Staff

Leadership Team

Seth Ovadia

saovadia@syr.edu
Assistant Vice President
Ph.D., University of Maryland College Park (Sociology)

Seth was appointed Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research in February 2024, after leading the survey and research activities of the department for 12 years. As Associate Director, he was also responsible for the analysis of University and department rankings published by external agencies, as well as the execution of a variety of ad hoc studies. Before coming to Syracuse, Seth was a professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College and Towson University. He is the author of 11 articles and book chapters and has made more than 20 presentations to professional conferences.

Amy K. Gardiner

akgardin@syr.edu
Associate Director
Ph.D., Florida Atlantic University (Experimental Psychology)

Amy manages IR’s Research Team, which conducts research and data analysis to inform policy and planning decisions at the University. The team’s work involves designing studies, developing data collection instruments, building and analyzing datasets, and creating reports and dashboards to communicate research findings and actionable intelligence to critical audiences. Amy joined IR in 2014. Outside of the office, she co-manages a local canine rescue, spends time outdoors, and visits family within Central New York.

Levi Peckham

lnpeckha@syr.edu
Associate Director
M.S., Syracuse University (Information Management)
C.A.S., Syracuse University (Data Science)
B.A., Berklee College of Music (Film Scoring)

Levi joined the IR team in 2012. He has 25 years of higher education experience serving in roles focused on information technology, systems administration, data management, and process/systems analytics. Levi supervises a dedicated team of analysts whose primary responsibilities in IR include overseeing compulsory reporting (e.g., IPEDS, NYSED) and managing institution-wide data, data models, and University facts & figures. Levi is also an accomplished audio engineer, lifelong composer, and faux-audiophile.

Timothy H. Wasserman

thwasser@syr.edu
Assistant Director
Ph.D., Syracuse University (Higher Education Administration)
M.S., Syracuse University (Applied Statistics)

Tim was a member of IR at its founding in 2006. Before then, he was with SU’s Center for Support of Teaching and Learning. As a programmer and one of IR’s statisticians, Tim is primarily responsible for supporting a variety of institutional research efforts including statistical analysis, predictive analytics, retention and graduation rates data and analyses, as well as a variety of other reporting responsibilities. He oversees IR’s admissions and student records reporting group. Tim has taught statistics at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and has numerous publications and presentations in the social sciences and education fields.

Nancy Impelizzieri

ngimpeli@syr.edu
Administrative Assistant
B.A., LeMoyne College (English)

Nancy manages IR’s front office reception area and provides word-processing, data entry, and secretarial support to the IR staff. Her primary responsibility is to lend administrative support and assistance to the Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research. Nancy manages payroll, facilitates personnel actions, schedules meetings, coordinates office functions, and handles office expenditures and budget-related tasks. Other responsibilities include communicating with University departments and external organizations, records management, managing conference registrations, making travel arrangements, and training and supervising student employees.

Ying Lin

Ylin65@syr.edu
Director of Analytics
Ph.D., University of Delaware (Computer Science)

Ying joined IR in 2022 as a Director of Analytics after working as a Director of Research for Enrollment Management in Syracuse University. Ying is responsible for the development and deployment of analytical strategies that aid in decision making processes throughout the University, with a particular focus on supporting Academic Affairs, Schools, and Colleges. He provides advanced analytics leadership through leveraging machine learning algorithms/statistical data mining methodologies and monitoring the latest trends in how the higher education sector is deploying analytics.

DataInsights Team

Julie Hall

jchall@syr.edu
Data Analytics Project Specialist
B.A., SUNY Oswego (Art)

Julie’s duties for IR include dashboard development, programming for online surveys, database design and management, data analysis, graphics design, and web page development. Julie began working for SU at the Center for Instructional Development, later renamed the Center for Support of Teaching and Learning.

Timothy J. Lally

tjlally@syr.edu
Functional Business Analyst
M.S., Rochester Institute of Technology (Applied Statistics)
B.S., Rochester Institute of Technology (Economics)

Tim provides technical support for IR staff related to various institutional data systems. His primary focus is acting as liaison between IR and Information Technology Services (ITS), translating function needs into technical requirements. He also coordinates ongoing data warehousing and BI projects. Prior to joining IR in 2006, Tim worked in IR at SUNY Upstate Medical University and in private sector manufacturing supply chain management.

Institutional Reporting Team

Noor Adnan Aljiboury

naatiyaa@syr.edu
Data Analyst II
M.S., Syracuse University (Information Management)
B.S., Syracuse University (Information Management & Technology)

Noor joined IR as a Data Analyst in 2021 and she is responsible for assisting with the compilation and submission of internal and external reports and surveys, as well as serving as a data source for ad hoc requests. She is a two-time alumna of Syracuse University, earning a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in information management and technology. Prior to joining IR, Noor worked as an information and e-marketing analyst. Noor’s family is originally from Iraq, and she has been living in Syracuse ever since her family migrated to the U.S. In her free time, Noor volunteers to help refugees with appointments and filing paperwork, has given Arabic lessons to kids whose parents’ native language is Arabic and do not want their kids to lose the language, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors in the Cora Foundation. She also enjoys nature, photography, soccer, volleyball and playing video games.

Ryan Mandelis

rpmandel@syr.edu
Data Analyst
M.S., SUNY Binghamton (Data Analytics)
B.A., SUNY Binghamton (Actuarial Sciences)

Ryan finished his master’s program at Binghamton University in the Spring of 2021. Ryan then joined IR in November of 2021 after working as a Data Analyst for the CDC on a five-month contract. Ryan’s responsibilities include compilation and curation of data for various institutional reports, projects, and requests. He also aids in the creation and maintenance of data models and institutional dashboards. Outside of work, Ryan has great passion for music, the outdoors, and sports.

Linde Zhu

lzhu40@syr.edu
Data Analyst
M.S., Binghamton University (Data Analytics)
B.S., Binghamton University (Business Administration, Concentration in Management Information Systems)

Linde joined IR in 2023 after receiving their master’s degree from Binghamton University. Their responsibilities include compiling and analyzing HR data for reports and ad hoc requests.

Research Team

Brad Fetes

bfetes@syr.edu
Research Associate
M.P.H., Upstate Medical/Syracuse University

Brad is responsible for the design, development, and implementation of research projects that inform strategic action by the University. He also works with newly collected and previously existing data to provide the University community with issues of interest to administrators, faculty, staff, and students. Brad joined IR in 2017.

Joanna Herron

jrherron@syr.edu
Survey Data Analyst
C.A.S., Syracuse University (Data Science)
B.S., SUNY New Paltz (Mathematics & Psychology)

Joanna is responsible for the coordination, collection, and submission of data for the full range of guidebook and rankings surveys in which the University participates, as well as the tracking and analysis of published ranking information. Prior to joining IR in 2022, she worked in financial services as a Systems Analyst, specializing in loan software configuration, automation, and reporting. Outside of work, Joanna enjoys hiking, yoga, tabletop/board games, and spoiling her dogs.

Nicole Perrigo

njperrig@syr.edu
Research Associate
B.A., Syracuse University (International Relations, Sociology, Forensic Science)

As an SU alum, Nicole looks forward to using survey data to understand and inform improvements regarding the student experience. She is responsible for creating, implementing, and analyzing surveys to inform University decisions and provide insight about select topics. Prior to joining IR in 2024, Nicole worked in the Sociology Department where she assisted in their Undergraduate program. Outside of work, Nicole enjoys hiking, sports, traveling, and spending time with family.

Sarah Smith

srsmith4@syr.edu
Research Associate
C.A.S., Syracuse University (Data Science)
B.A., Ithaca College (Psychology)

Sarah contributes to the implementation of research projects conducted for the University with her experience in study design, instrument development, data collection, analysis, and reporting. She uses her data visualization expertise to create intuitive and user-friendly dashboards that distill data into actionable insights for the University. Prior to joining IR in 2018, Sarah worked for a research consulting firm where she managed research and evaluation projects for various educational institutions. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys running, biking, and swimming.

Admissions Reporting Team

As of February 1, the Admissions Reporting team has relocated from Institutional Research to Enrollment Services. If you are seeking assistance with admissions reporting needs, please send an email to enmgrpt@syr.edu

Lisa Cregan

lmcregan@syr.edu
Team Lead/Research Analyst
M.P.A., Syracuse University (Public Management)

Lisa’s responsibilities include assisting with creating and maintaining a database of key information for use in data reporting and analysis to ensure consistency and efficiency, serving as a source for data requests in multiple areas of enterprise data, and serving as liaison in collaborations with other offices. Lisa creates/provides routine and ad-hoc reports mainly for data related to Graduate Admissions and Recruitment (CRM platform). She is also the main developer of the Graduate Admissions data constructs.

Lisa previously worked as an Administrative Analyst in the Onondaga County Department of Social Services, Children’s Division. She began working for the University in 2009 in Human Resources and joined IR in 2014.

Pazy Davis

psdavi01@syr.edu
Research Analyst
M.A., Cleveland State University (Consumer-Industrial Research Psychology)

Pazy has conducted enrollment management research at Syracuse since 2010. This research includes collection of data from external sources and statistical analyses. She also creates/provides routine and ad-hoc reports mainly for data related to Undergraduate Admissions. Pazy has previously held positions at market research firms where she was responsible for survey design, collection, analysis, and reporting.

Kimberley Sallie

ksallie@syr.edu
Senior Data Analyst
B.Comm., Carleton University; B.B.E., Brock University

Kimberley has worked as a data analyst at Syracuse University since 2001. Her main responsibilities include creating/providing routine and ad-hoc reports for data related to Graduate Admissions, Undergraduate Admissions, and Recruitment (CRM platform). She is also the main developer of the Undergraduate Admissions data constructs. In addition, Kimberley has developed numerous audit reports to ensure data quality of Syracuse University’s Undergraduate applicants. Kimberley has also been involved in the testing of new views and new database software.

Harleen Singh

hsingh02@syr.edu
Data Analyst
B.S., Kansas State University

Harleen joined IR in 2016 as a Data Analyst. Her main responsibilities include creating/providing routine and ad-hoc reports for data related to Undergraduate Admissions. In the past, she has worked for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to create reports for PBS LearningMedia using the NextReports Designer system. Her past experience also includes webpage design, HTML/CSS programming, and Drupal/OmniUpdate programming.