Aida Ali Akreyi is a research and data strategy expert with over a decade of experience in federal data collection, institutional research, and education policy. Most recently, she served as Statistician and IPEDS Operations Lead at the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, where she directed national postsecondary data collection, compliance, and reporting initiatives, ensuring data integrity, accessibility, and usability. Aida brings deep expertise in leading large-scale research projects, developing performance metrics, and translating complex data into actionable insights for policymakers, institutional leaders, and the public. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Policy from the University of California, Riverside, and is passionate about using data to inform systems change and expand opportunity.

Experienced leader in large-scale assessment and psychometrics with over 25 years specializing in educational measurement, statistical analysis, and data-driven reporting. Recognized for managing complex national and international assessment programs and coordinating cross-functional teams through all phases of test development, validation, administration, and analysis. Adept at translating sophisticated data into actionable insights and effectively communicating results to all.

Experienced mathematical statistician with a wide range of research and analytic skills. In-depth experience with all aspects of survey research, including conceptual development, survey design management, and quantitative data analysis using appropriate statistical methodology. Specific expertise in data confidentiality and statistical disclosure limitation procedures. Effective written and oral communication skills.

Experienced in team leadership, project management, oral and written presentation, recruitment and outreach, Elise brings passion and focus to her projects.

Most recently, at NCES, Elise managed six simultaneous large, nationally representative longitudinal studies of high schoolers into adulthood, resulting in the release of over 10 national-level datasets of survey and administrative data with supporting documentation and supplementary tables. Every product release was on-budget and on-schedule, meeting Congressional mandates for NCES data release and NCES Standards for high data quality.

Kristi is a sociologist with expertise in research design, data analysis, and stakeholder communications. At NCES, she led the Digest of Education Statistics, which is a core statistical reference that covers education topics from early childhood to K-12, post-secondary, and adult outcomes, all across several equity dimensions. Her prior experience includes working with state and local education organizations, including the city of Newark, NJ, and Saint Louis Public Schools, on community-driven research projects. Kristi has more than 10 years of experience with quantitative data analysis and writing for technical and non-technical audiences.

Kathleen Flanagan has led numerous evaluation and large-scale assessment projects. Innovative course modules that show educators how to take charge of classroom and school outcomes are available at chartingyourowncourse.com.

Senior project leader with over 20 years of experience managing federal statistics projects and tasks in both federal and contract settings. Subject matter expertise in high school transcript study analysis and knowledge of various education and health datasets. Expertise in program coordination, statistical analysis, technical writing and editing, and dissemination planning. Experience working in state and local education organizations on K-12 education accountability and performance measures.

Most recently at NCES, Linda served as project leader responsible for leading the U.S. data collection of 2023 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) as well as the 2019 and 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript Studies (HSTS). She presented key findings from the ICILS 2023 U.S. Highlights Report to staff from the Secretary of Education, White House, and Congressional offices and the 2019 NAEP HSTS Results at several National Assessment Governing Board meetings. In addition, she oversaw the development of various presentations, briefing books and press releases, and led in preparing for the NCES Commissioner’s media briefing, resulting in useful and policy-relevant national media coverage. She managed the restart of the NAEP HSTS and established policies and procedures for a new middle school transcript data collection. Early in her career, she conducted statistical analysis using SAS, SUDAAN, and Wesvar for a variety of private organizations looking at national health metrics and developed database applications for collecting data.

Linda also has considerable federal acquisition and contract experience working with program leaders and contract officers to manage the First International Consolidated National Contract for three international studies, and Education Statistics Service Institute Network (ESSIN) and Procurement of Research Evaluation and Statistics (PRESTO) task orders. She led in developing solicitations for and rewarding several of these task orders, reviewed contract proposals, monitored contract performance and budgets, and prepared contract modifications.

Since 2015, David Richards worked as a study director at the National Center for Education Statistics, in the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences, with responsibility for large, nationally-representative postsecondary sample survey studies.

I specialize in education research studies by guiding diverse teams of programmers and analysts through the entire research lifecycle. My skills include designing and implementing complex data processing systems, programming custom solutions, and executing procedures for data cleaning and editing, reporting, analytic variable derivation, data matching, and data dissemination. I specialize in managing technical operations for education research, leading business development initiatives, establishing rigorous quality control standards for consistency and accuracy, and fostering collaboration through cross-team events to enhance partnerships and drive innovation.

I’m a Researcher with over two decades of experience designing, implementing, and analyzing large-scale education assessments. My work focuses on uncovering meaningful patterns in student learning—across countries, cultures, and contexts—through rigorous data collection and thoughtful analysis.

At the American Institutes for Research (AIR), I collaborated with federal agencies and partner organizations on the U.S. implementation of PISA, a global assessment of student literacy conducted in over 80 countries. This experience deepened my understanding of how school systems and cultural factors shape educational outcomes, and strengthened my ability to translate complex data into practical, evidence-based takeaways. I’ve led technical reviews, managed sensitive student data, and supported the development of high-quality publications under tight deadlines. Beyond analysis, I’ve guided dissemination efforts through in-depth statistical reports, tailored presentations, media briefings, and practitioner-friendly briefs. I also spearheaded the RISE webinar series, which highlights global education research and encouraged dialogue across policy, practice, and research communities.

I’ve always loved the mix of precision, analysis, and people in my work—whether I’m refining survey tools, exploring complex datasets, or mentoring junior staff. I care deeply about making data clear and useful, and I bring empathy and attention to detail to every aspect of the process. Years of remote collaboration have also sharpened my ability to stay organized, meet tight deadlines, and stay connected across teams and time zones.

I’ve seen how much we can learn from different education systems—whether across countries or across states—by comparing student and school-level factors like motivation, instructional methods, and learning environments. Rigorously designed assessments don’t just measure what students know; they help us understand how students learn and grow. I’m committed to using research to shape smarter education policies and create more equitable opportunities for all learners.

Maura Spiegelman is a survey methodologist with more than 15 years of experience in social science research. She served as the Study Director for the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) for nearly 10 years, a system of interrelated surveys of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers. She has extensive experience in all aspects of survey data collection, including questionnaire development, designing data collection protocols, data processing and weighting, analysis, and rigorous documentation. Her research includes innovations to increase survey response rates while lowering respondent burden. This includes using extant data and commercial data, utilizing new survey and communication modes, and testing incentives and contact materials. She holds a PhD in survey methodology from the University of Maryland.