INSIDEOUT INSIGHTS - Key Persons
Before joining IOI in 2014, Ariane was a research director at Edelman Berland, a research manager for Partners + Napier, and a senior research associate at Harris Interactive. As VP and senior moderator, she provides project oversight and strategy, moderates groups, writes client reports, and builds new business. Her colleagues joke that Ariane and her boss Jenn share a brain, as they have remarkably similar skill sets, the same relentless drive and optimism, and even the same favorite food (arugula). Together, they form the backbone of a formidable research team.
Ariane holds an M.B.A. in branding and strategy from the Simon School at the University of Rochester, where she learned how to understand a problem fully before attacking it and how to tease out the underlying issues rather than accepting the conventional wisdom. She has a bachelor's degree in marketing from the Rochester Institute of Technology and is a RIVA-trained moderator.
She loves that her job allows her to constantly learn new things, whether she is researching insurance, health care, fitness, or the financial industry. Her favorite project ever was a dog food study that required her to go to people's houses and give their dogs treats for two hours. She adores her co-workers and her clients, and she loves helping companies make their customers happier.
Ariane lives in Fairport, New York, with her partner Derek; their lazy, old, beloved French bulldog Lucy; and a dog-like kitten named Gary. She plays beach volleyball on Lake Ontario and loves to hike, camp, garden, and play tennis. Her favorite book is Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse, and her favorite movies are Speed (because Keanu) and Wet Hot American Summer.
Ariane Krenichyn loves that her job allows her to constantly learn new things, whether she is researching insurance, health care, fitness, or the financial industry. As VP and senior moderator, she provides project oversight and strategy, moderates groups, writes client reports, and builds new business.
Debbie is always up for a new challenge-during the pandemic, she first took up juggling and is now learning the ukulele. In 2022 she joined IOI, where she manages research projects with clients, moderates groups, and reports on findings. What she finds so rewarding about this work is getting to talk to so many new people-she loves people and feels honored to be able to learn from them.
She started her career as a food scientist and product developer at Frito-Lay, which at times had her working on the plant floor in steel-toed boots before she ultimately joined the insights team. She then joined the insights team at Kraft Foods where she led kids and teens research for the Lunchables brand. Her favorite projects are ones that tackle seemingly unsolvable problems. For example, while working in insurance, she uncovered consumer insights related to cost increases, made recommendations on how the company could make that experience better for customers, and helped achieve a significant increase in customer retention.
Debbie lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, their two sons, and their chocolate Lab Ozzie, who has a dog bed in her home office so he can come to work with her every morning. She does The New York Times crossword every day, listens to audiobooks like they're going out of style, and bakes a mean cinnamon roll.
Debbie Fischer is always up for a new challenge-during the pandemic, she first took up juggling and is now learning the ukulele. In 2022 she joined IOI, where she manages research projects with clients, moderates groups, and reports on findings.
Job Titles:
- President / Senior Moderator
Never one to rest on her laurels, Jenn relentlessly refines IOI's methodologies to make sure they meet clients' needs. She stays ahead of new trends in qualitative research, seeking out the best ways to understand consumers on a deep level. When she and her team can't find the precise research tools and methods they need, they create them.
In addition to setting IOI's strategic direction, Jenn is a senior moderator with extensive experience in consumer packaged goods, financial services, consumer technology, health care, advertising, software, and telecommunications hardware. Her previous work in marketing with mPhase Technologies gives her an inside understanding of how companies put market research recommendations into action. She holds a political science degree from Franklin & Marshall College with a minor in psychology.
Jenn lives in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, with her husband, two children, and three pets: a golden retriever named Kerwin who flunked out of guide-dog school, a rescue mutt named Dodger, and a badly behaved cat named Fitty. She loves to cook, work out, and travel, and she loves a good belly laugh. Her favorite food is arugula, and her favorite word is "Really?" She and her family spend as much time as possible boating and swimming at their lake house on Lake George.
Jennifer Weeks founded InsideOut Insights so that she could spend her days doing what she loves most: talking to people and finding out what makes them tick. Jenn relentlessly refines IOI's methodologies to make sure they meet clients' needs.
Katie McKearan uses her creativity and customer service experience to make sure our clients and respondents have a seamless experience throughout the research process. She loves tackling big projects, keeping lots of balls in the air, then watching everything fall into place.
As a field manager, Katie assists in the development of screeners, ensures the highest quality of recruits are found, is always available for backroom support, and maintains the distribution of deliverables to clients.
Katie started with IOI in 2022. She has thoroughly enjoyed learning about the marketing research world and is constantly looking to expand her knowledge base. She earned a Family Science degree at Texas Women's University and worked as a community educator for Texas A&M-Extension Service for five years before taking time to be a stay-at-home mom. Excited for the opportunity to learn from a team of industry experts, Katie is grateful to be part of IOI and appreciates the support, flexibility, and sense of family that IOI has fostered.
Katie grew up in Louisiana but currently lives in Texas with her husband, four children, two dogs (a husky and a black lab mix), and one cat. She is very involved in her local community and kids' activities. She loves pool days, good food (especially red beans and rice), and family movie nights.
Job Titles:
- Controller
- Vice President of Operations
Ken functions as IOI's air traffic controller, directing the daily influx of data and the outflow of proposals, reports, and invoices to ensure that everything runs smoothly. When he joined IOI in 2012, Ken brought an extensive network of contacts, enabling him to recruit the right people for a project or a focus group in any city in the world.
Ken loves being on the inside, making discoveries that will guide companies through the next evolution of their products and services. He enjoys qualitative research because it allows him to connect with people on an emotional level, uncovering the "how" and "why" rather than just the "where" and "when."
Before joining IOI, Ken was a qualitative research manager at Harris Interactive. He has also run focus group facilities in New York City. He studied architecture and structural engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he earned an associate of science degree.
Ken lives in Rochester, New York, with his wife Victoria and their Sheltie, Haley. His peak travel experience was playing the Road Hole, the 17th hole at St. Andrews in Scotland, a spot that is both majestic (as the birthplace of golf) and unpretentious (with locals free to walk their dogs on the course). Ken loves racket sports, comic books, video games, and the city of Chicago. His favorite movies are Caddyshack, The Blues Brothers, and Blazing Saddles. His favorite word is "happy." If he could eat any food, it would be a slice of pizza at John's of Bleecker Street.
Ken Lethbridge is IOI's air traffic controller, directing the daily influx of data and the outflow of proposals, reports, and invoices. He enjoys making discoveries that will guide companies through the next evolution of their products and services.
Job Titles:
- Director of Field Management
Thinking outside the box comes naturally to Krissy Sartor. She loves solving problems for clients, using tools that aren't in the standard toolbox, and finding a way to get it all done. Her role at IOI includes supporting proposal creation and managing an array of field management details, from screener writing, booking facilities, and overseeing recruiting to assuring back room client comforts and confirming that deliverables arrive on time, at the latest. She thrives on organization, detail, and quick responses to clients.
Krissy joined IOI in 2020. She brings to the team her extensive experience in the industry, including working at Harris Interactive, Nielsen, and Harris Insights and Analytics. Krissy's most recent position before joining IOI was in client development in the qualitative division at Ipsos, where she worked exclusively with a leading cell phone provider and a major social media company. She holds a business degree from the University of Central Florida.
Grateful for her past experience at large companies working at exponentially larger scales, Krissy is thrilled to have landed at IOI. She enjoys the family atmosphere, the teamwork, and the lack of red tape.
Krissy lives in Plano, Texas, with her husband Lloyd. She enjoys pickleball, morning walks, happy hour, the beach, and her three grandchildren, who live nearby, as do Krissy and Lloyd's four grown children. She has a beloved chocolate lab Bailey who is her loyal desk mate.
Job Titles:
- Research Manager / Moderator
For Sarah Cziner, working in market research means solving a new challenge every day, whether she's uncovering a hidden trend or analyzing data in a new way. Her speciality is helping companies understand all things Gen Z-which happens to be her own generation.
A creative and curious person, Sarah constantly asks questions and brings new ideas to the table. She has a degree in psychological science and sociology from Colgate University and a passion for ethnographic research. She balances the analytical side of her work with a hefty dose of human empathy.
Sarah joined IOI in 2023. As a research manager and moderator, she works with our qualitative insights team, helping with all stages of a project, from writing discussion guides to moderating interviews to packaging insights into reports. She loves to see how the results translate into real-world actions for brands.
She lives in New York City, where she explores trendy restaurants she found through TikTok, visits dive bars with friends, and spends time in Madison Square Park (where she hopes to find cute French bulldogs before she gets one of her own). She loves watching comedies and eating sushi (especially spicy tuna crispy rice). Her favorite word is serendipity, because it's the perfect mix of spontaneity and joy.