In addition to training in evaluation, she has a served as a health educator and has worked in international education.
Bruce Miller: Senior Evaluation Advisor
Dr. Miller has extensive experience in research and development work across a wide range of educational areas and settings. Dr. Miller has conducted evaluations of national leadership training and community engagement programs as well as early college programs for Native American students. He also has experience evaluating the Gear Up program and for 10 years worked as a consultant to the Egyptian Ministry of Education. Currently, Dr. Miller is assisting schools to implement smaller learning communities and developing a field guide to help change facilitators work with low-performing schools. His current work also includes synthesizing research findings, program development, formative and summative evaluation, and outcome dissemination.
Annie Woo: Senior Evaluation Advisor
Dr. Woo has a strong background in research and evaluation, and is highly skilled in statistical analysis. She has published a number of technical reports and presentations on the evaluation and research projects serving high-risk populations. She has provided technical assistance and training in evaluation to school districts, school- and community-based alcohol, and other drug prevention and intervention programs. Dr. Woo has been the lead project evaluator on several Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) grants including Albina Head Start in Northeast Portland, Northwest Addictions Technology Transfer Center, Lincoln County Community Partnership, Regional Drug Initiative, Project Da Da Kidogo, and Project Network. In addition to her services to clients in the NWREL Evaluation Program, she currently leads evaluation planning in NWREL's Region X Comprehensive Center and the Northwest Eisenhower Regional Consortium for Mathematics and Science. Dr. Woo’s current projects include the evaluations of Small Learning Communities, Idaho Student Survey, Chess for Success Project, and Tribal Early Learning Opportunities Project.
Elizabeth Autio: Evaluation Advisor
Ms. Autio has been involved in evaluating programs for children and families for more than 10 years. Her primary areas of expertise include education reform, literacy, juvenile justice, research methods, and report writing. Ms. Autio is a key staff member on the Reading First evaluations and is also currently working on projects related to English language learners. Her responsibilities include evaluation design, instrument development, site visit training, data collection, data analysis, report writing and presentation.
Art Burke: Evaluation Advisor
Dr. Burke’s background comprises a variety of professional experiences, including examination coordinator for a medical school and private practice as an evaluation consultant. He also worked as a specialist in program evaluation in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon school districts. Dr. Burke is currently responsible for designing evaluation studies, analyzing results, and writing reports. Dr. Burke also consults with internal staff on research design and prepares grant applications.
Angela Roccograndi: Evaluation Advisor
Ms. Roccograndi has worked in a variety of settings at the county, regional, state, and national level. She has applied research experience in welfare reform, job training, and education. This experience includes program analysis of the O*NET 98TM database at the Commission for Workforce Excellence and Work KeysTM occupational profiles. Additionally, Ms. Roccograndi has worked with Even Start, charter schools, and teacher education programs as well as state-school district policies. She currently works on evaluations of Reading Excellence Act programs, Reading First, and reading tutoring programs.
Caitlin Scott: Evaluation Advisor
Dr. Scott has extensive experience in research and evaluation in areas such as school reform, English language arts instruction, and Reading First, a federal program aimed at improving reading in the early grades. She is particularly interested in education as a social justice issue. Her evaluation and research skills focus on using mixed methods, including research design, instrument development, observations, interviews, document reviews, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, report writing, and presentation of findings. She began her career in education as a classroom teacher of students with mild disabilities, administered a public school tutoring program, and worked as a staff writer for CATALYST-CLEVELAND, an education magazine covering Cleveland Municipal School District.
Margaret Gunn: Management Specialist
Ms. Gunn assists the evaluation staff with the production of evaluation reports and materials. This includes formatting and editing text, designing forms, creating graphic representations to illustrate narrative information, and incorporating evaluation information into PowerPoint presentations. She designs and maintains data bases, organizes and enters survey data, and serves as an administrative contact between evaluation project managers and client.
Tess Bridgman: Program Coordinator
Ms. Bridgman provides administrative support to the evaluation units. She prepares and administers survey questionnaires, and coordinates communication with schools and districts about data collection. She also sets up databases, and oversees data entry. Additionally, she is responsible for the formatting and editing of reports, including the creation of charts and data tables.