Gregg Kennedy, President

Gregg spent 20 years at Chilton Research Services, managing various aspects of survey operations for one of the industry’s largest and most well respected market research suppliers. His experience includes positions from part-time telephone interviewer through Director of Survey Operations, with stops along the way managing Sampling, Telephone, and Field Data Collection groups.

More recently, Gregg served for 10 years as Vice President of Business Development at Marketing Systems Group, with specific focus on the GENESYS Sampling line of business, developing several new products and capabilities that have become industry standards. Gregg’s responsibilities included helping researchers cope with ever-changing respondent, privacy, and public policy environments through development of creative sampling approaches. Gregg has consulted on numerous issues related to Do-Not-Call, Wireless Number Portability, and Predictive Dialing legislation with CASRO, CMOR, and MRA policy makers. His work has helped produce sampling products and services that are among the most methodologically rigorous, cost-effective, and legislatively compliant in the research industry.

Gregg holds a BS in Marketing from Penn State University and an MBA from Drexel University.

Meg Ryan, Vice President Business Development

Meg Ryan brings 20 years of research experience to STR. Her research experience includes interviewing, project management, technical support, sample consultant, and business development. As Vice President of Business Development she shares this knowledge with clients in order to best meet their needs and the project needs.

Meg started in research as a project manager for a local Philadelphia Area Telephone data collection firm. After several years working on hundreds of telephone studies, she focused on sample by joining Marketing Systems Group. During her tenure at MSG she served as an account manager for the in-house sampling system, technical support for the Pro-t-s Dialer and as an Account Executive / Sample Consultant for market, social science and government clients. Prior to joining STR, Meg spent four years with Online Survey Solution a division of M/A/R/C Research providing online data collection services to research firms. It is this diverse background involving sample design and telephone and Online data collection that helps her answer client questions regarding the best method or methods for data collection.

Meg is involved with the MRA and currently serves on the board of the Philadelphia Chapter.

Meg holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Dayton.

Mike Lange, Director-Data Collection Technology

Mike has over 20 years experience in various Management and Technical roles from a “Who’s Who” of research companies, including M/A/R/C, Maritz, Elrick and Lavidge,  Flake Wilkerson and Market Strategies International.  Mike has built and managed data processing departments at Maritz, Elrick and Lavidge and at Flake Wilkerson where he also managed a 120 seat call center.  He was instrumental in consulting, designing and developing customized data collection, sampling and reporting systems that met the specific needs of clients such as Verizon and IBM.  Over the years Mike has also designed custom systems and processes for other reputable companies such as American Express, Federal Express and Ryder Truck.  Most recently, he served as Director of Data Collection Systems at Market Strategies International.
 
At STR, Mike oversees the development of procedures to ensure smooth operation of the Allentown site as well as the automation of various administrative, quality-control, and project-control functions.  Mike works closely with STR sales, project management and operations to design and develop customized data collection systems that meet the unique needs of our clients.
 
Mike holds a BS in Marketing from Penn State University.

Yvonne Shands, Director of Survey Operations

Yvonne brings well over 20 years of sophisticated data collection experience to STR. She is a proven leader who has managed up to 125 telephone staff and 300 field staff concurrently while ensuring quality data collection. Yvonne has mentored hundreds of field staff leveraging varied interview experience gained in previous positions with leading research organizations including Westat, NORC, RTI and Mathematica Policy Research. Over the years she gained hands on experience as a field and telephone interviewer and supervisor while assisting in the development and testing of new computer-assisted questionnaires, interview coding and editing operations.

In 2005, Yvonne was Assistant Manager of Field Operations and Manager of The Center for Telephone Interviewing at Temple University's Institute for Survey Research (ISR). In these roles she designed recruitment, training and monitoring manuals; developed assessment tools, and was responsible for training telephone center supervisory and interviewing staff. Most recently, Yvonne was Manager, Data Collection Services at the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) where she was responsible for managing all data collection services in the call center and leading a team of telephone center supervisors and interviewers. Yvonne has been published on the topic of sampling methodology and has presented several papers in the field of gerontology.

At STR, Yvonne helps develop optimal study designs, manages a call center staff of over 100 people and a data entry staff of over 20 people. Yvonne is instrumental in pre-testing and development of survey instruments as well as training and development of data collection staff. She is also responsible for planning, collecting and processing data for multiple projects that require hundreds of thousands of survey mailings each month. Her extensive research experience and guidance is instrumental in ensuring quality data collection on all projects conducted at STR.

Yvonne holds a BA in Organizational Studies from Temple University and a Masters of Gerontology from University of Southern California (USC).

Carrie Skinner, Director of Client Services

Carrie comes to STR with over 10 years of project management experience.  After beginning her career as Project Manager in the advertising industry, Carrie was quickly promoted to Advertising Traffic Manager.  As Traffic Manager for 2 large Atlanta agencies, she managed project budgets, timelines and print purchasing.  Carrie then got more involved in the online advertising medium and took a position as an e-Product Advisor with TMP Worldwide where she was responsible for internal sales and training on the company's online offerings.  Carrie entered the market research industry by jumping in feet first and taking over management of a data collection site in Atlanta specializing in CPG, legal and medical/healthcare related studies.  From there she gathered experience that spans across various market research specialties and methodologies. 

In 2004, Carrie moved back to her home state and joined J. Reckner Associates (JRA) in Montgomeryville, PA.  At JRA, Carrie helped design studies, coordinated programming, and managed both domestic and international quantitative web projects with a specialization in pharmaceutical and medical research.  Before coming to STR, Carrie worked as a Project Manager with GfK V2 where she managed project budgets, handled project logistics and was responsible for respondent recruitment for projects all over the globe.  Carrie's vast experience with telephone, web and mail data collection, along with her printing and direct mail background, is invaluable to the success of the multi-mode research projects we do here at STR.

Carrie holds a BA in Communications/Public Relations from California University of Pennsylvania.

Christine Hagan, Director-Telephone Operations

Chris has over 30 years experience in market research telephone call center operations managing telephone projects from staffing to meeting project deadlines. She was previously emplyed by Chilton Research Services for 8 years where she started out as an interviewer and then worked her way up to Production Coordinator in the WATS department. As the Production Coordinator she was responsible for a staff of over 50 telephone interviewers. She maintained production rates, schedules, quality control on all studies, conducted interviewer and supervisor trainings, prepared weekly projections of upcoming telephone projects, and was the primary liaison with a satellite center.

In 1983, Chris joined International Communications Research (ICR) as the Director of Telecentral Operations. She was responsible for the overall operation of the telephone interviewing facilities in all locations, meeting production schedules and budget specifications. She directed and evaluated supervisory staff and implemented control systems on all telephone projects. Throughout her 26 years at ICR, Chris was also responsible for telephone services which included requesting proposals from vendors, reviewing bids, selection of telecom providers, implementation of new services, and review of costs.

Most recently Chris joined STR as the Director of Telecentral Operations (ICR Title) and has moved to Director-Telephone Operations and is responsible for telephone interviewing operations at all 4 STR call centers.

Chris holds a BA in Education from Fairmont State University. She has also taken graduate courses in education at Salisbury University and business courses at Temple University.