Dr. Rich Brown, Ph.D.
West Coast Analytics Founder and CEO
Dr. Brown earned his M.B.A. from the University of California, Irvine and Ph.D. in Advanced Quantitative Methods from the University of California, Los Angeles. He offers more than 20 years in statistical and analytical advice and consultation primarily in the areas of research design, quantitative analysis and psychometrics.
Dr. Brown’s expertise has been recognized both statewide and nationally. He served as co-Chair of the California High School Exit Exam development committee in the early stages of test development and statewide implementation. Moreover, due to his expertise in test alignment methodology and research, he has served the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) as a reviewer of and advisor regarding their design plans to commission alignment studies between college readiness exams (SAT, Accuplacer) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Further, he has served on numerous Technical Advisory Committees for educational research and policy agencies across the nation, including seven years on the Technical Advisory Group for the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program for the California Department of Education, the IES funded Regional Education Laboratory for the Mid-Atlantic region (REL-MA), the Assessing Data Modeling project at Vanderbilt University, and several test development and certification agencies, such as National Inspection, Testing, and Certification (NITC) organization. In addition, he served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Education Policy Improvement Center, a leader in college and career readiness research and as Chief Research Scientist for The National Math + Science Initiative. He is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Statistical Association (ASA), the National Council for Measurement in Education (NCME), the American Psychological Association (APA), The Society for Research in Educational Effectiveness (SREE), and the International Testing Commission (ITC).
Dr. Brown has been a faculty member at the USC Rossier School of Education, Director for the Center for Research in Educational Assessment and Measurement in the Department of Education, University of California, Irvine, and Senior Researcher at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA.
Jacqueline Gianola-Quinn
Senior Advisor & Strategic Consultant; IRB Board Member
Professional Teaching Credential (CLAD Certified), University of San Diego, Elementary K-8
Mathematics and English (Supplemental Authorizations)
B.A. University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Linguistics
Specialization: Test Design & Item Development, Assessment Services & Training, Curriculum Development and Strategic Alliances
Ms. Gianola-Quinn has over 28 years of experience in the education industry. She is a former California educator who spent five years teaching high school mathematics as well as serving as the chair of the secondary mathematics department during her tenure. She has held various leadership roles over the past 23 years across several educational companies (Lightspan Learning Inc., PLATO Learning Inc., Global Scholar Inc.) overseeing their curriculum and assessment development groups. In her most recent position, she served as the Vice President of Content and Research for Scantron Corporation. During her time with Scantron, she led the assessment and psychometric services and item development for their fixed form and computer-adaptive testing platforms. Her organization created thousands of custom benchmark assessments for small, mid-size and large districts. She was a member of the executive strategic team and oversaw the company-wide leadership academy as well as a key contributor to Scantron’s parent company’s M & A process. She also has vast experience in working with other content and technology partners to develop integrated and complementary solutions. She currently serves as a Senior Advisor and Strategic Consultant for West Coast Analytics and is a member of the company IRB team.
Meredith L. Manning
Senior Advisor & Strategic Consultant; IRB Board Member
B.A. University of San Diego, English
Specialization: Test Design & Item Development, Assessment Services & Training,
Curriculum Development, Sales and Marketing
Ms. Manning has over 30 years of experience in the design, development, and marketing of high-quality educational products. As an executive and member of the founding team for EdVISION Corporation and Chief Content Officer of Scantron Corporation, she led the content development and statistical research that turned online computer-adaptive assessment into an industry standard. Later, as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Sally Ride Science, she focused on building brand and product awareness for the K-12 market. She offers a comprehensive perspective on the educational product lifecycle, spanning from initial design and development to strategic marketing and high-growth sales. Her current work as a Board Member on the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at West Coast Analytics allows her to bridge the gap between innovation and ethical data practices, ensuring that modern learning tools are both effective and compliant with evolving industry standards. In addition to her board work, she serves as a Senior Advisor and Strategic Consultant for the firm, specializing in the synthesis of longitudinal data to measure student trajectories and non-academic outcomes.
Dr. Emily A. Brown
Statistical Research Analyst & Internship Director
Ph.D. University of North Texas, Research, Measurement, and Statistics
B.S. Texas Christian University, Psychology
M.S. Texas Christian University, Business Analytics
Dr. Brown is a Statistical Research Analyst and the Internship Director at West Coast Analytics. Emily is a graduate of Texas Christian University where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuropsychology and her Masters of Science in Business Analytics. Emily completed her doctoral degree at the University of North Texas in the Educational Psychology department with a concentration in Research, Measurement and Statistics. Emily is also a Vice President - Fraud Analytics Lead Analyst at Citibank.
Dr. Emily A. Brown
Statistical Research Analyst & Internship Director
Ph.D. University of North Texas, Research, Measurement, and Statistics
B.S. Texas Christian University, Psychology
M.S. Texas Christian University, Business Analytics
Dr. Brown is a Statistical Research Analyst and the Internship Director at West Coast Analytics. Emily is a graduate of Texas Christian University where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuropsychology and her Masters of Science in Business Analytics. Emily completed her doctoral degree at the University of North Texas in the Educational Psychology department with a concentration in Research, Measurement and Statistics. Emily is also a Vice President - Fraud Analytics Lead Analyst at Citibank.
Collaborating Consultants
David M Niemi, Ph.D.
Ph. D. University of California, Los Angeles, California, Educational Psychology
M.A. Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
B.A. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont California
Specialization: Assessment Design and Validation, Instructional Design, Technology Applications in Education, Research Design
Dr. Niemi has more than 20 years experience designing and delivering assessment-based training workshops to teachers and administrators across the country. He has held executive positions in Measurement, Evaluation and Research for K12.com and Kaplan, Inc. In addition, he served 10 years as Assistant Director of the National Center for Research and Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA. He also served on the academic faculty at the University of Missouri, where he directed the Educational Psychology Program. David Niemi is a recognized expert in assessment design and validation. He has published widely and presents his research frequently at national and international conferences.
Julia C. Phelan, Ph.D.
Ph. D. University of California, Los Angeles, California, Educational Psychology
B.A. University of California, Los Angeles, California, Psychology
Specialization: Assessment Design and Validation, Formative Assessment, Technology Applications in Education, Evaluating Effects of Assessment
Dr. Phelan has more than 15 years experience conducting research in the area of assessment and evaluation at the National Center for Research and Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA. She has directed several multi-million dollar assessment projects at CRESST. In addition, she has developed assessment design and delivery software to enable and facilitate assessment administration.
Julio C. Villarreal, MS
M.S. Cornell University, Biometry and Statistics
B.A. University of San Diego, Mathematics
Specialization: Test Development and Validation, Computer Adaptive Testing, Technology Applications in Education, Rasch Modeling, Statistical Data Analysis
Mr. Villarreal is a former California community college math instructor and statistical analyst. He spent five years as Manager of Research and Statistics for Scantron Corporation where he was responsible for the psychometric quality and integrity of their testing products, particularly their computer adaptive assessments. In addition, he was responsible for writing and revising their test products’ Technical Manuals, Research Reports, and other product documentation. He is an adept computer programmer, particularly with regard to testing algorithms, and he is well versed in modern psychometric and statistical theory.
Alexandra Youel
Internship Coordinator
B.A. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Political Science
Ms. Youel graduated from California Polytechnic State University majoring in Political Science, Pre-Law Concentration. Ali previously completed the West Coast Analytics Data Science Internship and has served as the WCA Internship Coordinator. Currently, Ali is a J.D. candidate at the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco.
Alexandra Youel
Internship Coordinator
B.A. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Political Science
Ms. Youel graduated from California Polytechnic State University majoring in Political Science, Pre-Law Concentration. Ali previously completed the West Coast Analytics Data Science Internship and has served as the WCA Internship Coordinator. Currently, Ali is a J.D. candidate at the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco.
Will Quinn
Internship Coordinator
B.S., Business Administration from the University of Southern California
Mr. Quinn graduated from University of Southern California majoring in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance. Will previously completed the West Coast Analytics Data Science Internship and has served as the Internship Coordinator. Currently, Will is Portfolio Reporting Analyst at Payden & Rygel.
Will Quinn
Internship Coordinator
B.S., Business Administration from the University of Southern California
Mr. Quinn graduated from University of Southern California majoring in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance. Will previously completed the West Coast Analytics Data Science Internship and has served as the Internship Coordinator. Currently, Will is Portfolio Reporting Analyst at Payden & Rygel.