CSI Staff
Mary Kane, M.S.; President & CEO
Mary Kane is the Chief Executive and Principal Consultant at Concept Systems. Having built the company from a single person "shop" to a well-regarded consulting and methodology company, Ms. Kane has restructured the Concept System project methodology and client processes to ensure that organizations benefit fully from CSI's capabilities. Her consulting experience includes strategic operational planning, product and program development, education and training design, and program needs assessment and evaluation. She supports clients, in addition, with organizational and leadership development consultations. With clients and research colleagues, she has coauthored several articles on the applications of Concept Mapping and Pattern Matching in organizational decision-making and strategic planning. Ms. Kane is co-author of the definitive volume on Concept Mapping: Concept Mapping for Planning and Evaluation (Sage Publications, 2007).
For over 15 years, Ms. Kane has planned and conducted process and group consulting for federal, state and county agencies, health and mental health organizations, private corporations, not-for-profit agencies, and school districts. She has provided consulting counsel to groups ranging from small boards of directors to organizations represented by thousands of stakeholders.
Ms. Kane co-founded and became the principal executive of CSI in 1993 after a successful career in the management and growth of community-based cultural and learning organizations. Under her leadership, the Company has invested in the redevelopment of the software and process technology, and expanded the scope of CSI methods and services to meet clients' needs even more effectively. Ms. Kane holds a Masters degree in Library and Information Sciences from Columbia University.
Scott R. Rosas, Ph.D.; Senior Consultant
Dr. Rosas is a Senior Consultant with Concept Systems. He has more than 10 years of evaluation experience, having led several multi-site evaluation projects. As the lead for several evaluation projects at CSI, he facilitates all aspects of the design and implementation of the evaluation components, including the development of data collection tools, protocols for administration, and analyses of data. Dr. Rosas is an expert in the design and use of the concept mapping methodology, having conducted concept mapping projects with local and national clients.
Dr. Rosas serves as the primary methodologist for CSI, leading the applied investigation of complex problems in social sciences and biomedical research. He has published and presented on methods, techniques, and practices in evaluation. His emphasis of late has been on measurement approaches developed from concept mapping, with attention to the assessment of the validity and reliability of data collection tools. At CSI, he leads the formal study of the concept mapping methodology and its application.
Since 2000, Dr. Rosas has been a member of American Evaluation Association (AEA) and previously served as a member of the AEA's standing committee on ethics. He received his PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Delaware, with an emphasis on program evaluation.
Ellen Slusar, B.S.; Senior Director of Operations and Finance
Ms. Slusar's role as Senior Director of Operations and Finance includes leadership responsibility for CSI operations, human resources, financial management, contract management, vendor/contractor relationships, and managing the Company's strategic planning.
Over the past twenty five years, Ms. Slusar has held a wide range of business management positions. Her most recent position prior to joining CSI was as the Managing Director/Business Manager at Marsteller, an integrated communications firm based out of New York City. Her extensive experience includes strategic planning to support large revenue growth and company investments in new strategic capabilities, full service financial reporting and analysis, as well as Sarbanes Oxley compliance requirements. Ms. Slusar is a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.
Katy Hall, B.A.; Client Services Consultant
Ms. Hall has over five years of experience at CSI. She works closely with clients and CSI staff on planning, design, facilitation, and management of stakeholder based research and curriculum design projects. She manages training development programming, including regular on-site certification training in the Concept System and Concept System Global applications, Concept System Users' Conferences, special events, and workshops.
Ms. Hall has served as project manager on several large scale initiatives, including a comprehensive needs assessment and curriculum development project to create a series of workforce development trainings for Project Officers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She also manages an ongoing evaluation effort for the Division of AIDS within the National Institutes of Health (DAIDS NIH). Ms. Hall is a graduate of Elmira College, where she received a B.A. in Secondary Education and History.
Brenda K. Pepe, B.A.; Client Services Consultant
Ms. Pepe has over four years of experience in planning, design, and facilitation of concept mapping and participatory based research. She works closely with clients and colleagues, managing relationships and helping to deliver quality services. She manages CS Global Sales and Development initiatives, which includes management and consulting for CS Global Research Services and working with the CSI team and developers on CS Global technology advancements.
Ms. Pepe has served as project manager on over 30 projects in the areas of strategic planning, needs assessment, and evaluation. Her accomplishments include managing and facilitating the concept mapping and priority setting strategies for developing a National Public Health Roadmap to Maintaining Cognitive Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Adult and Community Health, overall management of a needs assessment project for developing competencies in chronic disease practice to educate practice professionals for public health impact for the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), and conducting a process evaluation of the Delaware Cancer Consortium's first four years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Anthropology from City University of New York and has nearly completed her Master of Public Affairs and Administration degree.
Allison Corsi, M.P.H.; Client Services Consultant
Ms. Corsi has over 15 years of public and private sector work experience in global health, formative research, behavioral studies, strategic and implementation program planning, development and policy analysis, and strategic partnership building. She has worked on a variety of public health topics including: global nutrition, maternal and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, health systems research, and access to health care.
Ms. Corsi received her MPH at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health. She has used her skills to research diverse stakeholder needs and interests through interviews and assessments in order to develop collaborations and decision-making on program or policy design to reach common goals for public health impact.
Jessie Hilliker, B.A.; Executive & Operations Associate
Ms. Hilliker provides high level administrative support to the CEO and other senior management of the firm, supporting business development and assisting client project teams.
Ms. Hilliker's background in management and communications contributes directly to her role as Executive and Operations Associate. Before joining the team in October of 2008, she worked as a Campaign Associate for Don Barber for New York State Senate. Prior to her work on the campaign, she was a Team Director for Franziska Racker Centers. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo, receiving a Bachelor Degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications.
Michael Huffman, MBA; Client Services Associate
Mr. Huffman works closely with the sales and operations teams to manage and conduct license sales, project management requirements and technology support for clients and teams. He also manages a range of internal operations for Concept Systems.
Before joining the CSI team in April of 2008, Mr. Huffman worked as an accountant within several departments at Cornell University. He brings experience in finance, accounting, and marketing to CSI. He is a graduate of Alfred University in Alfred, New York, receiving both his Bachelor and Master Degrees in Business Administration.
Perry A. Slack, B.S.; Research Analyst
Mr. Slack analyzes large datasets and designs lines of inquiry on large multi-phase projects. He works directly with CSI Senior Consultants as a primary research analyst on many different projects. His most recent project at CSI has been designing and implementing a bibliometric evaluation for the Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Mr. Slack holds a Bachelor of Science in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University.
Diana Crawford, Assistant Administrator
Ms. Crawford's duties include maintenance of the Concept Systems' client database and invoicing system. She also organizes CSI's on-site Training Seminars and supports day-to-day needs in managing the office. She has organizational and secretarial experience in publishing, and medical and educational offices.
Danyel Logevall, B.S.; Assistant Administrator
Ms. Logevall works closely with the Client Services staff in managing client inquiries and the client database, and in assisting with project management and license and training sales support. She also works in a supportive role to maintain the general operations of the office. Prior to joining the CSI team, Ms. Logevall worked as an elementary teacher/art teacher in both California and New York. She has several years of administrative and financial training experience in healthcare, finance, and education and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Education from Southern Oregon University.
William M.K. Trochim, Ph.D.; Founding Partner
Dr. Trochim is the developer of the Concept Mapping approach, and originally programmed The Concept System®.
He is a full professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University and is Director of Evaluation for the Weill Cornell Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC). Dr. Trochim received a Ph.D. in Methodology and Evaluation Research from the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University, and has been at Cornell University since 1980.
Dr. Trochim's research is broadly in the area of applied social research methodology, with an emphasis on program planning and evaluation methods. He has written several books, including a widely used introductory research methods text. He manages one of the most widely used websites in applied social research (www.socialresearchmethods.net), and has authored, or co-authored, many articles in professional journals.
He has been an active member of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), and is Past President of its Board.
