Associates

MARC S. ABEL, Ph.D.
Dr. Abel received his B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Psychology from Oakland University in 1974, his M.S. in Physiology from Wayne State University in 1977, and his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from The University of Texas in 1981. From 1981 to 1990 he was a member of the Central Nervous System Research Department at Lederle Laboratories. He joined the faculty of the University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School in 1990. Dr. Abel is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for Neuroscience, and the American Association of Anatomists.


DAVID ANDRICH, Ph.D., FAASS
David Andrich is Dean and Professor in Education at Murdoch University in Perth Australia. Professor Andrich was Dean of Education from 1988-1990 inclusive, and has taken up this position again from June 2003. He is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Science. Professor Andrich's research interests include the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in social and educational research; educational, psychological and social measurement, test construction and assessment; intellectual development and the philosophy of social science. He has published many articles in psychological, educational, sociological and statistical journals, and is the author of Rasch Models for Measurement, published in Sage's series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. Professor Andrich has also written State and Federal Government Reports on Tertiary Entrance. He will have held ARC Large and Discovery grants continuously from 1985 - 2006. Professor Andrich has supervised or co-supervised doctoral and masters research theses in a range of content and methodology areas. In addition to theoretical studies in measurement and assessment, topics include gifted education, intellectual development, accreditation, emotional intelligence in organizations, and the study of attitudes.


ROY BERKO, D.Ed.
Roy Berko, who has won six national teaching awards, and is the author or co-author of 25 communication books, holds advanced degrees from the University of Michigan and Pennsylvania State University. He has been a college professor for over 35 years and a psychological counselor in private practice. He is the director of Communic-aid, an international consulting firm. His areas of expertise include interpersonal, intercultural, nonverbal, group, and public communication. Mr. Berko's most recent project is an Interpersonal Communication book based on the "Why Concept."

ANNA BERSKY, Ph.D., RN
For ten years, Anna served as the Director for the Computer Simulation Testing Project at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. She was responsible for all aspects of a national project investigating the feasibility of using computer simulations for the national nurse licensure examination. Anna was the Director of Disease Management at the Center on Outcomes Research and Education at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare where she directed research related to Critical Pathways and community health projects. She continues to consult with various groups on research and measurement issues. Anna received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Loyola University (Chicago), Master of Science in Nursing Education at DePaul University (Chicago) and Doctorate in Measurement, Evaluation Statistical Analysis (MESA) at the University of Chicago. She has taught at all three levels (diploma, associate, and baccalaureate) of registered nursing education where she was continuously in the process of developing and refining objective tests.


GARY BLAU, Ph.D.
Gary Blau, Ph.D. is a professor of Human Resources at the Temple University Fox School of Business and Management. He has taught at Temple since 1984. Gary is currently the Faculty Advisor for the Temple U. Main Campus SHRM Student Chapter and Department Chair. His research interests focus on understanding employee behaviors and attitudes. Prior to coming to Temple University, Gary taught at Miami University for several years. Before beginning work on his Ph.D., Gary worked in Human Resources for the Regional Transit Authority in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the past 15 years, Gary has delivered professional seminars on such topics as: Effective Supervision; Modifying Unproductive Employee Behaviors and Attitudes; Team-Building; Coping With Difficult People; and Retaining Your Key Employees. Gary completed his BA with a major in Psychology from SUNY at Albany, his MA in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Case Western Reserve U; his MBA and his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, from the University of Cincinnati. At Temple for the Fox School of Business and Management, Gary has served as the Assistant Dean of the MBA program and also Assistant Dean of Research.

HOPE BOCK, Ph.D.
Hope Bock received her BA and MA from Bradley University and PhD from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. All her degrees are in Communication. Ms. Bock had teaching positions at the University of Florida and Utah State before coming to the University of Evansville where she has been since 1983. Her teaching areas are public speaking, persuasion, small group, nonverbal communication and persuasion.


ELAINE CICHON, MA
Elaine Cichon holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Miami. Currently a fulltime faculty member in the Speech Communication Division at Florida International University in Miami, FL, she teaches Corporate Communication and Public Speaking. Publications include "Doctor-Patient Communication: Mutual Role Expectations," published in Communication Quarterly, "Cultural Differences in Public Speaking," published in World Communication, and "Practicing Active Listening" published in NCA's Communication Teacher. Her business credentials include consulting and training experience with General Physics Corporation on contracts with the United States Agency for International Development (in Peru, Bolivia, South Africa, Bulgaria, El Salvador, and Egypt), PECO Electric, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and DuPont. She has extensive sales experience in the publishing industry with national and international companies.

JOHN L. DEMAND, Jr.
John L. Demand is VP of Planning & Resource Development for IPC International Corporation, a security, investigation and protection company. He is also President of Rister Enterprises, Inc. Mr. Demand holds a BA from Northeastern Illinois University and graduated from Northwestern University's Police Administration Training.


LIDIA DOBRIA, MS
Ms. Dobria is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Wilbur Wright College where she teaches statistics and calculus courses. She is currently in the process of completing her doctoral studies in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (MESA) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She holds a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science and MS in Applied Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. While pursuing her doctoral degree, Ms. Dobria worked as a Senior Research Analyst for a medical education society where she worked on several Job Analysis studies. She also served as a consultant for the UIC MESA Lab, which provides statistical and measurement services to faculty and students. Her research interests include rating scale design and analysis for the measurement of latent constructs, studies of dimensionality, differential item functioning, standard setting, job task analysis, and, in general, applications of measurement to problems found in licensure and certification testing.

JOAN E. DOMINICK, Ph.D.
With twenty-four years of successful work in higher education, Dr. Joan E. Dominick is an award winning college educator with a professional history in the areas of adult education and communication. Dr. Joan E. Dominick holds a Doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Georgia and Masters and Bachelors Degree in Communication Arts and Sciences from Queens College, City University of New York. As a doctoral student, she was a University of Georgia Kellogg Fellow. Currently she is the Director of the Senior-Year Experience at Kennesaw State University. This program, which she designed during her tenure in the Governor's Teaching Fellowship Program, prepares seniors for their post-university experiences as productive national and global citizens. While at Kennesaw State University, she has chaired the Communication Department, won the 1996 Distinguished Teaching and the 1996 Regent's Distinguished Professor of Teaching and Learning at the university. Her project for the Regent's award was the design and implementation of a Presentation Technology Center to enhance the presentation skills of students across the campus.

PAUL ELKIN
Paul Elkin is the Chief Technology Officer for Internet-for-Doctors.com. Mr. Elkin has a computer science degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He has extensive experience managing, designing and developing traditional and Internet-based computer applications. Client relationship management, business process improvement, and methodologies are also areas of his expertise. Lucent Technologies and Prudential are just two of the many companies he has successfully helped.


JUDITH GAYNOR, Ph.D.
Judith Gaynor is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in Evanston and an Independent Evaluator on the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) being conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health. She received her PhD in psychometrics from Columbia University and her MA in clinical social work from the University of Chicago.


JOHN S. GENTILE, Ph.D.
John S. Gentile (Ph. D. in Performance Studies, School of Communication, Northwestern University) is the Chair of the Department of Theatre at Kennesaw State University in metro-Atlanta where he teaches speech communication and oral performance. He is a frequent speaker at conferences throughout the country and has worked extensively with public humanities Chautauqua programs. His book, Cast of One: One-Person Shows from the Chautauqua Platform to the Broadway Stage was published by the University of Illinois Press.


DEBORAH HEFFERIN, MA
Deborah Hefferin is a Professor of Communication at Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale. Since 1982, she has worked on various projects developing communication standards and competencies at the K-12 and college level. Her interests include taking these standards and working to develop teaching activities and assessment instruments. She has participated in special summer conferences on assessment for the National Communication Association and the American Association of Higher Education. Deborah is also a longtime member of the International Listening Association. She has conducted workshops and made presentations at all educational levels, from elementary students through university and also with many community and civic organizations. Interests in the discipline also include health communication. She worked to develop to develop "Communication for Interdisciplinary Health Teams," an introductory course for healthcare professionals, at Broward Community College. Deborah has been a member of the Technology Task force and is teaching on-line Public Speaking. Deborah served on the National Communication Association's Educational Policies Board and the Task Force for Florida Teacher Certification Exams. She is chairing the NCA Communication Assessment Commission. Awards and recognitions include: Endowed Teaching Chair from Broward Community College, the 1996 NCA Community College Educator Award, and the 2001 award for Outstanding Contributions to Communication Assessment.


BARBARA B. KESSEL, MA
Barbara B. Kessel is a Professor of Communication at Truman College, a port-of-entry school for immigrants to Chicago from 120 countries. She teaches public speaking, intercultural communication, group communication (meetings and teams), all in the weekday evenings. In the period 2000 - 2002, Ms. Kessel has completed a city-wide Beat Team training for CAPS, the Chicago police and community problem-solving program. She worked with police and citizen facilitators to develop the curricula, implement the training, and to create materials for such programs. Barbara has a passion to work with the community using the arts, multimedia and group performance. Degrees are a BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana, an MAT from The Johns Hopkins University and an MA in Speech from Northeastern Illinois University.

JOHN LINACRE, Ph.D.
John "Mike" Linacre is the developer of software widely used in constructing objective measures from judge-mediated observations. His computer program, "Facets", originated in 1986 in order to service the complex, high-stakes practical examinations of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. In these examinations, the competence of laboratory technicians to make slides of sections of the human body is assessed by senior pathologists using a complex judging and equating design. "Facets" was successfully applied to these data, and continues to be. Since then, Mike and/or "Facets" have participated in many rating and assessment endeavors in the educational and medical fields, such as the continuing evaluation of the Advance Placement English Literature and Composition Program for the College Board and Educational Testing Service. The Georgia (USA) High School Writing Test employs Facets as do the Minneapolis (USA) Public Schools for "prompt" equating, and a research project at the University of Northern British Columbia (Canada) for evaluating "Consistency of Writing Prompt Difficulties Across Elementary School Grades." Another of Mike's computer programs, "Winsteps", is also in widespread use for test analysis and measurement construction. Mike has an M.A. in Mathematics from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in Psychometrics from the University of Chicago. He worked closely with Benjamin D. Wright, the leading advocate of Rasch measurement, for over 15 years as a Research Associate at the University of Chicago. Mike recently relocated to Australia, but continues to develop measurement software and to consult internationally on educational and psychological measurement problems. He is an adjunct Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He has authored well over 100 published articles and conference papers. His comments regarding improving the quality of Olympic Figure Skating Judging were recently quoted in the Toronto (Canada) Globe-Mail .

DANIEL R. MAHER, RN, MSN, CNP
Daniel Maher currently works as a Nurse Practitioner in the section of Geriatrics at Rush University Medical Center. Previously, he worked several years for the Section Chief of Geriatrics at Resurrection Health Care's St. Joseph Hospital. He also manages a caseload of nursing home patients. Independently, and in collaboration with a physician, Mr. Maher provides comprehensive primary and preventive health care to a geriatric population in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including Nursing Home Facilities. His responsibilities include performing histories and physicals; ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests; patient/family education; participation in the education of medical residents; discharge planning and follow-up; liaison to home health agencies; research. Mr. Maher has presented at the American Geriatrics Society on Aging and at the first annual European Union Geriatric Medical Society in 2001. He graduated with honors from Loyola University Chicago with a Master of Science in Nursing. He is a certified Adult Nurse Practitioner.

CARTLON MARCYAN, JD, CPA
Carlton R. Marcyan is a certified public accountant and certified financial planner as well as an attorney. He is a partner with Schiller, DuCanto and Fleck where he is an experienced trial lawyer primarily focused on complex financial litigation.

STARR McCAFFERY
Ms. McCaffery's experience encompasses the whole domain of public relations: marketing communications, corporate reputation, consumer education, community relations and philanthropy, crisis and issues management, media strategy, and production supervision. Throughout her career she has served clients in the health care industry - from pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers to provider associations and insurers. She also has worked with organizations in food and nutrition, packaged goods, insurance, automotive, retail and e-commerce, telecom and utilities, and professional and world-class sports. Ms. McCaffery's work has been recognized with several Publicity Club of Chicago Golden and Silver Trumpet Awards and International Association of Business Communicators Awards of Excellence, a Chicago-Midwest Emmy and an Inside PR Creativity in Public Relations Award (CIPRA). She also was nominated in 1994, when she served as marketing communications manager for the Chicago Park District, for the Kathy Osterman Award recognizing the outstanding professional among nine municipal government agencies. Ms. McCaffery is a Chicago native and graduate of Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in English.

KEITH McCOY, MS
Keith McCoy is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Wilbur Wright College and also serves as the Assistant Chair of the Mathematics Department. He completed coursework as a Ph. D. candidate in Statistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and currently is completing a doctoral degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago in Measurement Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment (MESA). He earned his BS in Mathematics from Notre Dame and MS in Statistics from the University of Georgia. Mr. McCoy worked for four years as a Senior Research Analyst for the American Society for Clinical Pathology providing statistical and psychometric support. He also worked as a Research Statistics Specialist for Habilitative Systems, Inc. Mr. McCoy also consults with Chicago City Colleges to provide support for research initiatives. Mr. McCoy's dissertation topic is "Impact of Item Parameter Drift on Person Measures in a Computer Adaptive Environment."

CHRIS ORTIGARA, MBA
Chris Ortigara was Director of Marketing for 15 years with Fannie Mae. After completing her MBA in the Executive MBA Program at the University of Chicago, Ms. Ortigara was inspired to make a career change and took a Business Development position with KPMG, LLP. Chris recently left KPMG, LLP and is currently exploring various opportunities.


RICHARD QUIANTHY, Ph.D.
Richard Quianthy is a Professor of Communication and Program Manager at Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, where he teaches Public Speaking and is the recipient of an Endowed Teaching Chair. Richard has been involved with the development and assessment of speaking and listening competencies since 1983. He has served as chair of the National Communication Association's Communication Assessment Commission. He has been recognized by NCA as the Outstanding Community College Educator and for "Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Assessment." He was an invited presenter at the American Association of Higher Education conference on Assessment. He has served as the Executive Director of the International Listening Association and received its Special Recognition Award for outstanding service to the organization. Dr. Quianthy has also been active in the field of distance education. He was asked to make a special presentation on distance education to the Carnegie PEW Communication Fellows. He has developed and is teaching an online Public Speaking course which is currently being offered to college students. Richard has been active with the Health Communication Division of the National Communication Association. He attended and participated in the special summer conference on "Communication and Health" sponsored by the NCA. He assisted in the development of the course "Communication for Interdisciplinary Health Teams". He also served on the committee that evaluated the communication components of the Allied Health programs at his institution. Recently, Dr. Quianthy was the primary planner for the NCA conference strand on General Education. He is currently serving on the NCA General Education Task Force.


PAUL J. SANDIN, M.Div.
Paul J. Sandin is a faculty member of the Department of Communication Studies at Butler University in Indianapolis. He is the Director of The Speakers Lab at Butler, and heads the Communication-Across-the-Curriculum program as well. He is a leader at the national level of the National Communication Association, where he has presented many programs throughout the country. Mr. Sandin has a BA from Bethany College in West Virginia, and a Masters of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He was a marriage and family therapist for nearly 20 years before coming to Butler. Mr. Sandin trained and taught family therapy at the graduate level. Mr. Sandin has an extensive history of communication consulting with trade and governmental organizations, as well as private sector companies throughout the United States. Mr. Sandin is a writer-under-contract with Allen & Bacon, where he is co-writing a text on Communication Ethics. Along with articles published in national journals and newsletters, Mr. Sandin has published an article in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, as well as a communication manual for Major League Baseball.

JANICE DOWD SCHEUNEMAN, Ph.D.
Janice Dowd Scheuneman, PhD, has more than 25 years of experience in the testing industry with several years at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), Educational Testing Service, and The Psychological Corporation. As a consultant she has worked with numerous testing organizations to provide psychometric support for various projects including job analyses/role delineation studies. She has served on a project team for job analysis studies with organizations such as Professional Examination Service, Professional Testing Corporation, The Gartner Institute, American Association for Medical Transcription, and Opthalmic Photographers' Society. She also directed job analyses studies when on the staff of NBME. Dr. Scheuneman has numerous published articles and book chapters. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and is currently serving as a Commissioner for the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and on the Board of Editors for Applied Measurement in Education. She has her PhD from Indiana University, MS from Purdue University, and BS from the University of Washington.

THERESA SOMRAK, JD, CT(ASCP)
Ms. Somrak is an association executive with the American Society for Clinical Pathology, an educator and an attorney. Prior to joining ASCP she managed the Cytopathology Laboratory at University Hospitals of Cleveland. She received her law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Cleveland, Ohio and is a member of the Ohio Bar. Ms. Somrak currently is the Director, Distance Education Programs at ASCP and the principle investigator on two cooperative agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is an accomplished national and international author, editor and speaker with numerous publications and presentations in diagnostic cytopathology as well as proficiency testing, quality assurance, risk management and liability issues affecting healthcare.

LINDA J. WEBSTER, Ph.D.
Linda Webster is a Professor of Speech and Journalism at the University of Arkansas, Monticello, where she developed on-line courses in both disciplines, as well as a student newspaper in both print and electronic formats. She consults extensively with government, corporate, and community organizations. Linda was appointed by the governor and served four years on the Museums Services Board for the State of Arkansas. She is currently Assembly Chair for the University of Arkansas Monticello . Dr. Webster is a practicing journalist who writes on a variety of topics and is published in many venues. She is also experienced in multi-media and has produced oral history and music CDs. Dr. Webster publishes and presents scholarly work in the areas of women's studies, at-risk students, ethnographic methods, and theology. Dr. Webster earned her BS and MA in History from Southern Connecticut University, and a BA in Theology from St. Gregory's University. Her doctorate is in Rhetoric and Public Address from Louisiana State University.

ELLEN WOODS, MSC
Ellen Woods is an educator, fund-raiser and entrepreneur. For the past 12 years she has worked in the academic fundraising arena in Chicago. Prior to 1990, she taught art, art history and communication courses at various educational levels from grammar school to the community colleges, as well as the award winning Gallery 37. Since 1990, Ellen and her husband have harnessed their talents to form Sullivan and Associates, LLC. In her role as VP of Communications, she has to put into practice what she learned while attaining her Masters in the Science of Communication (MSC) at Northwestern University. Currently, she is fine-tuning the marketing, communications and customer service models that she analyzed and researched in this unique program. The roles of strategic planner and campaign coordinator are familiar to her. As a Senior Major Gifts Officer at Illinois Institute of Technology Ellen plays a key role in securing large gifts to the university. While Executive Director of Alumni Development she played a major role securing the largest gift ever to Roosevelt University. As manager of staff and builder of teams, her department is able to achieve and exceed its goals annually. Ellen sits as a director on three boards, raising money and awareness for these not-for profits.

JULIE YAROSH, MS
Julie Yarosh is a technology specialist with a broad range of business, technology, and international consulting experience. Julie has been focused on strategic planning, technological growth, and marketing while maintaining her hands-on expertise implementing IT solutions. International business consulting, client relationship management, and methodologies are also areas of her expertise. She successfully delivers IT solutions on time, within budget, and to customer satisfaction. Currently Ms. Yarosh is Senior Technology Manager for National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago where she manages Information Technology projects to support several large-scale healthcare, labor and economics research studies. Ms. Yarosh graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science and from DePaul University with a Master of Science in Computer Science.


KRISTINE NORDLIE WILLIAMS, Ph.D., RN, ARNP
Dr. Kristine Williams is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing (KU SON) where she teaches the Adult and Gerontological Health Care II course for graduate Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) students and provides academic advising. She recently collaborated on the implementation of the Clinical Nurse Specialist, Clinical Educator distance-learning track at KU SON and is a co-investigator for the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Centers on Aging and Telemedicine Geriatric Master Mentor Grant. As chair of the Curriculum Committee she is currently involved in the development of the Clinical Nurse Leader program at KU SON. She recently served on the review panel for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and John A. Hartford Foundation, Creating Careers in Geriatric Advanced Practice Nursing program. Dr. Williams' background includes practice experience in both CNS and NP roles, recognized in publications and national presentations. As a Clinical Nursing Consultant for a four-county home health agency in Maine, she developed home intravenous therapy and ventilator programs, developed comprehensive clinical policies and procedures, implemented a computerized record system, provided in-service education, and functioned as a clinical resource to staff in area home health offices. She has also served as a Quality Assurance Specialist and consultant for home health agencies nationwide. Dr. Williams is certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She has practice experience in Occupational Health and as the Primary Care practitioner for low income, medically indigent residents in Lawrence, Kansas. She participated in the development of the KU SON Family Nurse Practitioner program as a Clinical Assistant Professor prior to pursuing her doctoral education. She has served as a clinical educator of NP and CNS students in provider and faculty roles.