Leadership
Laura A. Harrington
Director of Institutional Effectiveness
E-mail: lalvut@syr.edu
Laura Harrington is Director of Syracuse University’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE). She leads a dynamic team focused on assessment, institutional research, and strategic analytics. Together, they provide a responsive and mission-aligned approach to decision-making and continuous improvement. The OIE team strengthens the University’s ability to translate insights into action through comprehensive assessment practices, collaborative planning, data storytelling, and leveraging analytics and AI in partnership with faculty, staff, and leadership.
Since joining Syracuse in 1996, Laura has held roles in instructional development, institutional research, and assessment. She played a central role in designing and implementing the University’s assessment framework. Laura is committed to fostering an environment of continuous improvement and building capacity for meaningful, data-informed change on our campus.
Laura received her BA in History from Allegheny College and MS in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation from Syracuse University.
Amy K. Gardiner
Associate Director
E-mail: akgardin@syr.edu
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.
Amanda Johnson Sanguiliano
Associate Director of Institutional Effectiveness
E-mail: aljohn07@syr.edu
Amanda strives to cultivate and assess equity in the student experience through her work supporting the university-wide learning goals, strategic planning, and assessment at Syracuse University. Amanda’s experience designing and implementing student-centered leadership and engaged learning curricula enables her to consult faculty and staff across campus as they reflect on student learning and operational success. Amanda’s passion for research has given her the opportunity to lead several research teams and present findings at national conferences; her research interests include equity-minded and equity-centered assessment, integrated teaching/learning, social justice leadership, and high-impact practices. Amanda started at Syracuse University in 2014 at the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service and joined IE in the summer of 2017.
Amanda received her BA in English and BA in Women’s Studies from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and MS in Higher Education from Syracuse University. Amanda is a current doctoral student in Syracuse University’s Higher Education program.
Melissa Lowry
Associate Director of Institutional Effectiveness
E-mail: malowry@syr.edu
Melissa is an associate director for the group. Her current responsibilities are focused on Middle States accreditation, strategic planning, program review, faculty portfolios, data dashboard initiatives. Melissa started at Syracuse University in 2011.
Melissa received her BS in Information Management and Technology and MS in Information Systems from Syracuse University. She also is a certified Project Management Professional.
A’yla James
Administrative Assistant
E-mail: ayjames@syr.edu
Born and raised in Syracuse, A’yla is committed to supporting higher education in her hometown. As Administrative Specialist, she supports the Institutional Effectiveness team by managing office operations, coordinating events and projects, and assisting with initiatives aligned with Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation. She ensures smooth workflows and supports communication between the team and various departments to advance the university’s mission of continuous improvement.
A’yla holds a BA in Global Liberal Studies from New York University and brings administrative experience from roles at NYU’s Office of Global Programs and Le Curandaie in Florence, Italy.
Assessment Team
Fresenai Afeworki
Assessment Associate
E-mail: ftesfaia@syr.edu
As a member of the OIE Assessment Working Team, Fresenai evaluates the university assessment framework, analyses how faculty and staff are engaged in assessment activities so as to develop meaningful support and recognition opportunities for faculty and staff. In the area of shared competency, he is participating in mapping program-level student learning outcomes established for each undergraduate major and stand-alone minor to the University’s six competencies, facilitate evidence collection for the assessment pilot, and participate in benchmarking activities. Fresenai joined the IE team in 2018, as a research and assessment intern where he worked on updating and developing several assessment resources.
Fresenai received his BA in Educational Psychology from Eritrea Institute of Technology in Eritrea and MS in Educational Leadership, CAS in Instructional Design Foundations, and CAS in Data Science from Syracuse University.
Patrick Schnobrich
Functional Business Analyst
E-mail: paschnob@syr.edu
Patrick joined the Institutional Effectiveness team in early 2019 and aims to leverage his experience in change management to drive new platforms for the course feedback and exam scoring processes within Syracuse University. Prior to joining the team, Patrick managed registration and enrollment initiatives for a military teletraining system contracted with a local Syracuse company. Patrick also has experience working for local broadcast companies which has helped develop his love for impactful storytelling. Patrick places emphasis on effective communication and resources by merging creative thought and design with a clear and concise presentation.
Patrick received his AAS in Electronic Media Communications from Onondaga Community College and is on track to complete his BPS in Applied Data & Predictive Analytics from Syracuse University.
Institutional Research Team
Brad Fetes
Research Associate II
E-mail: bfetes@syr.edu
C.A.S., Syracuse University (Data Science )
C.A.S., Syracuse University (Sports Analytics )
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.
Nicole Menendez
Research Associate I
E-mail: njperrig@syr.edu
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
Research Associate II
E-mail: srsmith4@syr.edu
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.
Strategic Analytics Team
Julie Hall
Data Analytics Project Specialist
E-mail: jchall@syr.edu
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.
George Puthussery
Functional Business Analyst
E-mail: gpputhus@syr.edu
George supports the Center for Fellowship & Scholarship Advising (CFSA), Center for Learning & Student Success (CLASS), Institutional Effectiveness, and Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) in analyzing and using data for decision-making. Before stepping into his current role, George gained experience as an Instructional Designer in Institutional Effectiveness developing professional development curricula and a framework to assess the university-wide learning goals. When he’s not wrangling data, he enjoys reading and playing video games.
George received his B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from Govt. Model Engineering College and an MS in Instructional Design from Syracuse University.
Timothy H. Wasserman
Assistant Director
E-mail: thwasser@syr.edu
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.