RBS is comprised of educators, developers, technical assistance personnel, writers, researchers, evaluators, and information technology, marketing, and communications professionals who serve as valuable resource partners to the educational community.
RBS is a qualified vendor for the School District of Philadelphia, as well as the State Departments of Education in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Many of our staff area also affiliated with a range of professional organizations, including:
- American Association of Museums
- American Educational Research Association
- American Evaluation Association
- American Sociological Association
- Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Consortium of State and Regional Educational Research Associations
- Eastern Evaluation Research Society
- Institute of Management Accountants
- Pennsylvania Educational Research Association
You may contact any of our staff members directly via email by clicking on his or her name, or by phone at (215) 568-6150 and using the extension provided.
LeRon Brown, x220
Controller
LeRon is responsible for financial and fiscal reporting, which includes maintenance of standard accounting policies, internal control systems, general ledger, payroll administration, and fixed assets. He is also responsible for overhead budgeting, cash management, federal , state, and local tax filings, accounts payable and accounts receivable. LeRon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from LaSalle University, where he minored in finance. LeRon's past experiences include budgeting, marketing, and fund raising. He currently serves on the Board of Directors as Treasurer of a Condominium Association, and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants, an organization for accountants and financial professionals in business.
Debra Coffey, x276
Research Associate
Debra has designed and conducted multi-method evaluations for clients in the nonprofit, educational, and governmental sectors. Her experience includes instrument design and implementation, analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, and document and discourse analysis. She has particular expertise in the analysis of educational policies and their effects on teachers and students. She holds a master’s degree from the University of London and is currently pursuing her doctorate in education policy at the University of Delaware.
Carol Crociante, x280
Executive Assistant
Carol provides a wide array of administrative assistance, including preparation of RBS correspondence, executive summaries and reports, conference registration, and publications. Carol also maintains mailing lists and database files, and coordinates internal and external meetings.
Kelly Feighan, x285
Director of Research and Development
Kelly received her master's degree in sociology from the University of Maryland where she was nominated for an Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. Before joining RBS, she worked for the Census Bureau's International Programs Center, World Bank, and Philadelphia Health Management Corporation as a sociologist providing technical assistance and designing and implementing evaluations. Kelly has 15 years of experience in applied social scientific research, currently chairs the classroom observation special interest group of the American Educational Research Association, and is pursuing a PhD in sociology. She volunteers and travels when possible, and is an active member of the American Sociological Association, American Evaluation Association, and Eastern Evaluation Research Society.
Vonda Johnson
Evaluation Associate
Vonda conducts social service and educational evaluations for clients in the academic, not-for-profit, and governmental sectors. She provides a variety of services including instrument development, data collection, data management, and survey and data analysis. Vonda has a special interest in the use of CQI/TQM in formative evaluation. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Administration from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Keith M. Kershner, x279
Executive Director
Keith is responsible for developing and managing RBS. His previous experience at RBS includes serving as Executive Co-Director, directing the Mid-Atlantic Eisenhower Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education, developing the RBS Publications unit, developing and managing the research and evaluation groups, and directing the evaluation of RBS’ Career Education program. Before RBS, he worked at the University of Delaware, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and in the private sector. Keith’s professional degrees include an A.B. in Slavic Languages from Princeton University, an M.S. in Educational Research from Bucknell University, and a Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Delaware. He also has earned a certificate of linguistic proficiency at the University of Vienna, Austria.
In addition to management responsibilities, Keith serves as a senior staff member for RBS projects and partnerships, including the 21st Century Center for Research and Development in Cognition and Science Instruction and the Memphis Striving Readers project. His special interests include STEM education, communications, early childhood education, higher education, and international studies. Keith is an officer in the Pennsylvania Educational Research Association and the Consortium of State and Regional Educational Research Associations and a member of the American Educational Research Association, the American Evaluation Association, and ASCD.
Elena Kirtcheva, x327
Research Associate
Elena has experience and expertise in evaluating a variety of projects across different areas: after-school programs, Math and Science Partnerships, literacy initiatives, etc. She has applied innovative quasi-experimental designs to get the most informative and rigorous results possible without inflating the cost of evaluation. Elena has advanced quantitative analysis skills, including linear and non-linear regression, HLM analysis, and propensity score matching and works comfortably with all statistical packages (SPSS, R, STATA, and others). She is a member of the American Evaluation Association, and regularly attends national and regional professional conferences to present research findings and evaluation approached with the larger education research community. Elena holds a bachelor's degree from Colgate University in International Relations and History, and a master's degree in political science (with a focus on quantitative methodology) from Pennsylvania State University.
Eric Kucharik, x329
Research Associate
Eric has been conducting program evaluations with RBS for the past four years. He is an integral member of several evaluation teams for which he provides a variety of supports ranging from evaluation design, data collection and management, and analysis. Eric specializes in optimizing data management and analysis solutions through his innovative use of software such as SPSS and Microsoft Excel. An active member of both the Pennsylvania Educational Research Association and Eastern Evaluation Research Society, Eric is currently pursuing his master’s degree in applied psychological research at Pennsylvania State University.
Louis M. Maguire, x222
Consulting Director
Lou provided management, fiscal, and organizational development expertise to RBS. He also leads the publications unit. Lou holds an undergraduate degree in English from St. Joseph’s College, and master’s and doctorate degrees in educational administration from Temple University.
Megan Richardson, x247
Research Associate I
Megan currently assists in evaluations of innovative educational programs for adolescents and professional development for teachers of mathematics and science. Before joining RBS, Megan worked for the American Institutes for Research as a program monitor and data collector in Philadelphia and Camden public schools. In this role, she administered literacy tests to kindergarten students to attain baseline data for an evaluation of an early reading intervention. Megan previously worked for the United States Census Bureau and has experience as a kindergarten assistant teacher. She also interned for the Philadelphia Public School Notebook where she contributed to an issue about dropouts in Philadelphia. Megan holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in sociology and education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Richard “Skip” McCann
Director of School Improvement Projects
Skip focuses on research, development, and technical assistance projects. His areas of concentration include policy development, program planning and implementation, budgeting, curriculum design, instructional materials development, professional development and staff training, application of R&D, and evaluation of educational improvement programs. Skip received his undergraduate degree in American studies from Amherst College, and a graduate degree in education from Harvard University. Additionally, he conducted doctoral studies in learning and instruction at UCLA.
Amanda Schreiber, x284
Evaluation Associate
Amanda has 10 years of experience conducting mixed method program evaluations. Prior to joining RBS, Amanda worked at the Center for Social Policy and Community Development at Temple University where she oversaw the development and execution of evaluations in the following areas: child welfare, workforce development, capacity building and education. Since 2007, Amanda has served as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Social work at Temple University teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in research methods. Amanda holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Millersville University and a Master’s degree in social work from Temple University.