
Brenden Sommerhalder
vice president,
client development & innovation

David Head
vice president,
research operations

Allison Mullaly
senior director,
policy and evaluation
As a senior consultant, she routinely manages complex projects that involve a combination of secondary and primary research, detailed analysis, and powerful insights and recommendations for clients. Much of her work focuses on needs assessment, whether that be part of a formal evaluation or in the broader context of a research initiative. Allison uses her research and evaluation skillset to help clients by gathering intelligence to improve programs, take advantage of growth opportunities, and make better decisions.
Highlights of Allison’s experience include:
Over 30 labour market and industry analyses for post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada across a wide variety of industries as part of program reviews or needs assessment studies.
Review of Jobs for Youth program for the Government of Prince Edward Island to assess program processes and provide recommendations for improving program delivery and assessing performance.
Research, consultation, and strategy work such as the Aquaculture Recruitment and Retention Strategy for the Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA).
Market intelligence for Perennia Food & Agriculture Inc. to assess current state, projected need, and identify any gaps and opportunities to deliver professional support services in key sectors.
Allison is a Credentialed Evaluator (CE) and President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society. The CE is a professional designation provided by the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) to evaluators who have demonstrated that they have the skills, knowledge, and experience identified by the CES as necessary for a competent evaluator. Becoming a Credentialed Evaluator (CE) is a rigorous process; there are only six evaluators in NL with the CE designation and less than 50 across Atlantic Canada.
Allison also has a Bachelor of Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Master of Science from the University of Alberta, both in Psychology. She is the co-author of four academic papers in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics.

Kasey Connely
director client services

Kouakou Adou, Ph.D.
research manager
He has expertise in various research methods such as surveys, experiments, econometrics, multi-method research, interviews, and focus groups. At MQO, Dr. Adou works on designing surveys for clients, report preparations, and data interpretation. He also leads research projects, focus groups recruitment, and assists the Senior Director of Research in many tasks to meet clients’ research needs.
Dr. Adou holds a doctorate degree in Political Science with specializations in Research Methods, Political Economy, and Public Policy. He possesses strong analytical, research, and managerial skills. Knowledge of program evaluation, project management, and policy analysis. He taught several undergraduate political science courses, including, research methods.

Tracy Gulliver
research consultant

May Sahebi
research consultant
Besides May immense enthusiasm and dedication to contributing to employees and organizations’ efficiency, her master’s training as an organizational psychologist has enabled her to build a strong foundations in the areas of workplace wellness, employee communication, performance appraisals, culture development, hiring process, and employees training and development.
May also holds a master’s in career counseling. Her graduate studies helped her to develop critical research skills like quantitative analysis, psychological measure development, and building actionable reports. May has been involved in a number of burnout research projects which have given her a better understanding of the importance of stress recovery planning, work-life balance, conflict resolution strategies and effective communications, all of which are essential to promoting workplace wellness. Throughout her career, May have played different roles including burnout coach, career counselor, elementary teacher, psychological tutor, and researcher.
Having a combination of coaching, research, and teaching skills allows May to analyze needs efficiently, set realistic goals, communicate effectively with different populations, and take initiative to offer evidence-based solutions while valuing client empowerment.

Eduardo Silva
research assistant

Jonathan Keats
senior data analyst
