Joan I. Heller, Ph.D. — Co-Director
Joan is a cognitive instructional psychologist with special interest in analyzing school-based learning and thinking. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she did doctoral and postdoctoral work at the Learning Research and Development Center. For the next decade, Joan taught in a graduate program in science and mathematics education and directed several educational research projects at UC Berkeley. On these projects she designed and assessed instructional materials and conducted research evaluating teacher and student learning in response to experimental classroom interventions. In 1992, Joan joined the Center for Performance Assessment in the research division at Educational Testing Service, where she conducted research on projects involving assessment of complex academic abilities. She founded Heller Research Associates in 2000 to devote her professional efforts to addressing the needs of educational improvement projects.
At HRA, Joan oversees all research and evaluation projects, develops new projects and funding, works with clients to develop logic models and conceptual frameworks, reviews research plans and data collection instruments, supervises qualitative and quantitative data collection and analyses by staff and outside consultants, and writes reports and papers. She also participates actively in managing the small company, developing and monitoring budgets, contracts, human resources, and facilities.
Joan is an award-winning sculptor with an undergraduate degree in studio art. She is usually attached at the hip to a small dog, likes to watch baseball and golf, loves to read, and specializes in doing the laundry.
To view Joan's publications, click here.
You can contact Joan at jheller@gordonheller.com.
At HRA, Joan oversees all research and evaluation projects, develops new projects and funding, works with clients to develop logic models and conceptual frameworks, reviews research plans and data collection instruments, supervises qualitative and quantitative data collection and analyses by staff and outside consultants, and writes reports and papers. She also participates actively in managing the small company, developing and monitoring budgets, contracts, human resources, and facilities.
Joan is an award-winning sculptor with an undergraduate degree in studio art. She is usually attached at the hip to a small dog, likes to watch baseball and golf, loves to read, and specializes in doing the laundry.
To view Joan's publications, click here.
You can contact Joan at jheller@gordonheller.com.
Nicole Wong, Ph.D. — Co-Director
Nicole loves thinking about how people think. She received her B.A. in Cognitive Science from Northwestern University and spent several years as a Montessori School teacher in Chicago before moving to the Bay Area. While shedding her midwestern ability to tolerate cold (and hot) weather, Nicole earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Conceptual Underpinnings of Evolution project.
In her role as Co-Director of Heller Research Associates, Nicole leads evaluation and research studies in science, mathematics, and data science education. She develops research plans and data collection instruments, conducts and supervises qualitative and quantitative data collection and analyses, and writes reports and papers. She provides expertise in qualitative research, including the design, implementation, and analysis of user testing of educational software, cognitive interviews of adults and children, open-ended written assessments, and classroom observations with video documentation. Her current projects include studies of teacher professional development in physics, chemistry, biology, and algebra, and cognitive research on students’ use of online data visualization tools.
Nicole is also a roller skate and hula hoop enthusiast and a devoted cat mom. In her free time, she is working toward landing a triple axel on roller skates and helps her cat, Hammy, practice his circus tricks.
To view Nicole's publications, click here.
You can contact Nicole at nwong@gordonheller.com.
In her role as Co-Director of Heller Research Associates, Nicole leads evaluation and research studies in science, mathematics, and data science education. She develops research plans and data collection instruments, conducts and supervises qualitative and quantitative data collection and analyses, and writes reports and papers. She provides expertise in qualitative research, including the design, implementation, and analysis of user testing of educational software, cognitive interviews of adults and children, open-ended written assessments, and classroom observations with video documentation. Her current projects include studies of teacher professional development in physics, chemistry, biology, and algebra, and cognitive research on students’ use of online data visualization tools.
Nicole is also a roller skate and hula hoop enthusiast and a devoted cat mom. In her free time, she is working toward landing a triple axel on roller skates and helps her cat, Hammy, practice his circus tricks.
To view Nicole's publications, click here.
You can contact Nicole at nwong@gordonheller.com.
Alyson Spencer-Reed — Director of Finance & Administration
Alyson graduated from Dartmouth in 1993 with a B.A. in Anthropology and Environmental Studies. She spent most of the next decade working in social services, first with emotionally disturbed adolescent girls at a residential program in MA, and later with homeless women and children in San Leandro and Alameda, CA.
Alyson joined Gordon & Heller, Inc. in 2002 as Office Manager, scheduling dozens of students' weekly educational therapy sessions and keeping the office in order. Over the last 16 years, her job has enjoyed considerable evolution, including a relocation to New England. Besides handling finance, human resources, and administrative matters, Alyson monitors the accuracy and integrity of HRA's data files, spiffs up our research instruments and reports before they leave our offices, and provides general support and guidance in managing the business. When she is not at work, she is delighted to be playing trombone in local ensembles, working on the set crew for her kids’ theater group, and attempting to coax vegetables out of the Maine soil for her family's delectation.
You can contact Alyson at aspencerreed@gordonheller.com.
Alyson joined Gordon & Heller, Inc. in 2002 as Office Manager, scheduling dozens of students' weekly educational therapy sessions and keeping the office in order. Over the last 16 years, her job has enjoyed considerable evolution, including a relocation to New England. Besides handling finance, human resources, and administrative matters, Alyson monitors the accuracy and integrity of HRA's data files, spiffs up our research instruments and reports before they leave our offices, and provides general support and guidance in managing the business. When she is not at work, she is delighted to be playing trombone in local ensembles, working on the set crew for her kids’ theater group, and attempting to coax vegetables out of the Maine soil for her family's delectation.
You can contact Alyson at aspencerreed@gordonheller.com.
James Owen Limbach — Senior Research Assistant
Owen has had experience with research and data in a wide variety of contexts. He has worked with multiple San Francisco bay area non-profits for the past 10 years on database maintenance, updates, and migrations. Owen earned an A.A. degree in LGBT Studies from San Francisco City College in 2012, and a B.A. in Archaeology from San Francisco State University in 2014. While at SFSU he worked with database maintenance and archaeological research in the NAGPRA Department, identifying artifacts and human remains for the purpose of reunification with Native Californian tribes. Other work experience includes customer service, teaching assistance, office administration, and construction.
In his position at Heller Research Associates, Owen draws on this varied background to assist with projects at multiple stages of development, research, design, and analysis. He is our data superhero, wrestling unruly data files into orderly submission. He also assists in the creation of research instruments and reports.
Owen stays active by hiking and camping, crafting, writing, painting, and trying to keep up with his growing family. He's passionate about learning and is currently studying diverse topics ranging from SQL computer language to urban permaculture design.
You can contact Owen at olimbach@gordonheller.com.
In his position at Heller Research Associates, Owen draws on this varied background to assist with projects at multiple stages of development, research, design, and analysis. He is our data superhero, wrestling unruly data files into orderly submission. He also assists in the creation of research instruments and reports.
Owen stays active by hiking and camping, crafting, writing, painting, and trying to keep up with his growing family. He's passionate about learning and is currently studying diverse topics ranging from SQL computer language to urban permaculture design.
You can contact Owen at olimbach@gordonheller.com.
Sheryl R. Kaskowitz, Ph.D. — Senior Research Associate
In 2017, Sheryl Kaskowitz happily returned to Heller Research Associates after an absence of more than ten years, bringing new expertise in qualitative research and writing. She earned her Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Harvard and adapted her dissertation into the book God Bless America: The Surprising History of an Iconic Song (Oxford University Press, 2013). Most recently, she served as Staff Editor at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, where she worked on a wide range of projects focusing on equity in public education. Previously, Sheryl worked as a Research Assistant at Heller Research Associates and in nonprofit administration and grant-making in the Bay Area.
In her current work at Heller Research Associates, Sheryl draws on her experience in educational justice and her qualitative research skills to manage the evaluation of a five-year program to improve retention and success of Latinx and low-income students in college-level STEM majors. Her work on this project involves designing research plans and instruments, conducting interviews and observations, coordinating with college administrators, analyzing data, and writing reports and summaries. She also assists with data collection, analysis, and writing for other HRA projects.
Sheryl has sung in groups since her fourth-grade all-city chorus, and is a founding member of the women’s vocal group Solstice. She is also at work on a second book, about two women who collected folk music for a covert government music project during the New Deal. Sheryl enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and her dog Madame President (Maddie for short).
You can contact Sheryl at skaskowitz@gordonheller.com.
In her current work at Heller Research Associates, Sheryl draws on her experience in educational justice and her qualitative research skills to manage the evaluation of a five-year program to improve retention and success of Latinx and low-income students in college-level STEM majors. Her work on this project involves designing research plans and instruments, conducting interviews and observations, coordinating with college administrators, analyzing data, and writing reports and summaries. She also assists with data collection, analysis, and writing for other HRA projects.
Sheryl has sung in groups since her fourth-grade all-city chorus, and is a founding member of the women’s vocal group Solstice. She is also at work on a second book, about two women who collected folk music for a covert government music project during the New Deal. Sheryl enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and her dog Madame President (Maddie for short).
You can contact Sheryl at skaskowitz@gordonheller.com.
Selena Burns, Ph.D. — Senior Research Associate
Selena joined HRA in 2015 after completing a Ph.D. at NYU. Her dissertation involved exploring how third graders’ conceptual understanding of the abstract concept “being human” changed in the context of a drama-based pedagogy. She has a B.A. from Wellesley College (Summa Cum Laude; Phi Beta Kappa), and an M.A. from Stanford University.
Selena has been involved in the field of education both professionally and as a volunteer for more than 20 years as a tutor, instructor, or researcher. She has taught writing to ages 5th grade and up and volunteered for several years as a theater reviewer for a website on diversity in the arts. Her research experience has encompassed the fields of arts-across-the-curriculum, international education, kids and media, and science education. At HRA, she has applied her qualitative research skills to projects that trace the relationship between elementary science professional development, classroom practice and student outcomes, that look at the use of science assessment software in middle school classrooms, and that look at college retention of STEM majors in underrepresented populations.
You can contact Selena at sburns@gordonheller.com.
Selena has been involved in the field of education both professionally and as a volunteer for more than 20 years as a tutor, instructor, or researcher. She has taught writing to ages 5th grade and up and volunteered for several years as a theater reviewer for a website on diversity in the arts. Her research experience has encompassed the fields of arts-across-the-curriculum, international education, kids and media, and science education. At HRA, she has applied her qualitative research skills to projects that trace the relationship between elementary science professional development, classroom practice and student outcomes, that look at the use of science assessment software in middle school classrooms, and that look at college retention of STEM majors in underrepresented populations.
You can contact Selena at sburns@gordonheller.com.