IRP Staff

Valerie Roberts is a business analyst, self-taught graphic artist, and resident Jack-of-All-Trades in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. She maintains the department’s website and develops content, designs infographics and data visualizations, and assists other analysts with research projects. Known to her colleagues as the “Sherlock Holmes of Data,” Valerie has acquired a working knowledge of descriptive statistics, SQL, query modeling, and research methodologies. Her professional goal is to develop web applications for decision support.

Valerie has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and over twenty years of experience working on projects where technology and creativity intersect. Outside of work, she is an avid reader, film buff, and aspiring multi-instrumentalist (drums, guitar, bass, and keyboard). An unrepentant autodidact, she continues to study her passions: web development, graphic design & illustration, and data analytics. (Though she won’t admit it, Valerie also has a flair for writing.)

First paragraph of Doctor Who's Bio.

Second paragraph of Doctor Who's Bio.

Sandra Kinney has over 25 years of higher education experience in higher education administration with a focus on institutional research, data warehouse design, business intelligence tools, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation. She has worked at both the institution level and the state system level.

Sandra was heavily involved in the planning and development of Georgia’s longitudinal data system. She has served on the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC) and participated in the policy working group in the Post-Collegiate Outcomes collaborative project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Sandra has been a contributing author on more than 30 national publications for the government and think tank organizations and has given more than 50 presentations on her work.

Daniel's bio will be posted soon!

Dr. Jason L. Wang is the Director of Data Management for the Office of Institutional Research and Planning where he supports Georgia Tech’s institutional research and decision support efforts. His responsibilities include statistical analysis and data visualization for institutional surveys, reports, and projects.

Jason has an active interest in higher education and pedagogy. He has assisted with and taught multiple courses in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and College of Engineering including COE2001 (Statics) and COE3001 (Mechanics of Deformable Bodies). He worked as a graduate research assistant in the Center for Teaching and Learning in support of their programmatic efforts to advance teaching and learning innovation on campus. He also served in various leadership positions for the Georgia Tech’s American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) student chapter helping to establish the annual STEM Research Expo and INSPIRE^2 Workshop.

Jason is a proud Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech and earned his B.S. (2008) and M.S. (2010) in Mechanical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2018. He enjoys spending his days off gardening, hiking, camping, and relaxing with his friends, family, and two dogs.

Samantha James has over 16 years at Georgia Tech in both academic and research unit operations. During this time, she occupied roles in Finance, Accounting, Administrative Support, Student Human Resources, and now is in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. In these roles, she has learned, trained, advocated, and analyzed procedures, voicing techniques to increase the productivity of several processes. She assisted in the development and tactical implementation of administrative improvement, financial strategy, and department-wide trainings to incorporate efficiency and consistency among those tasks to ultimately facilitate better organizational practices.

As a Business Analyst, she now combines that organizational business knowledge with data analysis to support the Institute. She communicates findings via reports, work flows, dashboards, instructional guides, and presentations for leadership to make strategic business decisions on processes and planning.

Samantha has a Finance BSB and an MBA. Samantha’s greatest qualities, per Gallup–CliftonStrengths, is she is analytic, consistent, disciplined, productive, and promotes harmony in her surroundings. In her free time, she likes to participate in activities that promote health and physical fitness, encourage mental and spiritual wellbeing, as well as spend time with friends and family.

Lucas Provine is a graduate student in the Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology Ph.D. program here at Georgia Tech and is a member of the PARK Lab. He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. He assists the IRP Team with data cleaning, analytics, report and dashboard development, as well as other miscellaneous project requests.

Lucas’ primary research interest lies in how new technologies are changing the workplace experience for employees. He examines how individual differences such as personality or attitudes might influence people’s willingness to accept (or reject) these new technologies. Additionally, he is interested in psychometrics, social psychological theories, and human-AI interaction. For leisure, he enjoys PC computer gaming, playing drums, and spending quality time with friends.

Luke's bio will be posted soon!

Ben Chapman's bio will be posted soon!

Sukrutha's bio will be posted soon!