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Leah Dyson brings over two decades of experience within human services and the pursuit of health and well-being as a strategic planner, organizational and business developer, partnership builder, and facilitator. She has expertise in behavioral health and direct community programming. Dyson has worked on technical assistance, implementation, capacity-building, organizational transformation, and qualitative evaluation efforts with a number federal agencies and partners, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Veterans Health Administration (VHA). She also has worked within academic, nonprofit, and local government spaces, implementing informed and practical responses to organizational and community needs and bridging stakeholder perspectives.

Dr. Janet Gordon has over 20 years of experience in designing, directing, and conducting research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects aimed at improving the health and well-being of adults, youth, and children in the U.S. and its territories. She has partnered with federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education to build and evaluate programs focused on teaching the next generation of STEM professionals. She has implemented and evaluated state programs for working with, State Education Agencies, colleges/universities, and private foundations. Dr. Gordon is skilled in innovative database solutions to create new insightful knowledge for federal, state, tribal, and local agencies for evidence of effectiveness to inform policy, cost effectiveness, and best practices.

Dr. Lauver has over 25 years of experience as a researcher, evaluator, project director, and technical assistance (TA) provider at the local, state, and federal levels. Her work spans leading initiatives for the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CLCC) Program; youth development and out-of-school-time learning programs, including serving families and students with disabilities; and teacher professional development in literacy, mathematics, and science. Additional areas of specialization include research and evaluation studies involving quantitative and qualitative methods. A subject matter expert in P-12 education policy, she has produced extensive bodies of knowledge used by thousands of educators at state education agencies, local education agencies, and charter schools.

Maria Francisco has over three decades of professional experience focusing on global health issues and health care delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries. She has held positions in the public and non-profit sectors, serving in senior advisory, management, and leadership roles for a wide range of initiatives. She brings leadership in the areas of public health program and policy development, having worked extensively in maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and health systems strengthening programs throughout Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. She has led large multi-country flagship programs for USAID as a senior advisor for child health and immunization. She served on strategic multilateral fora for the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, GAVI Health System Strengthening, and Community Integrated Management of Childhood Illness. She also served in senior technical roles with USAID in Kenya and Vietnam. As an implementing partner, she provided technical direction in health systems strengthening and programming under USAID’s Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (HSSA), Quality Assurance Project, MOMENTUM, Acting to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East, and the Maternal and Child Survival Program.

Meghan Hendricksen, Ph.D., MPH has more than a decade of healthcare research and project management experience, with expertise in gerontology, and long-term care in health care settings. She has extensive experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research for federal, state, and nonprofit clients, ranging from interviewing nursing home staff and residents to conducting complex quantitative analyses of large datasets like the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Her skills include data and team management across multiple complex projects, developing data collection instruments, as well as the production of research protocols and training research teams.

Jennifer S. Riggs, Ph.D., brings her extensive research, policy, and nursing experience to improve care for patients, especially older adults. Her clinical area of expertise is Medicare-certified home health and home and community-based care for adults and older adults with multiple co-occurring chronic conditions and complex care coordination needs.

Teresa Mota, BSN, RN is an Associate/Nurse Researcher and a sought-after clinical researcher on federal and state projects emphasizing aging, long-term care, and improving the care experience. Mota has an extensive clinical and health services research background in geriatric nursing, and she specializes in post-acute care, quality improvement (QI) and supporting community-based providers and stakeholders to assist them in the identification of best-practices, develop resources and tools, communications, and implementation of QI initiatives. Mota also participates in data collection, measurement, analysis, and reporting related to these programs.

Matthew Sweeney leads business development and account management for Abt’s portfolio of work at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). With more than 20 years of healthcare experience partnering with federal agencies, small businesses, and the private sector, Sweeney has led large research and operational projects focused on various dimensions of alternative payment models, including:  implementing and validating quality measures, program support for hospital pay-for-performance programs, and advising clients on the design and refinement of their value-based purchasing arrangements.

Dr. Jessica Thornton Walker is an accomplished researcher and the leader of Abt’s quantitative methods team who brings 20 years of experience designing and implementing policy-relevant research. She is a recognized expert in large-scale, multi-site evaluations to assess the impacts of social policies and programs in housing and homelessness, child welfare, adolescent risk-taking behaviors, and substance use.In her role as the Quantitative Methods Lead, Dr. Walker is responsible for the management, staffing, budgeting, solutioning, and strategy that guides the work of 120 quantitative research staff and ensures Abt provides high-quality technical delivery and innovative solutions tailored to clients.

Carolynn Poulsen is the Director of Abt’s Global Health Security Account. She has nearly 20 years of experience overseeing the design and implementation of global health programs focusing on infectious disease and health systems strengthening. Poulsen is fluent in French and Spanish and has supported the delivery of effective global health solutions in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.