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Sara Strickhouser, PhD Senior Research Analyst Dr. Strickhouser came to ASR in April 2021 and supports both quantitative and qualitative data collection methodology, from planning to execution. She has ten years of experience in research and evaluation and has worked closely with many nonprofit and government agencies, assisting them with scientifically measuring program success and turning data into actionable steps. Currently, she teaches statistics, research methods, and Sociology of Health at Western Washington University. Dr. Strickhouser’s published works include a 2019 book titled Hunger in the Land of Plenty: A Critical Look at Food Insecurity and several peer-reviewed publications across topics including child mental health, oral health, and program evaluation. In addition, she has presented at numerous conferences nationwide including the Pacific Sociological Association in Oakland, CA. In addition to her work at ASR, Dr. Strickhouser enjoys time at the beach with her family and performing music at local restaurants. She holds a PhD and MA in Sociology from the University of Central Florida and a BA in Latin American Studies from Stetson University. < Back Sara@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Juliana Huaroc, MPA, MA Senior Research Analyst II Juliana joined ASR in November 2019. As a Senior Research Analyst II at ASR, Juliana has contributed her expertise as a bilingual, community-based researcher and evaluator, to a variety of program evaluations and community-wide needs assessments, with partners seeking to improve the lives of historically marginalized communities including, system-impacted youth and adults, people with mental health and substance use disorder needs, and people experiencing homelessness. She possesses lived experience and content expertise in the unique needs of Hispanic/Latin(o)(a)(x)(e) communities disproportionately affected by U.S. immigration policy. Juliana is skilled in qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including research design, data collection and analysis, and report writing, as well as evaluation planning, implementation and ongoing project management. Juliana earned a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from San Diego State University, where she focused her thesis research on the invaluable contribution and key role of rural women as seasonal agricultural workers in Chile’s fruit export industry. During her graduate studies, Juliana worked as a researcher in the San Diego-Tijuana border region, uplifting the stories and struggles of asylum-seekers and migrants in the United States, including individuals and families held in detention facilities and released by federal authorities onto San Diego’s streets. Juliana also holds a BA in Political Science and Religious Studies with a minor in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Outside of ASR, Juliana enjoys spending time with her partner and their Siberian Husky, eating Peruvian food, and traveling with her loved ones. < Back Juliana@appliedsurveyresearch.org

First 5 Children and Families Commissions ASR has consulted on over 150 projects for First 5 County Commission in 21 counties. Projects include assessing community need, creating strategic plans, designing and implementing rigorous evaluations, and helping prepare annual reports required by First 5 California. Project Highlight: First 5 Santa Clara Annual Evaluation Report View Full Report Executive Summary < Back Additional work samples First 5 Sacramento View Full Report First 5 Solano View Full Report Exec Summary First 5 Siskiyou View Full Report Exec Summary First 5 Tehama View Full Report Exec Summary

View Full Report Executive Summary Data Visualization & Infographics While technical data reports still have a key role to play in community-based planning and evaluation, our partner agencies and community audiences often prefer shorter reporting products that convey key highlights in visually engaging ways. Let us help you create a short executive summary or brief of your longer data reports! Highlight Project: Coconino County Community Snapshots < Back View Snapshots Additional work samples Monterey Bay Regional Dashboard Santa Cruz County Triple P Evaluation Santa Cruz County CAB COVID-19 Response Black/African American Health Snapshot View Report View Report View Report View Dashboard

View Full Report Executive Summary Strategic Planning ASR's approach to strategic planning involves gathering precise data to help our partners make decisions amongst a range of competing options. Typically, these decisions involve concretizing a grantmaking portfolio, or helping partners determine a collective impact agenda. Our strategic plans can help you establish or refresh your vision, mission, community goals, and clarify program-level outcomes, strategies, and measures to evaluate progress. Highlight Project: Butte County LCCPC Strategic Plan < Back View Plan Additional work samples First 5 Siskiyou Strategic Plan View Plan First 5 Sacramento Strategic Plan View Plan First 5 Yuba Strategic Plan View Plan Yuba County Prevention Plan View Plan

Alex Werner Research Analyst II Alex Werner joined ASR in 2019 as a student intern and was pleased to continue with his work after graduation from the University of Oregon. Alex majored in Business Administration with a finance concentration and a minor in Latin American studies. He is applying these skills by supporting program evaluations, assessments and planning in several areas. His work includes survey, data collection, tabulation, analysis, and report development including work on the homeless census in several bay area counties. He is most passionate about equality and striving to make positive change. Outside of work, Alex enjoys kayaking, playing video games and spending time with his family < Back Alex@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Ryan Mays, MS Research Analyst I Ryan earned his Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. He specializes in research methods, statistical analysis, police-citizen interactions, and the impacts of substance use on the community, in particular youth and young adults. Ryan has had work published in academic journals such as the Journal of Experimental Criminology, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Studies in Higher Education, and the Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology. He has also presented at national conferences. Ryan also has experience in program evaluation. He enjoys utilizing his experience in research and program evaluation to help the community understand the importance of using data to tell its story. Importantly, he is passionate about taking a data-driven approach to help the community. Outside of his professional work, Ryan loves professional and college football, and professional baseball. He also really enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, making trips to Disneyland. < Back Ryan@appliedsurveyresearch.org

View Full Report Executive Summary Community Assessments By taking a broad scan of a community’s quality of life, ASR’s community assessments set the foundation for collaborators to make collective impact. ASR’s Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project was the longest running community assessment project in the country (1995-2020). Other assessments have focused on a variety of populations, such as youth, children witnessing domestic violence, farmworkers, veterans, older adults, and the Black/African Ancestry community. Highlight Project: Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project View Full Report Executive Summary < Back Additional work samples Stanislaus Youth & Family Spotlight Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley Report Card View Report Card Exec Summary View Full Report Exec Summary Stanislaus County CAP View Full Report Exec Summary Children & Youth Well-being Santa Cruz County Spotlight View Report

Laura Connery Director of Operations and Impact Ms. Connery came to ASR in 2007 and has worked on evaluations and assessments in the areas of early childhood education, youth development, homelessness, farmworker needs, community needs assessments, community health assessments, and recreation and housing assessments. As a community researcher with a specialty in community-based participatory research, she has led numerous primary data collection efforts in the states of California, Arizona, and Alaska. Ms. Connery has engaged and worked with vulnerable populations as part of efforts to obtain quantitative and qualitative data to better the quality of life of community members. Some of her projects include needs and assets reports for children ages 0-5 in 9 different regions in Arizona; a Human Services, Recreation, and Housing needs assessment to evaluate the recreation needs of the City of Pasadena’s residents; and Homeless Census and Surveys to provide an accurate number of homeless individuals and qualitative data about their need for services in over 9 different counties in California. She is currently serving our partners and staff in the role of Director of Operations and Impact, in addition to serving on the Steering Committee for Project Homeless Connect which provides services, food, and clothing for our community’s underserved populations. Ms. Connery’s passion is social justice and equity and her expertise is implementing innovative methods of collecting data to better tell these stories. In addition to her love of her nieces and nephews, she also enjoys traveling, exploring the outdoors, enjoying live music, and spending time with her two dogs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. < Back Laura@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Rebecca Handman, PhD Senior Research Analyst and Communications Specialist Dr. Rebecca Handman joined ASR in 2025 as a Senior Research Analyst and Communications Specialist. She holds a PhD in Human Development from UC Davis. Her work focused on developing and evaluating products for parenting programs and is centered around connecting research with real-world solutions. Dr. Handman is passionate about turning research into engaging tools that help people take action and make a difference. She loves finding creative ways to simplify complex information and bring it to life in ways that support children, families and communities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, experimenting with DIY projects, crafting and cooking. < Back Rebecca@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Community Health Needs Assessments In 2012, ASR pioneered a methodology to help hospitals complete community health needs assessments (CHNA) in a way that met the requirements of the Affordable Care Act but also provided insights as to how to best direct community benefits funding. Since then, ASR has completed dozens of CHNAs across the Bay Area, as well as in other states. Highlight Project: Oakland Medical Center Community Health Needs Assessment < Back View Assessment Kaiser Permanente San Jose 2022 View Assessment Dominican Hospital CHNA 2019 View Assessment Mark Twain Medical Center CHNA 2017 View Assessment Kaiser Permanente Richmond 2022 View Assessment

Sofia Stepanyan, PhD Senior Research Analyst Dr. Stepanyan is a developmental and research psychologist with expertise in behavioral research and data analysis. She has over 10 years of experience designing and implementing research projects, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She also has extensive experience with community-based evaluations, surveys, needs assessments, and strategic planning efforts. Dr. Stepanyan also has over 10 years of experience in higher education. Prior to joining ASR, she was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Gannon University, where her research focused on understanding the development of youth behavioral, emotional, and psychosocial problems. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Journal of Adolescence, The Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children. Dr. Stepanyan received a BA degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and MA and Ph.D degrees in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. < Back Sofia@appliedsurveyresearch.org