We are a team of impact nerds.

Aaron Eisenberg

Data Analyst

Aaron is a Data Analyst at BlueLabs, currently working on the ACA Outreach team in the Civic Tech practice. He graduated from University of Maryland, College Park with a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics. Prior to joining BlueLabs in the spring of 2021, he was a fellow at a nonprofit that focused on voting accessibility and equity. In his spare time, Aaron enjoys playing music, reading long fantasy books, powerlifting, and spending time with his two cats Nesquik and Lentil.

Alec Camhi

Data Analyst

Alec is a math nerd who’s passionate about electing Democrats and advancing progressive causes. He feels at home getting into the nitty-gritty of statistical modeling or making sense of a messy data set – all in the service of making the world a better, more equitable, and more just place.

Before joining BlueLabs, Alec spent two years conducting polls at The Mellman Group for a range of clients including Democratic campaigns, IEs, and advocacy groups, in addition to international work in Israel. Born and raised a Democrat, he volunteered for his first campaign when he was 8, stuffing envelopes and planting lawn signs with his grandmother, who impressed upon him the importance of electing "the good guys."

He holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics from Georgetown. Outside work, he enjoys skiing; batting leadoff on his rec-league softball team; and rooting on the Yankees, Broncos, and Hoyas.

Ali Collins

Campaigns Lead

Ali is a Campaigns Lead at BlueLabs. Before joining the team, Ali completed her Master in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, where she explored political analytics and co-founded the Women in Power Conference. She aspires to help close the gender gap in local, state and national politics through data-driven campaign strategy. Prior to her graduate program, Ali worked briefly in public opinion research for a progressive public relations firm and as an analyst at a demographic research cooperative. A native of Minnesota, Ali earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish Studies at the University of Minnesota. Her hobbies include knitting and eating Mexican food.

Allison Thiriez

Director of People

Allison Thiriez is a People and Human Resources professional with experience in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. Her experience spans the entire employee lifecycle including recruitment, compensation, benefits, employee relations, diversity & inclusion, compliance, coaching & professional development, performance management, payroll, and off-boarding. Beyond that, she is a business partner, listener, connector, and problem solver working to align people with the organization’s impactful mission.

Allison was most recently the Director of Human Resources at the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments. In that role, Allison led the workforce strategy for the Commission across Federal and non-Federal systems and developed innovative and efficient HR systems, policies, and practices. Before joining ARC, Allison was the Executive Director of Human Resources at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) where she led the 350 employee, multi-state organization’s functional HR areas. Allison earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Masters of Public Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is SHRM-SCP and HRCI certified and has served in roles with SHRM, NOVA SHRM, and SAHRC. In her free time, Allison enjoys spending time with her family and friends, running, and traveling.

Allyson English

Senior Data Analyst

Allyson is an epidemiologist by training and an impact nerd at heart. After completing an undergraduate degree and Master of Public Health from Boston University, Allyson started her career in global public health. In this role, she supported Ministries of Health and Finance in low- and middle-income countries on topics related to primary health care access, quality of care and financial sustainability. Through this work, she contributed to global measurement and evaluation guidance through the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative and the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage.

In her free time, Allyson enjoys trail running, science fiction, and reading the rulebooks of new board games to introduce to her friends.

Andres Corredor

Data Analyst

Andres joined BlueLabs in March of 2020 as a Data Analyst. He studied geophysics in undergrad and graduate school, after which he worked in the dynamic pricing space for ticketing and live events for 2 years. In his free time, Andres enjoys playing tennis, cooking and traveling as much as possible.

Andrew Blythe

Vice President of Data Science

Andrew is the Vice President of Data Science at BlueLabs. Since joining the BlueLabs team, Andrew has worked with political, commercial and government clients to build statistical models and implement experiments to measure the impact of client programs. He has devised methods to help clients harness their data to improve decisions in real-time including turning into canvassing data into actionable insights.

Prior to joining BlueLabs, Andrew worked at small consulting firm applying Bayesian methods to problems in precision medicine, advertising and the defense industry. He also spent several years as a television news producer, covering major events throughout the Americas for European broadcasters. Andrew received his masters degree in math and statistics from Georgetown. In his off hours, he’s part of a pretty decent bar trivia team and hosts backyard movie nights.

Andrew Keene

Senior Program Manager

Andrew is a Senior Program Manager at BlueLabs. Originally from the battleground state of Wisconsin, Andrew has called DC home for the last three years where he has served as both a consultant and program manager for a variety of government and commercial clients. Andrew is passionate about the intersection of leadership and innovation especially in the public and non-profit sectors. Andrew studied business and entrepreneurship at Drexel University and is a Certified Scrum Product Owner. Andrew is a political junkie, aspiring runner, and avid traveler.

Anna Wechsler

Data Scientist II

Prior to joining BlueLabs, Anna studied at Harvard University, where she received a bachelor's degree in statistics with a minor in computer science. While at school, Anna led fundraising efforts for a class-wide philanthropic gift and was also heavily involved in student government, where she worked on a wide variety of issues ranging from education policy to student life. At BlueLabs, Anna now uses her background to provide insight and actionable solutions to clients, both political and non-political, through in-depth analysis and statistical modeling. In her spare time, she is an avid reader, traveler, film score appreciator, and burgeoning vegan foodie who will happily drop everything to discuss the intricacies of authentic hummus.

April Pierce

People Operations Manager

April is a People Operations Manager at BlueLabs, but her job day-to-day extends far beyond that. With her degree in interior design and years long experience in the restaurant industry and at USDA, April brings a multifaceted and nuanced approach to managing the often hectic BlueLabs office. A DC native, she brings a special knowledge of the city to the office, keeping staff events both lively and local. Outside of the office, she can be found cooking, hosting a good game night, listening to music or spending time with her adorable baby daughter.

Arum Galadima

Product Manager

Arum is a Product Manager at BlueLabs. He studied finance and political science at Calvin College before transitioning into software engineering. Prior to joining BlueLabs, he worked at a number of startups as a software engineer and co-founded a few companies of his own. Arum is very passionate about building great products that solve real problems for real customers.

When he’s not working, he enjoys staying physically active with jiu jitsu, soccer, basketball, and more recently golf.

Bennett Bernstein

Senior Data Scientist

Bennett is a Senior Data Scientist in the BlueLabs New York office, where he performs modeling and forecasting work with the firm's campaign, advocacy, and commercial clients. Prior to joining BlueLabs, he spent multiple cycles practicing data and analytics in civic tech, including stints at Cory 2020, Hustle, and Hillary for America. Outside of work, he can be found tilting at the TCS 9+1 and printing hard copies of the crossword puzzle.

Bernie Crews-Bates

Program Coordinator

My name is Bernadette Crews-Bates but everyone calls me Bernie. I officially started with BlueLabs Analytics on March 1, 2021. I am the Program Coordinator and I support the Hc.gov program in all areas of administrative task coordination and execution.

I currently hold my BA in Human Services, and I am pursuing my Masters in Public Health through Southern New Hampshire University. My career field has always been in healthcare with specialized experience on women's and girls health. Before starting with BlueLabs I was the Senior Health Information Specialist for womenshealth.gov and the National Breastfeeding Helpline, both services of the Office on Women’s Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

My true passion in life has always been to make a difference and to help those who are in need. I feel it is important that every individual has an equal opportunity to grow into something great and shine like a diamond! During my spare time I enjoy volunteering, journaling, wine tasting, shopping for vintage items and spending time with my family. I am so very grateful to be here at BlueLabs and looking forward to the experience.

Brendon Mills

Director, Political Strategy and Advocacy

Brendon Mills is the Director, Political Strategy and Advocacy at BlueLabs where he leads complex projects for BlueLabs' progressive clients.

Prior to BlueLabs, Brendon served as the Director of Campaigns at an organization working to elect military and national service veterans to public office. In that role, Brendon supported over 100 progressive campaigns at all levels across the country during the 2018 and 2020 cycles. Additionally, he worked as the Data & Analytics Director in Florida during the 2016 cycle for Hillary for America and the Florida Coordinated Campaign. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Brendon started his career in the Marine Corps as an intelligence officer and subsequently worked in management consulting and public affairs.

He lives in Edgewater, Maryland with his wife Katie who is also a data nerd and public servant, but Boston will always be his hometown. When he isn't working, you'll likely find him in his garage gym working out, on his small jet boat trying not to break it, or in his La-Z-Boy recliner reading all the non-fiction books and articles he can find.

Bridget Rice

Senior Marketing Manager

Bridget is a Senior Marketing Manager at BlueLabs. In this role, she plans and executes BlueLabs’ marketing strategy while also providing sales support to the Client Solutions Team. Prior to BlueLabs, she spent several years marketing for a large non-profit and at a law firm.

Her interests lie in understanding how people think and the ways people interact with media. This inspired her to pursue a double major in Media Studies and Psychology at the University of Virginia.



Outside of work, she can be found going for runs around the city (when D.C.’s humidity isn’t 100%) and cheering on her favorite teams (Wahoowa! Go pack go!).

Caroline Dahmen

Senior Data Analyst

Caroline is originally from Colombia. Prior to BlueLabs she completed a double major in Computer Science and English at the University of Virginia, and worked as a digital marketing analyst helping companies define and implement their digital marketing programs.
She has a passion for beautiful data visualizations, and using data and statistical analysis to make decisions and solve problems.
Outside of work you’ll find her reading fiction, playing guitar, and watching stand up. She will drop everything to discuss the merits of different coffee brewing methods.

Casey Prestipino

Senior Contracts & Legal Manager

Casey got her start in contracts working for a small business federal contractor in El Paso, Texas. She provided contract management support for a $150B contract with the US Forest Service, Office of International Programs where she helped deploy natural resource management experts to over 80 countries in support of USAID programs. With experience in both business development and proposal management, Casey enjoys working on complex projects and being a part of diverse teams. Prior to joining BlueLabs, Casey also worked for Raytheon Technologies supporting both the Government Relations/Political Action Committee team in Arlington, Virginia and the Proposal Management Excellence team in Tucson, Arizona. Casey graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Political Science. Internships with the office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and the U.S. Congress-Korea National Assembly Exchange Program have cultivated her passion for global issues and civic engagement. In her spare time, she is an avid traveler, passionate foodie, and a CrossFit beginner.

Cass Sun

Senior Data Analyst

Cassie Sun is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her bachelor’s
degree in political science. Prior to joining BlueLabs, Cass worked with community-based non-
profit organizations to build up their technological and data analytics infrastructure. Her work
has helped multiple non-profit organizations significantly improve their performance and data
reporting capabilities. She is skilled at facilitating discussions among a diverse group of people
and is passionate about expanding economic opportunities to underserved communities.

Outside of work, Cass enjoys reading, painting, and watching TV show reruns on Netflix. She is
also an avid Muay Thai practioner and spends a considerable portion of her free time in the gym.

Cecia Soza

Analytics Manager, Campaigns

Cecia is an Analytics Manager at BlueLabs. She came to BlueLabs as a fellow shortly after completing her Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, where she studied Government and Justice and Peace Studies. She previously worked with various political and social advocacy organizations, where she cultivated her passion for helping progressive causes and campaigns address the most important issues impacting our communities - which is exactly what she gets to do at BlueLabs! Outside of work, you’ll most likely find Cecia taking care of her many plant babies, searching for DC’s best tacos, or like the proud Miami native that she is - daydreaming about the beach.

Chris Wegrzyn

Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer Emeritus

Chris Wegrzyn is a leading practitioner in the application of analytics and big data technology to political campaigns. As founding CTO of BlueLabs, he oversaw the development of the technological underpinnings of BlueLabs and helped bring this technology to other important causes and challenging problems. Now as CTO emeritus, Chris advises BlueLabs on how best to use technology to solve challenging problems in data-driven ways.

From his earliest days with the Obama campaign in 2007, he began formulating a vision for the role of emerging data and analytics technologies in the campaign. As the Director of Data Architecture for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) between 2011 and 2013, he realized that vision. He brought a cutting-edge new analytics technology platform to the DNC and led the Analytics Technology team on the Obama re-election campaign. In little more than a year, his team integrated data from every corner of the campaign into a central repository; built tools to analyze, manipulate, and explore the campaign’s massive database; and developed technology to support the most sophisticated analytics operation ever assembled on a campaign.

Christine Biddlecombe

Program Manager

Christine joined BlueLabs as a Program Manager in October 2019. Prior to BlueLabs, Christine focused on affordable housing policy and programs as a public sector management consultant and nonprofit advocate. She has a Master of Science in Applied Urban Science from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Rochester. Outside of work, she enjoys beating her fiancé in fantasy football, cheering for the Caps, and chasing around her two cats, Kingston and Clemson.

Clarisse Jones

Director of Administration

Clarisse has always been fascinated by math and money - an interest that lead her to study accounting. Clarisse is originally from East Africa but has lived in the DMV for the past 14 years, where she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland. Before joining BlueLabs, Clarisse worked for a diverse portfolio of businesses, including government contractors, in public accounting, and with non-profit organizations.

Although she never envisioned herself going back to school, Clarisse recently graduated with a Masters’ degree in Finance from Southern New Hampshire University (which should be the end!). When she is not busy keeping track of other people’s money, you can find Clarisse binge-watching HGTV shows from house buying and flipping to renovating and decorating - she loves them all! Besides working and obsessing about houses, she also enjoys reading and playing board games.

Dan Porter

Co-Founder & Chief Analytics Officer

Dan is a co-founding member of BlueLabs and has led its data science team since the company’s inception. Over the past 5 years, he has overseen the team’s growth in applying data science to new industries, spearheaded the development of critical new tools and methodologies, and expanded the team’s technical capabilities to incorporate the world’s most recent cutting-edge data science innovations.

Dan’s interest is in using data science as a tool to predict, and more importantly, influence behaviors. As Director of Statistical Modeling on the 2012 Obama Campaign, his team was the first in the history of Presidential Politics to use persuasion modeling to determine the voters who were most likely to be persuaded by the campaign’s outreach. Since co-founding BlueLabs, Dan’s team has iterated on this work to influence behaviors and attitudes for applications ranging from perceptions of a Fortune 10 company, to buying products from big-box retail stores, and the uptake of key Federal Government services.

Much of Dan’s team’s recent work has focused on how different individuals can be influential on each other’s attitudes and behaviors in asymmetric ways. Dan is passionate about understanding how these key drivers of influence are critical to organizations seeking to achieve their campaign, brand, or policy goals.

Dan has a MA in Quantitative Methods from Columbia University, and a BA from Wesleyan University. He is an avid sports fan (always watching from a statistical perspective), and, sadly, enjoys optimizing his frequent flyer miles portfolio between vacations almost as much as vacation itself.

Edwin Salguero

Program Manager

Edwin joined BlueLabs as a Program Manager in October 2021. Prior to Bluelabs, Edwin focused on Medicaid waiver regulatory compliance and policy as a public sector consultant. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science with a business concentration from Virginia Wesleyan University. He is currently enrolled at Northwestern University, pursuing a Master of Data Science with a specialization in data engineering. He enjoys paddleboarding and kayaking, staying active through running and working out.

Elan Kriegel

Co-Founder

Elan thinks math is cool—not because being good at it always meant he had a date on Saturday nights, but because he believes math can help address all sorts of problems, including winning elections, distributing international food aid, reducing prison recidivism and making healthcare more effective.

Before joining BlueLabs, Elan was the Battleground States Analytics Director for Obama for America—a position he attained by delivering pizzas, reporting afternoon traffic on the 8’s, producing sports and news shows… and building statistical models for the DNC (in that order).

In 2015, Elan joined Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign as the Chief Analytics Officer. He’s also had the honor of playing NCAA Division III football at Franklin & Marshall College (150lbs!) and watching NCAA Division I football at the University of Wisconsin, where he got his BS in Mathematics and Anthropology. Elan received his MA in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University.

Erek Dyskant

Co-Founder & Vice President of Impact

Erek is co-founder and Head of the BlueLabs Civic Technology Practice. He is an expert in developing outreach programs that reach hundreds of millions of individuals with personalized, relevant, and engaging information. He also helps develop employee-centric experiences for 5000+ employer organizations, allowing them to ensure their employees are included, safe, and effective, and those experiences are able to be continually improved. Prior to co-founding BlueLabs in 2013, Erek was Analytics Technology Lead at Obama for America and the Democratic National Committee, and has worked in various global and domestic health programs.

Eric Hernandez

Chief of Staff, Programs

Eric hails from the Motor City and is an engineer by training. Having garnered experience in and out of the public sector, he enjoys helping clients work through their most impactful solutions: from program implementation and monitoring to wrangling complex data sets together for consumption. He stays active outside of work: volunteering in the local D.C. area, running for leisure, and playing with his dog Tori!

Grant Samuel

Senior Data Analyst

Grant is a Sr. Data Analyst at BlueLabs. After growing up in New Mexico where he volunteered for the Obama 2008 campaign, he moved to California and majored in philosophy (with an emphasis on ethics and public policy) at the University of California - Santa Barbara. Grant then moved to San Francisco where he has worked on local political campaigns, to flip the House in 2018, for presidential candidate Tom Steyer’s campaign, and then to elect democrats up and down the ballot in the 2020 election and runoff. He’s been working at the intersection of data and national politics for years and is passionate about expanding and empowering the American electorate while driving real, impactful policy solutions using the power of big data and machine learning. In his off-time, he enjoys bikepacking, rock climbing, and playing disc golf — as well as bragging about all the wonderful aspects of New Mexico.

Grant Wiles

Data Analytics Lead

Prior to joining BlueLabs, Grant was a Regional Targeting Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee where he ran the data, analytics, and polling strategy for 16 congressional races in the 2020 cycle. Before that, Grant worked at the Democratic National Committee on the Tech team and at Quorum Analytics.

Grant has worked on a number of political campaigns including Hillary for America and Wendy Davis for Governor. In his free time he plays with his corgi Frodo and his cat Sweeney.

Harrison Kreisberg

Partner

Harrison’s obsession for counting votes began when as a 7-year old American ex-pat, a proposed referendum in Quebec threatened to tear him away from his best friend. Since then, he’s been passionate about improving people’s lives on both sides of the border through analytics, whether in politics, advocacy, or healthcare.

Harrison has been with BlueLabs since its founding and leads the company’s team of analytics strategists. A veteran of the past three Democratic presidential campaigns, he served as the Analytics and Data Director for Terry McAuliffe’s successful 2013 Virginia Gubernatorial campaign, and has worked with dozens of political and advocacy groups across the United States and internationally.

Most recently, Harrison worked on the 2017 Virginia Coordinated campaign and helped Virginia Democrats win elections across the state. Harrison also worked with the New Democratic Party of Canada to win a closely contested Provincial election in British Columbia. Harrison has also worked with some of BlueLabs’ large healthcare clients, conducting analysis and building innovative analytics tools to improve health outcomes. When he’s not counting votes or predicting healthcare outcomes, Harrison is notorious for terrible jokes, which have only increased with the birth of his twins, and injuring himself while playing hockey.

Isaak Anderson

Senior Data Analyst

Isaak joined BlueLabs in June of 2020 as a Data Analyst on the Government Practice team. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a minor in Mandarin from Georgetown University. Before joining BlueLabs, Isaak worked in the fundraising space, using data and analytics to help connect non-profits and charities with donors. In his free time, Isaak enjoys playing tennis and board games with friends.

Jack Ross

Lead DevOps Engineer, Civic Tech

Jack started programming word adventure games in the third grade using BASIC and fell in love with programming. He started his professional career as a software engineer and has over 6 years of experience before transitioning to the DevOps field where he has 4 years of experience. Jack is active in both animal rights and environmentalist movements. In his spare time he enjoys writing, playing music, running, biking, kayaking, hiking, camping, reading and all things horror.

Jeremy Cohen

Campaigns Operations Lead

Jeremy Cohen is the Campaigns Operation Lead at BlueLabs. Prior to joining BlueLabs, he enjoyed many campaign stints around the country, including on Jon Ossoff’s 2020 Senate campaign, Pete Buttigieg's presidential primary campaign, and Jared Polis’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign. A Californian that is now residing in DC, Jeremy can be found looking for good burrito places in his spare time.

Jessica Jollie

Vice President of Operations

Jessica is the Vice President of Operations at BlueLabs. She got her start working in operations on different political campaigns across the country, including the 2018 midterm elections in her home state of Arizona, and most recently on Pete Buttigieg's historic bid for President. She is energized by creating effective and efficient systems that help teams do their best work.

Jessica graduated from Yale University with a BA in Art History-- perfect for a visual learner. She is also a textbook virgo, obsessed with details, and can often be found organizing various corners of her DC apartment in her spare time.

John Faas

Analytics Lead

John brings over a decade’s worth of experience in political data and campaigns to Blue Labs. Prior to working at Blue labs, John was the Data and Reporting Director for the DCCC in 2018, and the Southern Regional Targeting and Analytics Director in 2016. John is proud to be part of teams that over the course of two cycles at the DCCC netted a total of 46 seats and took back the majority. Prior to the DCCC, John worked as a Voterfile Manager and Data Director for the Vermont Democratic Party. Before working in political data John spent 5 years organizing voter outreach campaigns in IA, CA, and NM. John holds a M.A. in Political Science from Miami University (OH) and a B.S. in Political Science from Bradley University.

In his free time John enjoys cooking, attempting to watch all the documentaries on the various streaming apps, and stand up comedy (watching not performing).

Jordan Wellington

Data Analyst

Before joining BlueLabs, Jordan graduated from Scripps College with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. While at Scripps, Jordan used her interdisciplinary academic background to analyze education and gender policy, as well as Covid-19 vaccination rates. She also enjoyed tutoring and playing for her college Roller Derby team. Jordan is currently a Data Analyst at BlueLabs and enjoys exploring DC with her friends, reading, learning new languages, and hiking with her corgi, Abbey, in her spare time.

Jorge Mendoza

Analytics Manager

Jorge (he/him) is an Analytics Manager with the Campaigns team. Previously, Jorge worked with civic engagement and advocacy organizations at the state and national level, managing various aspects of programs, such as tools training, analysis, and data management. He has also worked both in the political non-profit sector and as a campaign consultant on data and statistical analysis.

Jorge is originally from Florida, where he earned an M.S. in Political Science at Florida State and a B.S. in Psychology at the University of Central Florida. Jorge enjoys cooking in the kitchen, nature walks, and tending to his collection of house plants. He resides in Columbus, OH with his wife and their cat.

Josh Raisher

DevOps Engineer

A rare DC native, Josh is a DevOps Engineer with the Healthcare.gov outreach team. After a ten-year stint in foreign policy survey research, he completed a software development bootcamp and has been working with software and data ever since. Before joining BlueLabs he was working as a software engineer in Berlin, Germany, where he got into the habit of being punctual and wearing a lot of black. He spends most of his free time on computer science and data analysis courses, and whatever remains cooking his way through a series of ridiculously elaborate recipe books.

Joy Whitt

Director of Civic Tech

In 2015, Joy Whitt transitioned into a career in tech by learning to code with civic organizations committed to teaching coding and programming to women, people of color, and LGBTQ communities in Washington, DC. Joy most recently served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, where she worked on federal data projects at various government agencies. She is also a civic tech organizer, and has worked on both civic engagement and data projects for the DC Mayor's Office.

Although born and raised in west Michigan, Joy has called DC her home since 2009. She resides in Southwest Waterfront with her sweet and handsome dog, Ellis Blue.

Katie Steckel

Senior Data Scientist

Katie is a Sr. Data Scientist at BlueLabs. She graduated with a B.Sc. in Economics from University of Missouri - Columbia. Prior to working at BlueLabs Katie spent time working in the healthcare industry both at state government and private healthcare providers. Her work in healthcare included major projects identifying adverse health behaviors related to opioid abuse, inpatient readmission, and ER overutilization. Additionally she developed tools for actuarial completion methods and automated anomaly detection within time series data. Most recently she spent time employed as a data scientist on the presidential primary campaign for Pete Buttigieg where she helped to create support models and election night reporting applications.

When not at work Katie can usually be found in her backyard either tending her vegetable garden or taking care of her three backyard chickens - Alice, Gwendolyn, and PeeBee.

Kelly Schmitz

Director, Political Strategy & Campaigns

Kelly Schmitz comes to BlueLabs as the Political Strategy & Campaigns Director with almost a decade of experience in progressive politics. Always a field organizer at heart, Kelly is passionate about the power that great data and analytics can give programs.
Before joining the team, she spent five years on the Client Services team at Catalist, helping large and small organizations across the progressive community utilize data and technology to run smarter programs. Prior to that, she worked on Democratic campaigns from Virginia to Alaska and in her home state of Pennsylvania. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
In her spare time, Kelly enjoys painting, jigsaw puzzles, and hanging out with her pet turtle,
Sidney Crosby.

Laura Lubben

Senior Data Analyst

Laura Lubben (she/her) is a Senior Data Analyst at BlueLabs. Prior to joining the team, Laura worked at Uber delving into the data behind the two-sided marketplace. Laura is passionate about quantifying our impact and solving the inevitable data discrepancies that arise in the process. She graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in Economics and
a minor in Jewish Studies.

When Laura is not spending time with her cat Luna, she can be found playing board games, reading, baking, playing tennis, or exploring the great outdoors.

Makenna Salis

Data Analyst

Makenna spent the better part of a decade living in rural Mexico and emerged from that experience with a passion for development economics and social justice. She went back to school to get a degree in Economics and stumbled into data science, which soon became her focus and passion. She loves talking to computers through code and deriving insights which make people's lives better.

Prior to joining BlueLabs, she managed data for a local homeless shelter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In her free time, she enjoys racquetball, playing music, and watching movies with her partner, two children, and beagle, Abigail.

Max Dawson

Managing Director, BlueLabs Los Angeles

Max Dawson watched way too much TV as a kid, so much so that it came as no surprise when he earned a PhD in TV history from Northwestern University. Following a stint in academia, he embarked on a career as a media consultant in Los Angeles, advising global TV networks and studios on program development, channel branding, social media, new technologies, and youth viewers. During this time he developed EmotionalDNA™, a syndicated research platform that provided networks and studios with a viewer-centric perspective on contemporary content trends. Prior to joining BlueLabs, he led the motion picture practice for a major global research firm. There he tapped techniques originally developed by his BlueLabs colleagues on the campaign trail to help movie studios precisely target the right viewers for their films. Max lives in Topanga, California, and in his spare time he enjoys grilling, gardening, and playing with his labradoodle Coogee and his cats Buddy and Landry.

Maxine Najle

Polling Manager

Maxine is a Polling Manager at BlueLabs. She holds a PhD in Experimental Psychology, specializing in Social Psychology. Her academic research focused mainly on the psychology of religious belief and perceptions of nonreligious people. Prior to joining BlueLabs, Maxine was the Senior Research Associate and lead researcher at PRRI. In her spare time, she enjoys archery, video games, and learning new things.

Michelle Disler

Marketing Fellow

Michelle is a Marketing Fellow at BlueLabs. She graduated from Penn State, University Park with a B.S in Marketing and a minor in Digital Media Trends and Analytics. During her time at school, she was a Teaching Assistant for a Sociology class and an Account Manager for Retail Partnerships in the Penn State American Marketing Association. She previously interned with a marketing agency that worked primarily with Dunkin’.

In her free time, Michelle enjoys art/craft projects, walking her dogs, spending time with friends and family, and exercising. She aspires to travel as much as possible and become fluent in Spanish.

Monica Remmers

Senior Data Analyst

Monica is a senior data analyst on the HealthCare.Gov team. She's a social justice nerd who is committed to using data as a tool for inclusivity. Her non-traditional path towards data science included a short stint directing a canvassing operation and a much longer stint running operations for a small tutoring company.

She holds an MS in data analytics from London Metropolitan University and a BA in political science from American University. In her free time, you'll find her listening to podcasts at absurd speeds, playing with other people's dogs, or volunteering in her community.

Nyangha Tawah

Senior Data Analyst

Nyangha attended the University of Maryland College Park where she studied Economics and Political Science. In her last role, she worked on the inaugural Data Science team of a DC based marketing firm with strong roots in political campaigns to help retake the White House and the Senate. She seeks to use data to change the world for the better.

When she is not working she enjoys accruing more stamps in her passport, dancing anywhere, redesigning people’s homes and adding to her power tool collections.

Pearl Sortman

Software Engineer I

Pearl is a full stack software engineer with 3+ years experience in travel, finance, and government web applications. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in Computer Science, she has had the pleasure of both living and working in Singapore and Toronto. When she's not coding, Pearl loves to travel, ride her motorcycle through the mountains, and try her hand at painting and photography!

Rhys Mallinger

Director of Strategic Accounts

Rhys Mallinger is from England and joins BlueLabs with over 10 years of nonprofit experience. He has worked with International Relief and Development Organizations as well as domestic and has an unbridled passion for helping charitable organizations further their mission. He has experience working in Europe, Canada and the US and the data privacy specifications associated with each. He volunteers with his local Meals-on-Wheels affiliate and resides in Charleston SC with his wife and two boys. In his spare time Rhys loves to watch Leicester City, playing the guitar and hanging out with his goldendoodle Fitz.

Rick Nunes

Senior Engineer I

Rick is a Senior Engineer I at BlueLabs. He holds a degree in computer science from NYU and hails from Bahia, Brazil. Previously, he worked as a software engineer in the financial sector and has happily transitioned into civic tech. Building complex systems that perform at scale is Ricardo’s specialty, and using those skills for the public sector is very fulfilling. He enjoys planning outdoor adventures, improving his baking skills, and generally finding ways to learn new things.

Robert Shaffer

Senior Data Analyst II

Robert joined BlueLabs in 2021 as a Senior Data Analyst. Prior to joining the team, Robert received a PhD in Political Science at the University of Texas at Austin, and held research fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania and Syracuse University.

In his professional life, he has worked on a range of projects at the intersection of political science, law, and data science. Some examples include survey research on refugee resettlement, modeling influence and conversation dynamics in political speech, and extracting and visualizing information on constitutional rights from around the world.

In his free time, Robert enjoys cooking, hiking, and exploring Central New York, where he currently resides.

Sarah Choong

Polling Manager

Sarah Choong is a Polling Manager at BlueLabs. Originally from Potsdam, NY, she holds a B.A. in Political Science from Kenyon College. Prior to joining BlueLabs, Sarah worked as a Polling Associate at The Hub Project and spent time working at the U.S. State Department as a Security Assistant. She got her start in politics as a Field Organizer for the JB Pritzker for Governor Campaign in Illinois. When Sarah is not at work, she can be found gardening, playing with her dog, Bean, or relaxing with a good book and a glass of scotch

Sarah Lauffer

Senior Data Analyst

Sarah Lauffer (she/her) is a Senior Data Analyst at BlueLabs. Prior to starting at BlueLabs in 2020, Sarah was a Statistical Programmer with a policy research company where she utilized data science to evaluate Federal welfare programs. Sarah is passionate about using advanced statistical methods and data techniques to enhance our understanding of challenging societal problems and improve the effectiveness of the public sector.

Outside of the office, Sarah subscribes to the Scandinavian philosophies of fika, friluftsliv, and hygge. She can be found somewhere in the mountains of Washington State participating in a variety of outdoor activities such as climbing, cycling, backpacking, snowshoeing, and mountaineering (depending on the season).

Sarah Pavlus

Vice President of Client Solutions

Sarah leads BlueLabs’ Client Solutions team, helping organizations identify efficient data solutions to solve their challenges. She has worked with dozens of advocacy organizations, foundations, and businesses to build data-informed strategies and implement programs through predictive modeling, surveys, randomized control-trials, and digital optimization.

Prior to BlueLabs, Sarah specialized in voter activation, media strategy, and fundraising for leading mission-driven organizations, such as the DCCC, EMILY’s List, Media Matters, and a national climate action coalition.

Sarah grew up outside of Chicago, went to college in St. Louis, and hopped on her first congressional race in Iowa. If she’s not at work, she’s probably exploring DC parks with her husband and daughter.

Shannon Khalid

Polling Analyst

Shannon is a data entry specialist at BlueLabs. He graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County with a B.S. in Information Systems, where he made affiliations with groups such as The Communicators and UMBC Alumni Outreach Program.

Shannon has previously worked as a tax processor at Dixon Hughes Goodman and as a data processor at ADC Management Solutions, where he peaked his interest in the accumulation of data, but also noticed its faltering when attempting to apply the data to real-world applications. While Shannon’s prior experience has driven his passion for data, joining Bluelabs is the catalyst that will put his dream in motion.
Shannon currently resides in Rockville, MD and can generally be found playing video games or at the gym in his free time. Recently, he’s been picking up basketball and golf after a year-long hiatus.

Shweta Chopra

Data Scientist II

Shweta came to BlueLabs after completing her Masters in Social Policy and Data Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania. She comes from a consulting and analytics background, having engaged in education and smart city related consulting assignments with the Indian government, back in her home country. After coming to the US, Shweta’s experience as a Data Science for Social Good Fellow at the University of Washington solidified her commitment to a career that uses data to further the cause of social justice and progressive governance. This prompted her to start a Data for SocialGood chapter at Penn, as part of the Penn Data Science Group. She led a team of student volunteers as they held social good focused Datathons and supported non-profits in the criminal justice and education space with analytics services. She continues to work with her team at Penn in her free time. When she’s not doing data science, you can find Shweta exploring DC, reading, struggling at the gym or having one-sided cross-continent video calls with her dog Phoebe.

Tacuma Solomon

Software Engineer

Tacuma Solomon is bourgeoning Data Scientist with a background in Computer Science, possessing both Bachelors and Masters degrees in the subject from Howard University, concentrating in Machine Learning. His thesis work was one of the first data mining projects on Diabetes Type II patients using Howard University Inpatient Data. Enjoying both software engineering and Data Science, he’s always thinking about the ways that these two fields intersect.

In his spare time he likes to work on his Katas, and has been a practitioner of Karate for 13 years.

Tanya Nabila

Senior Data Analyst

Tanya joined BlueLabs shortly after completing her Masters in Applied Urban Science & Informatics at New York University, focusing on using data to help solve urban related issues. She came from a Computer Science background and has been involved in various data related roles at Samsung Research, from database design & management as a data engineer, to customer analytics as a data analyst, and eventually lead a research project on Automatic Speech Recognition for Bahasa Indonesia. Outside the office, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the city with her camera and trying out culinary hotspots.

Tiana Glass

Data Analyst

Tiana Glass is Data Analyst at BlueLabs Analytics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies and a Masters’ in Public Health from Washington University Saint Louis. Before her career switch to data analytics, Tiana’s work primarily consisted of qualitative research, where she has worked with her community to address environmental inequities. It was through these experiences where she found her love of using data to tell stories and to ignite immediate change in her community. When Tiana is not knee-deep in data or learning new coding skills, she really enjoys watching The Flash, building furniture, and watering her 10 plant babies.

Tiwaa Bruks

Senior Data Analyst

Tiwaa grew up in Accra, Ghana and when she’s not busy lamenting the relatively cold weather of D.C. or Netflix’s rising subscription fees, she can be found pursuing her true passion: helping people do what they do, but better. Sort of like therapy, but for companies instead of people. She hates ambiguity and loves discovering trends in behavior, which is where her love for data science comes from. Prior to joining BlueLabs, she graduated with an Economics degree from Smith College and worked as a technology consultant for Cisco Systems and a QA analyst for SAIC. Somewhere along the way, she decided to find out if ‘big data’ was more than just a buzzword and enrolled in George Washington University’s Data Analytics and Visualization Certificate program. No matter the issue, Tiwaa believes more information can always help.

Trevor Wong

Project Manager, Campaigns and Ripple

Trevor has a background in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He specializes in the use of cartography and spatial analysis for electoral purposes.

Before coming to BlueLabs, Trevor spent over a decade working on local, state, federal, and international campaigns. He served on the Obama for America, DCCC, and Hillary for America analytics teams. He earned a degree in Political Science from the University of Washington.

When away from his home office, Trevor likes to play board games, kayak, and take his kids for bike rides. He and his family live in the Seattle area.

Victoria Eastman

Senior Program Manager

Victoria (she/her) is a Senior Program Manager at BlueLabs. Prior to joining the team, she managed a data science team at Ipsos finding interesting ways to integrate survey data with social media mentions, sentiment scores, financials, weather, and many other data sources to build predictive models. She has a Master's in Economics from Duke University and a Master's of Information and Data Science from UC Berkeley. In her free time, she likes baking, hiking, teaching ESL, and debating morality in economics and the future of AI.

Zachary Goldstein

Data Scientist

Zachary joined BlueLabs' Data Science team as a Data Analyst in October 2019. He previously worked in data journalism as an intern for the Center for Public Integrity and Pittsburgh’s NPR news station. He has a B.S. in Statistics from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was actively involved with Students Using Data for Social Good.