For over 10 years, Lianne Sarson has been helping leaders and organizations in Atlantic Canada achieve goals and increase effectiveness through client focused research and consulting. Lianne received her M.Sc. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Saint Mary’s University and has expertise in research design and management, qualitative analysis, facilitation, organizational development and consultation. Lianne is a member of the Canadian Evaluation Society and has worked with large and small businesses, government organizations and not-for-profits throughout the Atlantic Provinces. Lianne is a passionate advocate for evidence-based practice and understands the importance of incorporating the unique culture and needs of each client in creating solutions that work.

Meghan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a Master’s degree in Sociology, and has extensive experience in both qualitative and quantitative research methods and their deployment, data analysis, and project management. With a strong background in both the academic sphere as well as the market research industry, Meghan brings to the table an impeccable eye for detail and a passion for drawing impactful insights from data of all kinds. Throughout her research career, Meghan has been involved in a wide variety of projects for a host of domestic and international clients and is dedicated to delivering superior client service from a project’s inception to its final phases. In addition, Meghan excels at public outreach and communication, having years of experience delivering talks, presentations, and guest lectures for many different audiences. Meghan leaps at any opportunity to share her enthusiasm for research and what it can tell us about the world in which we live.

Jonathan has dual roles as both a Research Assistant and Operations Co-ordinator here at MQO, having previously worked as a Business Administrative Support Specialist and as a Supervisor and Quality Assurance Specialist at MQO’s Contact Centre. Jonathan is a lover of research and has developed expertise in qualitative research in particular. Jonathan is experienced in conducting in depth interviews and in qualitative analysis techniques, he has expertise in thematic coding and experience with qualitative analysis software such as NVivo. Although much of Jonathan’s experience lies in qualitative research, his roles encompass a wide range of responsibilities including secondary research, reporting, coding supervision and quality assurance maintenance. Jonathans strengths lie in enthusiasm at taking on new challenges, his broad knowledge base and experience in supporting a difference types of research across a variety of industries.

At MQO, Jonathan is primarily responsible for ensuring data quality standards and conducting advanced statistical analysis. Jonathan has an extensive background in statistics, and is responsible for sample management of client data, developing weighting systems, and conducting statistical analysis. He is highly skilled in using SPSS for statistical analysis, and his experience ranges from simple statistics to complex analytical techniques (e.g., multiple regression; factor analysis), including the development of customer service models for MQO major clients. Jonathan plays an integral role in the development of sampling and analysis plans. Jonathan graduated from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Science (Major in Statistics).

Allison is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in project management, research, evaluation, analysis, and reporting. She specializes in program evaluation, industry analyses, and labour market research and regularly works with provincial government clients, educational institutions, non-profits, and private businesses. Allison’s approach is to work with clients to gain an understanding of what they need to know and design a project centered on gathering that key intel to make insightful and impactful decisions.

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.

David is involved in every stage of the research process from planning and designing questionnaires to report writing and overall project management. He works in direct contact with the Field Operations and Data Analysis Unit to coordinate recruitment and data collection for clients. David has over seven years of experience in market and tourism research and also has graduate-level education in research design and statistical analysis through completion of a Masters Degree in Psychology from Memorial University.

Anamika is a graduate with a Master’s of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Saint Mary’s University. She has seven years of research experience, and has been involved in a number of research projects in academia, as well as in the public and private sectors. She has conducted both quantitative and qualitative research and specializes in seeing research through all its stages, from initial hypothesis development, data collection (via surveys, experiments, focus groups, and interviews) to the final reporting stage. In 2016, her Undergraduate Honour’s thesis was published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Anamika’s strengths lie in her ability to apply her research skills learned in an academic setting into consulting and market research.

As a Data Analyst at MQO, Colin works with members of the research team performing data analysis, data mining and database management tasks for a variety of projects. Analysis ranges from running basic descriptive statistics such as frequencies to performing segmentation analyses. Colin has extensive experience with Microsoft Office applications and is fluent in a variety of statistical packages including SPSS Data Builder, SPSS for Windows, Minitab, SAS, XLISP-STAT (Arc) and Voxco CATI/CAWI software. Colin has a Bachelor of Science (Statistics) from Memorial University.