OCCRL Staff

Catherine Kirby joined the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) in the fall of 2004. An EdM graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with an emphasis on Community College Leadership, she currently serves as Assistant Director of OCCRL. In this role, she provides leadership in research and development projects related to Adult Career Pathways, Partnerships for College and Career Success and Programs of Study. In addition, she serves as Editor of Update, the semi-annual online newsletter produced by the OCCRL. Ms. Kirby's work history includes extensive teaching experience at Parkland College in Health Sciences and as an instructor in a bachelors degree completion program in the School of Technology at Eastern Illinois University. She is also experienced as an educational consultant and trainer in the healthcare industry, designing and delivering educational modules in management, career development, and leadership.

Lorenzo Baber is co-Principal Investigator for the College and Career Readiness Act Evaluation project at OCCRL. Dr. Baber’s primary research agenda focuses on the impact of socioeconomic background and ethnicity on identity development and academic outcomes for postsecondary students. He is particularly interested in investigating the persistent educational achievement gap between minority and majority students at Predominately White Institutions. Additional research interests include examination of university-neighborhood partnership initiatives in urban communities and international comparative education.

Sadya Khan joined OCCRL in the Fall of 2008. She is currently managing a statewide evaluation of the College and Career Readiness Act. Sadya completed her Masters in Higher Education Administration and Policy from Northwestern University in 2008 and has Bachelors degrees in English and Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sadya has previously worked for the City Colleges of Chicago in their Office of Developmental Education.

Patricia Yaeger currently serves as a visiting assistant professor in Educational Organization and Leadership and coordinator of the master’s program in Higher Education at the University of Illinois. Prior to her appointment at the University, she served as senior research analyst with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Patricia earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education from The Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a Master of Education degree in policy studies and evaluation research from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to graduate work at Penn State, she worked for ten years in institutional research, planning, and budgeting at UIC. Her current work at OCCRL is in the Lumina-funded project on adult learners and applied baccalaureate degrees.

Timothy Harmon joined OCCRL in March 2009. He has served as president of Workforce Enterprise Services, a management consulting firm. He has previously been involved in statewide initiatives such as Shifting Gears, a Healthcare/Nursing initiative, and evaluation of the Workforce Investment Act. At OCCRL, he is working on the Perkins Programs of Study project and as a co-evaluator for the Shifting Gears initiative.

Collin Ruud is a Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Higher Education. He received his Master's of Education in Higher Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has also studied at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Collin's research interests include college student development, student affairs, high school to postsecondary transitions, and technology in higher education. He previously has worked as a research assistant in the Office of the Vice President for Technology and Economic Development and has worked for two years as an administrator in residence halls. Prior to his Master's work, Collin received his Bachelor's of Music at Butler University. His work with the OCCRL includes work on a Lumina Foundation project studying the applied baccalaureate degree, and work in Perkins Programs of Study Evaluation.

Su Jung Kim is a Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Educational Policy Studies. She received her Master’s of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Sookmyung Women’s University in Korea. Su Jung previously worked for the Hawaii Korean Health Promotion Project at University of Hawaii at Manoa as project coordinator. She currently is conducting research for the Joyce Foundation's Shifting Gears Initiative. Her main research interests include the role of education in social equity especially access and equity issues in higher education for underrepresented students.

Jason Taylor is a Ph.D. student in Higher Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Higher Education. He received his Master's degree from the University of Illinois in 2009. He received his B.S. in music business from Illinois State University where he also served as an Acting Academic Advisor. Prior to graduate school, he was the Registrar at Chaparral College in Tucson, Arizona. He is conducting research on programs of study for the OCCRL.

Erin Castro is a Ph.D. student in the department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Erin earned her Master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2006. Her research interests include qualitative methodologies and the use of critical theory to analyze and interrogate higher educational policies around issues related to equity and social justice.

Kat is a Ph.D. student in special education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has previously worked as project coordinator for the Perkins grant at Parkland College in Champaign, IL and has also worked as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor where she provided services to individuals with substance abuse/addiction and their families. Kat's research interests include the teaching and learning process related to employment skills for individuals with disabilities as well as transition and interagency collaboration efforts between educators, rehabilitation professionals, youth with disabilities and their families. She is currently working on several research and continuing education projects with Dr. John Trach. Within OCCRL, Kat is assisting with the development of a framework for local implementation and evaluation of Programs of Study in the State of Illinois.

Peter Weitzel is a Ph.D. student in Educational Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is currently conducting an analysis of workforce development policymaking in Illinois as part of the Shifting Gears program. His research interests include urban educational governance, interagency collaboration, and school choice. Prior to graduate studies, Peter was the director of a nonprofit organization that provided tutoring, character education, and service learning services to elementary and middle schools students in Columbia, SC. Peter received a B.A. in Secondary Education and English from Washington University in St. Louis and an Ed.M. in Educational Organization and Leadership from the University of Illinois.

Brandon Common is a Ph.D. student in Higher Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his Master's of Education in College Student Personnel at The Ohio University, and his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Brandon's research interests include access to higher education for minority students, African American males, and higher education policy. He has previous work experience teaching in the public school system in St. Louis (MO)and has most recently spent the last two years as a Resident Director. Brandon's work with the OCCRL involves participating in the statewide evaluation of the College and Career Readiness Act.

Stephanie Kalchik is a first-year Master's student in Higher Education and works as a graduate assistant for OCCRL. She received her BA in Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame, where she gained administrative experience in the First Year of Studies department. She is particularly interested in topics relating to the high-school-to-college transition and first-year experiences in college. Her goal is to work as an academic advisor upon completion of her Master's degree.

Jordan Schafer is a Master's student in Higher Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received her BA from the University of Illinois and studied at the University of Oxford. Currently in her first year with the OCCRL, Jordan is working on the Programs of Study and the Adult Learner and the Applied Baccalaureate project, funded by the Lumina foundation. She is involved in the second phase of the Lumina-funded project; analyzing and compiling data from eight particular states in the nation in order to acquire information about adult learners and their needs in higher education.