Search

David Kaz, a principal associate in Abt’s Social and Economic Policy Division, has nearly 20 years of experience providing technical assistance, training, research, and policy analysis. He has worked on a wide range of programs and policies that affect low-income populations. He has directed, designed, and conducted both large- and small-scale, multi-faceted technical assistance projects for federal and state agencies and other clients and stakeholders. Clients have included the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services, King County, and the City of Seattle. He has worked on workforce legislation with members of Congress.

Tamara Daley has 20 years of behavioral health, disability, and social-policy project leadership and evaluation experience. She brings expertise from work with a variety of federal agencies, including Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Social Security Administration, and Department of state. She also has worked with foundations, city governments, and universities. Daley designs and conducts research in behavioral health, from qualitative and mixed-methods studies and survey design to evaluability assessments.

David Cooley is an environmental scientist with more than 15 years of experience working in climate change and environmental management. His work has focused on the interactions between climate change mitigation, air pollution reductions, and improvements in public health. He has managed multiple projects for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Agency for International Development, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to evaluate opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions.

T.J. Pepping is an environmental scientist with 13 years of experience working in the intersection of data analysis and communication, helping clients interpret environmental data and share important information with the public. 

Lori Hunter is a Project Management Professional and a Certified Scrum Master with 20 years of experience working in systems analysis, functional requirements analysis, user-centered design and user experience, database administration and design, and web design and development. Her projects and experience represent a range of complexities, including administrative and evaluation data collection and reporting systems analysis and visualization, clearinghouses, websites, technical assistance tracking, evaluation data collection, interactive online tools and libraries, communities of practice, and Section 508 compliance. She has been the lead project manager for several large CMMI-3 IT implementations. Her responsibilities have included directing project team personnel; managing scope, schedule, budget, and risk; ensuring contract compliance; and serving as the interface with the customer and customer stakeholders.

Natalie Matthews has over 15 years of experience in the field of homelessness, with a focus on direct service, system planning, database administration, and technical assistance and implementation (TA). Since joining Abt in 2009, Matthews has served in a variety of roles on its U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Compass TA cooperative agreements. She’s also worked on several locally and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-funded TA projects, as well as research, monitoring and evaluation projects.  She served as the project director for the VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) monitoring project, served on the evaluation team for HUD’s first evaluation of rapid re-housing programs for families (2012), and led the evaluation of Hartford Connecticut’s homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing program (2014).

Julio Pacca is a psychologist and innovative leader with more than 20 years of experience in health care. He focuses on HIV and AIDS; maternal health; adolescent health; and health systems strengthening. Pacca has worked with donors such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations, the World Bank, bi-lateral Scandinavian donors, and the William and Flora Hewlett, Goldman, and Bill and Melinda Gates foundations.

Tenly Snow is a senior digital solutions specialist with 15 years of expertise in digital transformation, supply chain management, and strategic solutioning. Her extensive collaborations span governmental, private sector, and non-profit organizations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Through her work with USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Bank, Snow has spearheaded innovations in software development and digital health, significantly enhancing health system resilience and pandemic preparedness on a global scale.

Dr. Michael Plotzke is a senior health economist with expertise in the area of Medicare payment policy, the organization of healthcare providers and quality measurement. His work typically involves the analysis of large datasets such as Medicare claims, assessment and enrollment data. Dr. Plotzke serves as principal investigator for multiple projects with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  On the “Home Health Prospective Payment System and Hospice: Analysis Support and Monitoring” project, Dr. Plotzke leads a team of researchers in analyzing trends in Medicare hospice and home health usage and constructing large-scale payment reform options for both benefits.  Dr. Plotzke also leads the “Evaluation of the Medicare Care Choices Model” project that evaluates a new payment model for end-of-life care that is being tested with 141 hospice providers.  This project involves analysis of existing administrative data and collection of new data through surveys of caregivers, surveys of hospice providers and in-depth case studies of hospice providers participating in the model.