SAGEFOX CONSULTING GROUP - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Executive Director

Alan Peterfreund, Ph.D., has 36 years of experience as a consultant, evaluator and researcher for clients in the public and private sectors of business, government and education. Dr. Peterfreund has a Ph.D. in Geology from Arizona State University, and has been a research faculty member at Brown University. He participated on numerous NASA planetary exploration missions studying Mars, Venus, and the moons of Jupiter. A career-shift in 1984 led to 16 years of consulting in the private and public sector with primary emphasis on organizational change, quality management, and employee participation. In 2000, Dr. Peterfreund began to focus on supporting higher education partners in projects that address the broadening of participation in the sciences, graduate student development, and other educational reforms. Additionally, Dr. Peterfreund has been active in supporting the design, implementation, and evaluation of international programs for WorldBank, USAID, and the U.S. Department of Labor. He/Him/His

Job Titles:

• Data Analyst
• SageFox in 2019 As a Research Associate

Amanda Menier joined SageFox in 2019 as a Research Associate. She has a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Montclair State University and has published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and Human Resource Development Review. Amanda is interested in the way that people shape and are shaped by the institutions in their lives. When not at work, Amanda can be found coding, baking, or learning about the Age of Sail.

Job Titles:

• Communications Specialist
• Office Administrator

Brianna Johnston joined the SageFox team in 2014 as an office administrator but her position has evolved into design work and formatting for the team, project management, and a variety of other tasks. Brianna works part time and uses her previous hotel management experience to act as the in-house travel coordinator for all of SageFox's various trips, she keeps track of company expenses, handles payroll, and has been able to offer her design skills in reports, printed materials, and our website. She received her BA from Western New England College with a focus in Communications and brings that experience into day to day life here at SageFox. Brianna also works part time for her old school district as the Communications and Program Administrator and she enjoys bridging the tasks and values of both positions. Brianna lives in Barnet, VT with her husband and two children. She/Her/Hers

Job Titles:

• Office Manager

Emily Deharo-Otero is our Office Manager and has been at SageFox since 2013. She graduated from Westfield State University as a Math major and has worked in banking as well as the public school system. She brings her amazing attention to detail and organizational skills to the team - but those at SageFox appreciate her baking the most! She lives in Westfield, MA with her husband, kids, and two dogs. When she isn't keeping everyone at SageFox in line, she is a DIY weekend warrior at her home tackling everything from small repairs to full room renovations. She/Her/Hers

Job Titles:

• Project Leader

Jeffrey Xavier has been working in the evaluation field since 2009. His interest in evaluation began while studying Applied Sociology at UMass Boston. After receiving his Master of Arts in 2009, he an... Jeffrey Xavier has been working in the evaluation field since 2009. His interest in evaluation began while studying Applied Sociology at UMass Boston. After receiving his Master of Arts in 2009, he and his wife moved to Western Massachusetts and he began working at SageFox. Since beginning his work here, he has been involved in the evaluation of a wide variety of projects, most of which were designed to engage BIPOC students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. His work has increasingly revolved around issues of developing common educational data metrics that preserve projects' focus on equity. Jeff's evaluation work has also involved projects focused on teacher professional development and undergraduate academic support programs in STEM, with a significant focus in the area of broadening participation in computing fields. He has enjoyed employing his training in the social sciences to provide feedback that has both improved these programs and described their successes and, in some cases, contributed to the research literature. When not working for SageFox, Jeff enjoys a variety of hobbies, including running his wood burning stove, home improvement, repairing and maintaining various machines and attempting to fix just about anything that's broken to avoid having to call in the "professionals"-all the while trying to keep up with his wife and two children. He/Him/His

Job Titles:

• Project Support Specialist

Jessica Donoghue, a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is a new member of the SageFox team. Jessica is a mathematics major at UMass with a double concentration in pure math and statistics. Because Jessica is a first-generation college student, she is particularly interested in projects involving equitable STEM education and empowering underrepresented groups in STEM at SageFox. Outside of school and work, you can probably find Jessica hiking, drinking tea, or knitting. She also loves cats but her family prefers dogs. She/Her/Hers

Job Titles:

• SageFox As a Research Assistant

Jordan Esiason joined SageFox as a Research Assistant in 2018 while completing degrees for his two passions in Mathematics and Music Composition at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and graduat...

Job Titles:

• Project Support Specialist

Mika is a new graduate of Umass Amherst (2022), where they earned a B.A. in Early Childhood Education prek-2 and a B.A. in Sociology. They are a recent member of SageFox, joining the team in fall 2022. Prior to joining sagefox, they did three independent research studies at Umass and worked as a preschool teacher for three years. Mika is interested in understanding thought and behaviors, in connection to larger social forces. In particular, their research interests center on race, LQBTQ+ studies, education, and marginalized groups of people. They hope to use education and education research as a tool to effect positive social change. In their free time, they like cooking, roller blading, hiking, and doing activism for the aspec community.

Job Titles:

• Project Support Specialist

Phebe Palmer recently joined SageFox (Fall 2021) as a research assistant. She recently completed her B.A. in Statistics at Amherst College and is excited to continue gaining experience in the education research field. Prior to her employment at SageFox she served as a research intern for her academic advisor, studying pedagogical approaches for introducing textual data analysis to students. In her free time, Phebe enjoys watercolor painting, origami, reading, and observing wildlife. She/Her/Hers

Job Titles:

• Director

Rebecca Zarch has spent nearly 20 years evaluating projects supporting young adults moving through the STEM pathways and workforce development projects. She particularly loves equity-driven projects, ...

Job Titles:

• Project Leader

Stacey Sexton has been engaged in educational evaluation and research since 2015. Their current portfolio looks at Computer Science and Computational Thinking in K-12 systems. They look for projects that have the potential to positively impact the most marginalized student populations. Stacey approaches their work with a firm commitment to the principles of equity, inclusion and social justice and it is their belief that well-done evaluations are critical to moving educational practice forward to reflect these principles.Outside of work you are likely to find Stacey doing some form of political organizing. Stacey also enjoys gardening, hiking, and taking pictures of their dog.