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Our Staff

Since 1985, Greenwald & Associates has built an outstanding team of professionals with extensive research experience. Here are our biographies:

Mathew Greenwald, President and CEO (Ph.D. in Sociology, Rutgers University)

Dr. Mathew Greenwald is a leading financial and research expert and an elected member of the Market Research Council. Dr. Greenwald has more than 30 years of market research experience. He founded the firm after eight years as the Director of Social Research at the American Council of Life Insurers.

A recognized expert on opinion research, Dr. Greenwald is frequently asked to speak at forums, conferences and seminars sponsored by a wide variety of organizations. Matt has testified before Congress regarding retirement attitudes and has written many articles concerning the financial services industry, demographic changes, consumer attitudes and behavior, the Baby Boom and Baby Bust generations, and the values and lifestyles of the American public. Matt is an inductee in the National Association of Variable Annuities (NAVA) Hall of Fame, has testified before the Senate Committee on Aging, and served as a Congressionally-appointed delegate to the 1998 and 2002 National Summits on Retirement Savings.

Keith A. (Jake) Jacobson, Senior Vice President and COO (B.A. in American Government and English, Georgetown University)

Mr. Jacobson runs all research operations for Greenwald & Associates and has more than 15 years of experience that has included substantial work in consumer attitudes and behavior. Prior to joining Greenwald & Associates, Mr. Jacobson worked as Head of Survey Research and Evaluation for the Navy's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Division, where he was responsible for an ongoing program of needs assessments surveys. He also worked as a Senior Research Analyst at the Republican National Committee, where, in 1992, he was responsible for directing the RNC's support of President George H. W. Bush's reelection campaign.

Brian Perlman, Senior Vice President and CFO (Ph.D. in Psychology, University of New Hampshire, ChFC, CLU)

Dr. Perlman has more than 20 years of research experience, and he has a strong knowledge of the financial services industry. As both a consumer psychologist and a financial planner, he offers a unique level of insight on studies conducted for the financial services industry. Brian has given numerous speeches and presentations, and has led a number of key studies designed for public release. Dr. Perlman previously served as Director of Strategic Research for the American Council of Life Insurers.

Anne Elmlinger, Vice President (M.A. in Political Science, Ohio State University)

Ms. Elmlinger serves as project director, designs and analyzes studies, manages key client relations, and leads Greenwald's health care practice. She is experienced in the design of customer satisfaction research programs, as well as market analysis. Anne was also a presenter at the 2006 National Consumer Driven Healthcare Summit. Prior to joining Greenwald in 1999, Ms. Elmlinger served as Manager of Marketing Research for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.

Linda Naiditch, Assistant Vice President (M.A. in Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine)

Ms. Naiditch has over 20 years of experience in designing research to meet client needs, in analyzing the results, and in communicating the findings clearly and insightfully. She is an experienced focus group moderator and executive interviewer. Linda has conducted research on wide ranging topics, from investment products to software usability, but has also developed specialties in employee benefits, health, and caregiving. Ms. Naiditch previously served as Research Director at United Way of America.

Steven Sikorski, Assistant Vice President of Technical Operations (B.A. in Communications Studies, University of Maryland)

Mr. Sikorski directs all technical, data, and research support operations for Greenwald & Associates.  He specializes in database management, large-scale data collection, and management of client-provided samples.  Steve also supervises all CATI, online, and tabulation programming.  

Susan Mott, Senior Consultant (Ph.D. in Sociology, Ohio State University)

Dr. Mott designs and analyzes quantitative and qualitative studies. She is an expert in demography and is experienced in all aspects of survey research and market research, including 18 years of experience in corporate financial services positions. Dr. Mott was previously in charge of Market Research for Nationwide Financial.

Bryan Dewsbury, Director of Programming (M.A. in Political Science, American University)

Mr. Dewsbury is the firm's lead online survey programmer, and one of the leading telephone survey programmers. In nearly ten years with the firm, he has managed the study design and data collection for a variety of study types, including online, phone, and mail surveys. Trained in both research and programming, Mr. Dewsbury previously held research positions with O'Hare Associates and Cygnus Corporation.

Traverse Burnett, Research Director (M.A. in Experimental Psychology, Wake Forest University)

Mr. Burnett is an experienced qualitative and quantitative researcher who has managed complex projects for government agencies, non-profit associations, and Fortune 500 companies.  In addition to his more than five years with Greenwald & Associates, Traverse has served as Director of Public Policy and Research at the Travel Industry Association and a Research Consultant with the United Way of America.

Raina Rusnak Ferrari, Research Director (M.A. in Public Policy, American University)

Ms. Rusnak is a highly skilled project manager and quantitative research analyst, who oversees multiple key projects at Greenwald. She specializes in customer research, satisfaction tracking, and research designed for public release. Much of her work is concentrated in the area of finances, investing, and insurance. Raina was formerly a Research Assistant at Salomon Smith Barney.

Jean E. Foster, Research Director (M.A. in Demography, Georgetown University, CLU)

Ms. Foster is experienced in product and services marketing, and she has expertise in product development and concept design. She is also one of the firm's leading focus group moderators and in-depth interviewer. Based in California, she is the project director for West Coast clients. Ms. Foster previously served as Director of Market Research for The Equitable.

Ruth Helman, Research Director (B.A. in History, Smith College)

Ms. Helman has over 20 years of experience in designing and analyzing quantitative and qualitative research studies for a variety of organizations. Ms. Helman is Greenwald's leading statistician, and conducts most of the company's segmentations, regressions, and other statistical analyses.  Ruth also specializes in designing and managing research related to retirement. Ruth previously served as Market Analysis Manager at United Way of America.

Lisa Greenwald Schneider, Research Director (B.A. in Sociology, George Washington University)

Ms. Schneider is an experienced researcher, project manager, and is one of Greenwald's top executive interviewers. She has a great deal of knowledge regarding financial services, generational and publicly-released studies. Prior to joining Greenwald & Associates in 2003, Lisa was a Marketing Coordinator for the American Council of Life Insurers' Membership and Development Department.

Lisa Weber-Raley, Research Director (M.A. in Sociology, Minor in Applied Social Statistics, Indiana University)

Ms. Weber joined Greenwald's team in 2006 after working as a Research Assistant at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Social Organization of Schools. Lisa is an experienced project manager, with a specialty in statistical analysis, including conjoint, for quantitative studies. Much of Lisa's work is focused on healthcare and health behaviors.

Jill Koly, Senior Technical Associate (B.A. in Physics, Hiram College)

Ms. Koly has nearly 10 years of experience in project and data management. Since joining Greenwald in 2003, Ms. Koly is responsible for database management, data tabulation, coding, spreadsheet analyses, and online survey programming. She was formerly a Project Manager/Program Assistant for the National Science Teachers Association.

Doug Kincaid, Research Associate (M.A. in Sociology, Indiana University)

Mr. Kincaid joined Greenwald in 2012 after working as a Research Analyst for the Indiana Business Research Center.  Doug assits in the day-to-day management of a variety of studies; his tasks include questionnaire and report development. 

Rashanda McLaurin, Research Associate (B.S. in Marketing, Morgan State University)

Ms. McLaurin contributes to the day-to-day management of both qualitative and quantitative projects.  Rashanda is an experienced focus group coordinator, but is also involved in questionnaire development, monitors survey fielding, and develops reports and presentations.  Rashanda was a Research Assistant for Westat for four years before coming to Greenwald & Associates in 2008.  She also served as a Human Resources Assistant for two years.

Rachel Forcino, Project Coordinator (M.S. in Business and Economics, Lund University)

Ms. Forcino is responsible for the coordination of a variety of projects.  Her tasks include sample and SPSS data set management and preparing deliverables for one of Greenwald’s largest healthcare customer tracking studies. Prior to joining Greenwald in 2012, Rachel was an Executive Assistant at a behavioral healthcare organization, St. Luke's House.

Greg Hershberger, Project Coordinator (B.A. in Public Policy & Political Science, Syracuse University)

Mr. Hershberger supports quantitative and qualitative assignments for financial services and healthcare clients.  His primary responsibilities include managing sample lists of key customers, supporting in-depth interviewing projects, and quality checking deliverables.  Prior to joining Greenwald & Associates in 2011, Greg worked in U.S. Representative Bill Shuster's office.

Bryan Keane, Technical Assistant (B.S. in Marketing, Information Systems, University of Maryland)

Mr. Keane's primary responsibilities are to provide database management, questionnaire programming, and data tabulation support on a wide variety of research projects.  Bryan worked at Smart Balance before joining Greenwald & Associates in 2011.

Quinncee Payne, Research Assistant (B.A. in Communication Studies, James Madison University)

Ms. Payne provides day-to-day support on a variety of projects, including focus group and in-depth interview coordination, report and presentation development, and quality checking.  Before joining Greenwald in 2010, Quinncee worked in customer assistance at Bank of America Card Services.

Erica Zimmerman, Research Assistant (B.A. in Public Policy & Political Science, Syracuse University)

Ms. Zimmerman provides day-to-day support on both qualitative and quantitative projects, including focus group coordination, quality control efforts, and report and presentation development.  Erica was an intern at several research organizations, including the Center for American Progress and Anzalone Liszt Research, before joining Greenwald in 2013.