Click a staff member's name for more info: Gwen C. Uman, R.N., Ph.D., Partner Harold N. Urman, Ph.D., Partner Patricia A. Yee, Ph.D., Senior Project Manager Muriel Wheatley, M.A., Director of Operations Courtney L. Malloy, Ph.D., Senior Project Manager Leo Weisbender, Ph.D., Senior Research Consultant Don Ashbrook, M.B.A., Senior Financial Analyst Kelly Fischer, M.A., Project Manager Andrea K. Nee, M.A., Research Associate Keith A. Gnagey, M.S., East Coast Regional Director Denise Capell-Villers, M.B.A., Marketing Communications Manager Vanessa Gamboa, Information Manager Norma Carrillo, Project Coordinator Amanda Sokoloff, Data Management Analyst Julie Anaya, Data Management Supervisor A.J. Diamond, Administrative Assistant Karilyn Mauerman, Research Assistant Tracey Harada, Research Assistant Steven Bray, Research Assistant Gina Marie Muņoz, Research Assistant Susan Dang, Research Assistant Yuliya Kim, Research Assistant Diana Dominguez, Secretary Chanel Tapper, Clerk Chris Walker, Technical Support Gwen C. Uman, R.N., Ph.D., Partner Dr. Uman co-founded Vital Research in 1982 with her classmate from USC School of Education, Dr. Harold Urman. She is a gerontological nurse practitioner and taught at both University of Wisconsin and UCLA Schools of Nursing before seeking an advanced degree to further hone her research skills. With a major in higher and post-secondary education and a minor in educational psychology (research methods and statistics), she brings content expertise in nursing, health care, education and training to Vital Research. Her methodological skills include research design, sampling theory, psychometrics, instrument development, quantitative and qualitative data analysis. She serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Gerontological Research and other long term care publications. She also serves on the Board of Directors at the Center for Healthy Aging in Santa Monica. Dr. Uman is married to a physician and has an adult son in the computer science field. She enjoys dogs, travel, cycling, and running. Harold N. Urman, Ph.D., Partner Dr. Urman co-founded Vital Research in 1982 with his classmate from USC School of Education, Dr. Gwen Uman. He is an educational psychologist who has taught at USC and UCLA and was a full-time statistical consultant at the USC Computer Center. With a major in educational psychology he brings a full range of educational research and research methodology skills to Vital Research. In addition to research design, psychometrics, instrument development, quantitative, and qualitative data analysis skills, he has special expertise in managing and manipulating large databases for secondary analysis. Dr. Urman is married to an architect and has two teen children. He enjoys movies, reading, exploring parts of the American west, and he runs and plays basketball regularly. Patricia A. Yee, Ph.D., Senior Project Manager Dr. Yee plans and manages educational and social service program evaluations. Her responsibilities range from research design, instrument development, data collection, to qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Her evaluation projects have included implementation of large-scale educational reforms and interventions, healthcare/domestic violence outreach, and a city-wide gang prevention program. Prior to joining Vital Research, Dr. Yee was a professional associate at the Southwest Regional Laboratory, where she managed program information systems designed to meet teacher and administrator planning needs, program evaluation reporting requirements and programmatic research considerations in basic learning skills and bilingual education. She received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Southern California, specializing in program evaluation and research. Muriel Wheatley, M.A., Director of Operations Ms. Wheatley directs and oversees the company's operational policies, objectives, and initiatives in all arenas of business operations including financials, staffing, marketing, and communications. She continues to provide consultation on complex senior services projects. Ms. Wheatley previously managed daily operations for the Senior Services division for seven years. She managed all aspects of the implementation of the 2002 and 2003 Ohio resident surveys in the country and, has overseen the Rhode Island and Minnesota statewide surveys.Ms. Wheatley's previous experience in geriatric research includes managing NIH and pharmaceutical grants at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and working with nursing home residents and their caregivers at the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Center, resulting in the validation of an internationally recognized neuropsychiatric inventory tool. Ms. Wheatley holds a Master's degree in Clinical Neuropsychology from the Vrije Universiteit of Armsterdam,The Netherlands. Ms. Wheatley is married to an award-winning children's songwriter and has two children. Courtney L. Malloy , Ph.D., Senior Project Manager As Senior Project Manager, Dr. Malloy's research responsibilities include research and evaluation design, instrument development, data collection, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and reporting client data. She is particularly skilled at utilizing qualitative data collection and analysis strategies in mixed-methods research. Dr. Malloy received her Ph.D. from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California (USC). She is Assistant Adjunct Professor at USC and currently teaches courses in research methods and accountability to help educational practitioners and community leaders improve their organizations through the use of data and evaluation. Prior to joining Vital Research, she was a postdoctoral research scholar and Assistant Director of the Center on Educational Governance at USC where her research focused on policy and educational reform. Dr. Malloy has published articles on the relationship between school governance and effective classroom practice, the roles of teachers in charter schools, school networks, and educational partnerships as vehicles for school improvement. Leo Weisbender, Ph.D., Senior Research Consultant Dr. Weisbender specializes in research and evaluation services that intersect among practice domains embedded in scientific psychology. His expertise in educational program evaluation i-ncludes defining variables for large population databases, designing research studies, constructing new measures, and writing reports. He has over 30 years' experience in administering the only research and evaluation unit in a large public school district (nearly 1 million enrollment K-12), has provided consulting services to government offices, private businesses, and universities, and as a professor of psychology has taught research and clinical courses. He is the author of numerous institutional research reports, and has been the principal investigator on many studies funded by governmental agencies. Dr. Weisbender earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of Southern California. Don Ashbrook, M.B.A., Senior Financial Analyst Mr. Ashbrook provides financial planning and analysis support to Vital Research. He monitors profitability and productivity, ensuring compliance with both short-term objectives and longer-term financial goals. Mr. Ashbrook brings over 20 years executive leadership from the financial services industry, including finance administration, human resources, quality assurance, and training and development. He has extensive knowledge of management theory and financial analysis systems. Mr. Ashbrook has a B.S. and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. He is married, has four sons, and lives in Apple Valley, California. Kelly Fischer, M.A., Project Manager Ms. Fischer provides research support and helps coordinate Senior Services projects and other projects at Vital Research. She brings six years of project management experience from her work in commercial printing. She also has experience in qualitative data collection and analysis from work in marketing ethnography, and assisting in proposal development for public outreach. Ms. Fischer received her B.A. in Fine Art from Pennsylvania State University, and a Master's in Cultural Anthropology from CSUN. Her thesis research and continued research interests focus on individual identity in relation to socioeconomics and cultural contexts. Andrea K. Nee, M.A., Research Associate Vanessa Gamboa, Information Manager Ms. Gamboa has worked for Vital Research since 1994, first starting as a secretary. She currently manages office operations including accounting and general administrative functions. She is also responsible for coordination of data management processing and provides functional direction for the Data Management Analysts. Ms. Gamboa received her Bachelor of Science at the Cebu Doctors College in the Philippines. Keith A. Gnagey, M.S., East Coast Regional Director Mr. Gnagey manages Vital Research, LLC, Senior Services in the Eastern United States. He has 25 years of leadership experience with organizations serving older adults. Formerly, Mr. Gnagey benefited as a client utilizing Vital Research Resident & Employee Satisfaction Surveys as part of AAHSA’s Quality First Program; he now enjoys promoting these surveys for other organizations. Keith holds a BA degree in Social Work (Eastern Mennonite University) and recently completed a MS Gerontology degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Keith advocates aging well for all elders: selecting safe living environments, leading active lifestyles, and choosing high quality services when needed. Keith is married to a professor and director of the Academic Support Center at Eastern Mennonite University. He and his wife live in Virginia and are parents of three young adults. Denise Capell-Villers, M.B.A, Marketing Communications Manager Ms. Capell-Villers is assigned to the task of maintaining the integrity and continuity of Vital Research's communications message. She oversees the development and production of collateral materials, manages the company's external communications, including mailings, press releases, email blasts, and conference materials. Prior to joining Vital Research, Ms. Capell-Villers worked as marketing manager for companies such as Gannett Outdoor, Packard Bell France, and Lieberman Research Worldwide. She earned a BA in Communications from California State University, Northridge and an MBA in marketing from UCLA's Anderson School of Management. Ms. Capell-Villers lives with her husband, a mechanical engineer, and their two children. Norma Carrillo, Project Coordinator Ms. Carrillo provides senior administrative support to professional staff. She organizes office and client meetings, prepares presentations and reports, maintains the Vital Research website, and oversees large mailings. She is also responsible for the oversight of all administrative staff. Ms. Carrillo earned a certificate in Computerized Business Systems at the Computer Learning Center in Los Angeles and is currently pursuing her Associates Degree at Pasadena City College. Amanda Sokoloff, Data Analyst Ms. Sokoloff supports the Project Managers with overseeing data tracking, managing large data files and survey and report production. She also develops the infrastructure for reporting of client data using Microsoft Access. Ms. Sokoloff previously utilized her technical and computer skills organizing visual effects projects in the entertainment industry. She holds a B.S. in Telecommunication from Kutztown University. Julie Anaya, Data Management Supervisor Ms. Anaya monitors and maintains data quality, and implements and maintains quality control systems. She plans and coordinates scheduling priorities. She is also responsible for the oversight of all Research Assistants. A.J. Diamond, Administrative Assistant Mr. Diamond provides administrative support to professional staff. He organizes office and client meetings, prepares presentations and reports, and oversees large mailings. He is also responsible for the oversight of all administrative staff. Karilyn Mauerman, Research Assistant Ms. Mauerman provides the Data Management Supervisor with qualitative and numeric data entry in an accurate and timely manner. She also provides general research study support to all project managers, such as data collection in the field, coding of data, phone interviews, preparing surveys for mailing, and processing of data files. Ms. Mauerman holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Business Management. She has a strong foundation in research from her experience in researching demographic variables while working in the commercial real estate industry. Tracey Harada, Research Assistant Ms. Harada's responsibilities include entering numeric data and qualitative comments into Microsoft Access databases and classifying them into different categories. She also schedules data collection appointments, conducts phone interviews, and performs light clerical duties to support research activities as needed. Ms. Harada holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from UCLA. Steven Bray, Research Assistant Mr. Bray provides general research study support to all project managers, such as data collection, coding of data, and phone interviews. In addition, he provides the Data Management Supervisor with qualitative and quantitative data entry and theming and is transcript coordinator for the office. Mr. Bray holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism with a minor in Economics from Eastern Washington University as well as a double Bachelor's degree in Theater and Music from Whitworth College. His spare time is spent pursuing creative interests in directing, writing, acting or traveling abroad. Gina Marie Muņoz, Research Assistant Ms. Muņoz holds her B.A. in Sociology from the California State University, Sacramento. She brings her expertise in heavy volume calls during an election campaign to our statewide senior services projects. She is responsible for scheduling resident interviews at nursing and residential care facilities and assigning field staff to scheduled facilities. Susan Dang, Research Assistant Ms. Dang recently joined our Data Processing Unit to provide the office with data entry, comment entry, and research study support. She is responsible for entering numeric data and entering qualitative comments and classifying them into different categories. She also assists with data collection in the field, codes quantitative data, conducts phone interviews, and prepares surveys for mailing. Ms. Dang is currently studying Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Yuliya Kim, Research Assistant Ms. Kim supports the office with data entry, mailing preparations, and general clerical tasks. Ms. Kim is currently attending Santa Monica College and is majoring in Physical Therapy. Diana Dominguez, Secretary Ms. Dominguez provides general clerical support to all of the Vital Research staff. She interfaces with clients, provides standard administrative services, front office reception, formats and prepares reports, maintains friendly client/staff relations and customer service. Chanel Tapper, Clerk Ms. Tapper supports the office with mailing preparations and general clerical tasks. Ms. Tapper is currently a senior at Hollywood High School. Chris Walker, Technical Support Mr. Walker supports the office with technical support. Mr. Walker is currently attending West Los Angeles College and is pursuing a computer science career.