Learn more about the staff who work in all things analytics, data, and reporting within the Harvard community with our Q&A Spotlights!
April 2024 Spotlight
Krissy Carter, Assistant Director, Workforce Analytics, VPHR
What is your role at Harvard?
Assistant Director of Workforce Analytics, Harvard Human Resources
What is something that would surprise people about your work?
I possess a deep sense of curiosity, creativity, and attention to detail, enabling me to approach challenges positively and constructively. I ask a lot of questions and consider myself a lifelong learner. I love a challenge and I am always looking for ways to augment productivity and the user experience.
I am a mother, daughter, sister, auntie, caretaker, and the go-to person for organizing events, solving problems, and navigating life’s challenges for family and friends.
What are some experiences (personal or educational) that frame your approach to your job?
My area of expertise is analytics, analysis, and storytelling of workforce data. I study and interpret workforce data patterns and trends and share the insights that lead to business decisions that support the university’s goals in areas such as: increasing employee diversity, recruitment, retention, paid time off, and developing top talent.
I have spent most of my career wrangling and making sense of Harvard data by understanding and learning as much as I can about systems, processes, policies, and how data is transacted. Understanding the interoperability of the central nervous system of Harvard and its culture helps me to inform workforce planning initiatives. Institutional knowledge has been the foundation of communicating and explaining data to various audiences in a way that is easily understood.
I also work on data governance, data literacy, change management, training, and communications initiatives.
What analytics/data tools do you currently use? What tools are you most excited to learn about in the coming years?
“Meet the customer where they are” is our motto. Having a conversation and understanding the problem to be solved determines the solution, so the tool is secondary. I primarily use Qlik products to develop enterprise-wide workforce analytic applications along with Toad, Power BI, AI, R, Python, and MS Office Products. The analytics landscape is evolving quickly, particularly with advancements in AutoML and AI capabilities that can provide insights that may not be revealed by analytics tools. Cloud-based solutions further enhance accessibility, scalability, and flexibility, enabling the business to leverage massive amounts of data quickly and at the speed of thought.
What do you most value in your analytics colleagues?
I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by incredibly knowledgeable colleagues across the university and within the HR Analytics team. I consider every member of the HR Analytics team an extension of my family. We are a diverse group, and each of us has a unique set of skills. The team collaborates internally and engages with the Harvard community to brainstorm and solve data problems. We share ideas and solutions and we always start the day by saying “Good Morning!” on our Team’s Channel.
Anything else exciting you want to add about yourself? Hidden talents, fun facts, etc.
My friends and family would say that I am a very sociable person and extremely adventurous. Before getting married and having children, I frequently enjoyed downhill skiing, golfing, playing softball, wallyball, and traveling. I once traveled by myself to Canada to go whitewater rafting. I enjoy gardening, and event planning and I love to cook.
Lastly, I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to volunteer as part of a group for Habitat for Humanity to help with the construction of new homes in Boston.
August 2023 Spotlight
Nina Tobio, Senior Research Analyst in the Office for Institutional Research and Analytics (OIRA)
What is your role at Harvard?
I’m a Senior Research Analyst at the Office of Institutional Research and Analytics (OIRA), which is part of the Office of the President and Provost. I’m on the analytics team, and I’m currently working on pay equity, graduate outcomes, and curricular gaps. I’ve been at OIRA for almost four years, and before that I had other jobs around the University.
What is something that would surprise people about your work?
Even though OIRA is part of the Office of the President and Provost, we don’t just work on central administration or University-level projects (though we definitely have some of those!). Our clients come to us from many different schools and administrative offices across Harvard, and we are asked to explore issues that affect students, faculty, and staff. And while sometimes our projects are high-profile, we usually work behind-the-scenes.People also might be surprised about the diversity of the OIRA team’s academic and professional backgrounds, the range of tools we use, and the variety of deliverables we produce. I know we will discuss this a bit later in the interview, so I’ll leave the details for then!
What are some experiences (personal or educational) that frame your approach to your job?
Research has been the thread that runs through my professional life, and my personal life too. I have varied interests and I’m endlessly curious about things, so I’m always digging deeper on topics (both useful and useless) that interest me. My prior jobs at Harvard focused on academic research, which I really enjoyed. But I wanted to try working on some research projects that had the potential to make an immediate impact, which led me to OIRA.Related to that, I have a love of learning, so it makes sense that I was drawn to Harvard professionally. There are so many opportunities to learn in informal and formal ways, whether that’s conferring with colleagues or clients (or other members of ASC!) or taking a workshop or class. And since OIRA’s clients come from all over the University, we’re frequently meeting new people and learning about the issues our University colleagues are facing.
What analytics/data tools do you currently use? What tools are you most excited to learn about in the coming years?
R is our main tool here at OIRA, so I left my beloved Stata behind when I started here almost four years ago. Quarto (the updated R-markdown) is a great tool as well, and I’ve been incorporating Observable JS when I want to create interactive end products. I also occasionally use SQL, Qualtrics, and good old Excel. Sometimes clients want a PowerPoint deck, other times they want an interactive file, web application, or dashboard, and OIRA can both produce what they request and offer novel ways to present the findings.
OpenAI/ChatGPT is really exciting tool that has a lot of potential to increase efficiency and creativity at work, and, as the New York Times recently wrote, linked here, to make really dumb jokes that are totally irresistible. Right now on the work side, I’m using AI-produced embeddings in a text analysis project, and I’m really enjoying the learning process. I think AI will be a bigger and bigger part of our toolkit as time goes on. That being said, there’s definitely a lot to be wary about with AI, and it’s clear that AI changing our lives whether we like it or not. All of that is a bit beyond the scope of this interview but I’d love to continue the conversation!
What do you most value in your analytics colleagues?
Many people who work in institutional research (IR) come from a wide range of educational and career backgrounds, and the same is true for our office. My background is in economics, and I didn’t know much about IR until I applied to this job about four years ago. The learning curve was steep, but thanks to the generosity of my colleagues, relatively painless. Our office is very collaborative, and the different skill sets, tool sets, experiences, and approaches to problem solving are so valuable.
It’s also great to be around people who speak your language and understand all the hard work that goes into analytics projects. Terms like “big data analytics” or “data-driven decision-making” are mainstream at this point, and it can make it seem like data is the magic solution to all our problems, but those who work in analytics know “data” creates its own set of challenges. Finally, it’s always nice to hang out with people who understand your stats jokes even though they might not laugh at them.
Anything else exciting you want to add about yourself?
Harvard has been in the background of my life for as long as I can remember, and it’s pretty cool that I’m here at OIRA getting a glimpse of some of its inner workings. My parents grew up in Cambridge, and one of my grandfathers was a deputy fire chief at the Cambridge fire department headquarters, right near Memorial Hall and the Science Center. I grew up in a suburb nearby, and my friends and I always took the bus to hang out in Harvard Square. I first became an official part of this community as an undergraduate at the College, and since then I’ve worked at a handful of different jobs at a few different schools. Over the years, I’ve been a neighbor, a student, and an employee, and I hope I am incorporating all these different perspectives in my approach to my work, and giving back to Harvard in some small way.
October 2023 Spotlight
October 2023 Spotlight
Dan Nowitz, Director, Analytics & Insights in Alumni Affairs and Development
Joanne Kang, Assistant Director, Operations, MBA Admissions at HBS
What is your role at Harvard?
I am the Director of Analytics and Insights for Alumni Affairs and Development at Harvard University.
What is something that would surprise people about your work?
What might surprise some is that this job is very much about building long-term relationships, understanding needs, and connecting those needs to technological advancements in the industry, which is ongoing and ever-evolving. This role combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of human connections.
What are some experiences (personal or educational) that frame your approach to your job?
Growing up in a bilingual household in Denmark and later moving to the United States made me appreciate the nuances of communication beyond just words. This realization unlocked an understanding of emotional intelligence and empathy that I try to bring to my work every day. Educationally, my background as a mechanical engineer taught me the importance of thoroughly understanding a problem or task before exploring solutions, leading to a methodical approach, and lots of experimentation.
What analytics/data tools do you currently use? What tools are you most excited to learn about in the coming years?
I believe that tools are secondary to understanding a business problem and developing a solution that works. However, tools play an important role in driving accuracy and efficiency in our work. Some common tools include Power BI, QlikView, and Python. I’m excited about automation tools for AutoML, which I think will accelerate business impacts. I’m also enthusiastic about the possibilities unlocked by large language models, like GPT-4, as they greatly simplify certain tasks, and give us powerful capabilities.
What do you most value in your analytics colleagues?
Curiosity and the desire to keep learning new things about the world and the industry are what I value most. With the right mindset, the possibilities and the future can almost seem limitless. In a collaborative environment, having colleagues who share this curiosity and passion for learning is invaluable.
Anything else exciting you want to add about yourself? Hidden talents, fun facts, etc.
While I don’t see myself as unique, I’m truly excited about succeeding as a team. There’s nothing greater than working with amazing, smart people and building great solutions for the Harvard community. I’m excited for what the future holds.
What is your role at Harvard?
I manage data analytics and business intelligence for MBA Admissions at HBS. My official title is Assistant Director of Operations, and I am very lucky to be part of a stellar team in Ops and the rest of the MBA Admissions & Financial Aid department. Our admissions CRM, Slate, is a giant sandbox of data about our prospects, applicants, and even students and alumni, and I narrate the trends and stories that our event attendance, applicant demographics, and other data tell us about our work. The bulk of this work is done through creating and maintaining Tableau dashboards that are directly querying from Slate, as well as the standard Excel and PowerPoint reports for leadership. I’m also involved in many Ops projects such as updating and launching applications each year, running several surveys and analyses, and managing the application fee waiver procedures. Generally, I help ensure that the right data gets collected in the right places from the right populations at the right time (say that 5 times fast!), and then analyze the data to produce insights.
What is something that would surprise people about your work?
This is my 2nd data analytics-related role at Harvard, and I struggled with my fair share of imposter syndrome at first. I certainly didn’t come into my first data job knowing most of the tools I use today. Much of it was learned through intense Googling, going through LinkedIn Learning courses, reviewing documentation, and bugging colleagues. The fun part of data roles, though, is that there’s always something new and exciting to learn, whether that is a new visualization style, completely new tool, or some combination of the two. Even if you think you know something, the tool you are using today will not be the tool you use next year.
What are some experiences (personal or educational) that frame your approach to your job?
My first positions in higher ed were in Student Affairs – advising student organizations, planning events to increase student belonging on campus, and even living in residence with first-year students in Harvard Yard as a proctor. Though I’m now a degree or two removed from directly working with students, I still find that it’s critical to remember that behind each aggregate trend are human stories and experiences, and the strategies that are altered due to the recommendations we make have real impact on peoples. I’m constantly asking myself, how can we use data to improve applicants’ experiences so that everyone, especially the historically excluded and marginalized, feels included and understood? How can I keep an eye out for the datapoints missing in our database – the ones that count themselves out before giving us a shot?
What analytics/data tools do you currently use? What tools are you most excited to learn about in the coming years?
I’m very comfortable with Tableau, Slate, Excel, PPT, ThinkCell, and SQL, as these are the tools I use in my daily work. I have elementary proficiency in Python and R, though I only sporadically utilize these languages for a few select projects.
I’m excited and wary about how AI will change our work. On one hand, there seems to be promise of making things efficient but also the danger of overgeneralizing groups of people via stereotyping and spreading misinformation. I’d like to think of ChatGPT as a more efficient way of googling things and not much more than that, for now. I’m a bit cynical about the promise of artificial intelligence improving everyone’s lives, but maybe it’s because my dad’s favorite movie for a long time was The Matrix.
What do you most value in your colleagues?
I’m grateful to have colleagues that balance the human aspect of admissions and evaluation with the data analytics piece. Quantitative trends are only a part of the story, and though some complain that admissions processes are too shrouded in secrecy, it’s to protect the privacy and dignity of applicants who often choose to be very vulnerable with us throughout the process.
Anything else exciting you want to add about yourself? Hidden talents, fun facts, etc.
I’m a proud dog mom to Bori, who is a rare Korean breed called Sapsali and was a proud resident of Harvard Yard for a few years while I served as a Proctor for first-year students. I love going to the boxing gym and practicing yoga in my free time.
December 2023 Spotlight
Rob Halter-Harrison, Senior Strategy Analyst for the Office of Financial Strategy and Planning (OFSP)
What is your role at Harvard?
Senior Strategy Analyst in the Office of Financial Strategy and Planning.
What is something that would surprise people about your work?
Our group is at the forefront financial matters, and concerns, for leadership. It’s a unique position to be able to highlight risks and be a cog in the planning strategy at such a high level.
What are some experiences (personal or educational) that frame your approach to your job?
I have a background in accounting, audit, and risk, stemming from roles in public accounting and internal audit/risk functions. I feel it has given me a strong foundation to understand “big pictures” and how to answer the “so what?” questions that many leaders look to answer in financial analyses.
What analytics/data tools do you currently use?
What tools are you most excited to learn about in the coming years? We primarily utilize SmartView for data pulls and the standard excel/PowerPoint products to manipulate and analyze that data for reporting purposes. I’ve taken some e-learnings on Oracle Analytics, and I’m excited to see how well Harvard can incorporate their databases into the system as I’ve seen cases of it providing powerful, meaningful data analysis and visualizations in a fraction of the time we’d normally take to produce similar results.
What do you most value in your analytics colleagues?
We partner with OIRA on various annual projects and it’s always a pleasure to see the impacts of the analyses. I’m currently working with the team on our next iteration of our Peers Deck, a competitive analysis of Harvard and peer Universities. They’re essential with regards to the data collection and analysis of countless metrics that we measure within the presentation.
Anything else exciting you want to add about yourself?
I represented my high school on the Student Board of Directors for the Houston branch of the Federal Reserve. It was an incredible experience, and a big reason why I chose to study accounting.
February 2024 Spotlight
James Christensen, Director of Strategic Analytics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)
What is your role at Harvard?
Director of Strategic Analytics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
What is something that would surprise people about your work?
I don’t know if this is surprising, but I am constantly learning and iterating on previous work. Whether it involves using new tools or methods, absorbing subject area expertise, or finding more effective ways to communicate, there is always something to learn, which is a big reason why I enjoy analytics work.
What are some experiences (personal or educational) that frame your approach to your job?
I spent my early higher ed career in non-technical, student-facing roles, which has helped me apply data analysis to that work and has given me an appreciation for domain knowledge. I also studied computer science, which introduced me to concepts like programming and database design. It has helped me understand how to build analytics infrastructure and employ automation and reusability in data analysis.
What analytics/data tools do you currently use? What tools are you most excited to learn about in the coming years?
I am not tied to any one tool or set of tools, but I most frequently use R, SQL, Tableau, and Excel. I am in the process of learning Power BI and like many, I am excited to see how AI tools will help us be more efficient.
What do you most value in your analytics colleagues?
I am lucky to work with amazing colleagues at HGSE and across Harvard who approach this work collaboratively and with a genuine willingness to learn from data, even when findings do not align with assumptions or preferences.
Anything else exciting you want to add about yourself? Hidden talents, fun facts, etc.
One of my first jobs was at a chocolate shop and my official title was Chocolate Advisor. I’m not sure I will ever top that.