Meet the REL Pacific Staff

Christina Tydeman, REL Pacific director, provides leadership and oversight on the REL Pacific scope of work including training, coaching, and publications. Christina holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Hawai'i, an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Dominican College, and a B.A. in Speech and Drama from California State University. Contact Christina at ctydeman@mcrel.org.

Kellie Kim, deputy director, helps to develop new research opportunities and create new insights that help educators address their most pressing challenges under the REL Pacific contract. Kellie holds a B.S. in Political Science and Diplomacy from Ewha Women's University, a Master's degree in International Relations and Affairs from the Elliot School of International Affairs, and an Ed.D. in Human Development and Education Policy Studies from The George Washington University. Contact Kellie at kkim@mcrel.org.

Sheila Arens, executive director of research, evaluation & technical assistance, serves as both principal investigator for REL Pacific research studies and quality control manager to ensure that REL Pacific research studies meet IES standards for research and analyses. Sheila holds a Ph.D. in Inquiry Methodology from Indiana University, Bloomington, and an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Contact Sheila at sarens@mcrel.org.

Mya Birrell-Jackson, administrative specialist, provides administrative support to REL Pacific office staff, including scheduling meetings, transcribing meeting minutes, preparing documents, generating reports, monitoring project deliverables, and coordinating travel arrangements. Mya holds a B.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy from Schiller International University. Contact Mya at mbjackson@mcrel.org.

Paul Burkander, managing researcher, provides input to and supports crucial aspects of evaluation designs and methods; advanced statistical data analyses; management of large-scale and complicated datasets; and proposal writing. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University, where he was an IES pre-doctoral fellow. Contact Paul at pburkander@mcrel.org.

Judy Counley, new media developer, develops creative solutions for clients by providing technical expertise, graphic design and multimedia support, as well as website design and development. Judy attended the Leo Marchutz school for Art in Aix-en-Provence, France and holds a B.F.A. in Digital Artistry from the Metropolitan State University at Denver. Contact Judy at jcounley@mcrel.org.

Ben Cronkright, consultant, provides support for REL Pacific research studies and project planning through coaching, guidance, and needs-sensing efforts in leadership development and systems improvement. Ben holds an M.A. in Educational Leadership and a B.A. in History/English from Saginaw Valley State University. Contact Ben at bcronkright@mcrel.org.

Marisa Crowder, researcher, supports REL Pacific partnership members in their work to promote students' college and career readiness and success by fostering social and emotional learning in schools and building transition courses that help more students attain college math credit. Marisa received her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Social Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno, and an M.A. and B.A. in Psychology from SDSU. Contact Marisa at mcrowder@mcrel.org.

Kent Davis, managing consultant, conducts workshops and training for K–12 teachers and administrators on research-based leadership and instructional practices, including principal and teacher evaluation. Kent holds a doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision from Arizona State University, and an M.Ed. and B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona. Contact Kent at kdavis@mcrel.org.

Erin D'Amelio, research associate, provides research and consultation support for a variety of projects under the REL Pacific contract. Erin holds an M.S.Ed. in International Educational Development from University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in English and French Language from Lafayette college. Contact Erin at edamelio@mcrel.org.

Darienne Dey, research associate, provides research and consultation support for a variety of projects under the REL Pacific contract. Darienne earned an M.Ed. in Teaching through the Ho'okulāiwi Program at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, a Hawai'i State Teaching License in Secondary Mathematics and Secondary Science, and a B.A. in Archaeology from Stanford University. Darienne is also currently earning a Ph.D. in Education at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Contact Darienne at ddey@mcrel.org.

Katie Gao, managing researcher, supports REL Pacific in both research and dissemination through content creation and design, quality assurance, and technical assistance on various REL projects. Katie holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and a B.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Central Arkansas. Contact Katie at kgao@mcrel.org.

Halley Halford, administrative specialist, provides administrative support to REL Pacific office staff, including formatting documents, preparing information packets for meetings, assisting with data entry, and generating reports. Halley received her bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication Studies from California State University. Contact Halley at hhalford@mcrel.org.

Diana Hirabayashi, communications manager, supports the scope and goals of REL Pacific visibility efforts, including publications, website content, and presentations. She is a former reporter and copy editor for a local community publication. Diana has a B.A. in English and Journalism from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Contact Diana at dhirabayashi@mcrel.org.

Kanoa Ishihara, administrative specialist, supports REL Pacific's research and leadership staff with various administrative duties, bringing a wealth of experience from education, government, and the private sector to his duties at REL Pacific. Kanoa holds a B.S. in Communications Management and Design from Ithaca College. Contact Kanoa at kishihara@mcrel.org.

Andrea Kreuzer, project specialist, is a certified project management professional (PMP) and supports management of scope, budget, and timelines for REL Pacific projects. Andrea holds a B.S. in Cinema/Photography from Ithaca College, an M.A. in Museum Studies from The George Washington University, an MCPM in Project Management from Wisconsin School of Business, and a graduate certificate of advanced study in Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University. Contact Andrea at akreuzer@mcrel.org.

Kirsten Miller, communications manager and dissemination lead, has 19 years of experience managing dissemination, communications, and quality assurance for Federal contracts, focusing specifically on translating complex information into user-friendly, accessible tools and products for a variety of stakeholders. Kirsten holds a B.A. in English from Southern Utah University. Contact Kirsten at kmiller@mcrel.org.

Tameka Porter, managing consultant, provides technical assistance to state and local education agencies and other stakeholders by delivering and supporting high quality professional learning, capacity building, and sustainable practices. Tameka holds a B.S. in the Management of Human Resources from the University of South Carolina-Columbia, an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from American University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University. Contact Tameka at tporter@mcrel.org.

Bradley Rentz, researcher, provides research and consultation support for a variety of projects under the REL Pacific contract, primarily in the areas of language policy and literacy. Brad holds both a Ph.D. and M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and a B.A. in German and Linguistics from Marquette University. Contact Brad at brentz@mcrel.org.

Susan Ryan, program manager, coordinates REL Pacific timelines and project activities, while reporting on project progress and budgets. Susan is a certified English language arts teacher and a standards expert, with extensive experience with Hispanic and Hmong students. Susan holds a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado and completed the teaching licensure program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Contact Susan at sryan@mcrel.org.

Savannah Sato, administrative specialist, supports REL Pacific's research and leadership staff with various administrative duties, bringing prior experience as a teacher and administrative assistant to her duties at REL Pacific. Savannah received her master's of religious education in office administration from West Coast Baptist College. Contact Savannah at ssato@mcrel.org.

Natasha Saelua, researcher, specializes in higher education assessment and accreditation, supporting a variety of projects through research and consultation under the REL Pacific contract. Natasha will earn her Ph.D. in higher education from Indiana University and holds a B.A. in history and an M.A. in Asian American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Contact Natasha at nsaelua@mcrel.org.

Meagan W. Taylor, managing consultant, supports educator effectiveness and early learning for the REL Pacific contract. Meagan holds dual bachelor's degrees in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, and a master's degree in Education from National University. Meagan received her administrative license from Brigham Young University and achieved National Board Certification in Elementary Reading and Language Arts. Contact Meagan at mtaylor@mcrel.org.

Debra Van Zile, administrative specialist, supports REL Pacific's training, coaching, and technical assistance work. She has a B.S. in Business Management and is certified to teach English as a foreign language. Contact Debra at dvanzile@mcrel.org.

Jason Victor, communications specialist, supports REL Pacific's communications work by assisting with the development of blogs, infographics, videos, and other projects. Jason has an M.A. and a B.A. in English from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Contact Jason at jvictor@mcrel.org.

Mark Yu, researcher, provides research and consultation support to REL Pacific. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia, an M.S.Ed. in Counseling and Mental Health Services from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Guam. Contact Mark at myu@mcrel.org.