OUR TEAM

Director of the Data Innovation Project

EMAIL: sarah.goan@maine.edu

Director of the Data Innovation Project, Sarah has over 15 years of experience evaluating programs that enhance child and family well-being. She brings her deep understanding of research and data to the DIP team. In addition to constantly generating new ideas and innovative approaches, Sarah works in partnership with organizations to provide evaluation services, facilitation and technical assistance with a true passion for and love of all that data can do. She is a self-proclaimed data nerd and avid gardener.

EMAIL: timothy.atkinson@maine.edu

Tim comes to the Catherine Cutler Institute from a background in technology startups and clean energy technology, where he served as a software engineer and an engineering leader. He is pursuing a Master’s in Policy, Planning and Management at the Muskie School. He lives in Portland with his spouse and two children and enjoys swimming, reading and playing guitar.

EMAIL: julia.bergeron@maine.edu

Julia leverages her passion for project management, organizational processes, and program evaluation to help partners and collaborators make strategic and informed decisions. Julia excels at managing local, state, and nationwide projects, technical assistance, and stakeholder engagement efforts and has expertise in data analysis and interpretation. Her focus areas include justice policy, child welfare, social policy, and community well-being. She has been with the Catherine Cutler Institute since 2013. She currently serves as the Director of the Maine Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) and as the principal investigator/project director of various Justice Policy projects at the Institute.

EMAIL: madison.burke1@maine.edu

Madison is passionate about bringing positive, tangible change to youth and families across Maine through advocacy, early intervention and education. Madison graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology, where she had the opportunity to work on research into affordable housing and equitable access to healthcare and childcare in Westchester County, New York. She also conducted her own research as part of her senior thesis, examining the national impact of prison environments in the US on the emotional and physical wellbeing of formerly incarcerated individuals. A born Mainer, Madison returned to her home state after graduation, and has since worked at a variety of labs, schools and non-profits before joining the Catherine Cutler Institute. When not working, Madison enjoys exploring nature, foraging, writing, arts and crafts, and cuddling with her pets.

EMAIL: rachel.gallo@maine.edu

Rachel is passionate about building the internal capacity of organizations to collect, explore, and showcase data. Through a public health lens, she enjoys working with organizations as they utilize data to highlight the positive effects they are having on the community. Rachel has expertise in providing technical assistance and evaluation services to community and healthcare organizations. Outside of work, Rachel is busy exploring the outdoors with her two boys or cooking up something delicious in the kitchen.

EMAIL: emma.schwartz@maine.edu

Emma brings diverse experience, from market research to business operations, to the Justice Policy Program. Beyond her youth-facing work with the Place Matters team, she also provides analysis support to the Data Innovation Project. She is committed to addressing statewide, systemic barriers to justice and using data to drive progress toward safety and belonging for all people in Maine.

EMAIL: emilie.swenson@maine.edu

Emilie’s curiosity guides her to listen, reflect, and gather research to find answers and make meaning. She excels at communicating data and results in meaningful, easy to understand ways that lead organizations to explore and understand the stories behind their numbers. Rooted in a background of social work and community health, Emilie encourages those she works with to reflect on the power of experiences and local knowledge to inform their work and drive positive change. Emilie is always trying to learn something new, whether it’s weaving, or baking Scandinavian treats.

EMAIL: elora.way@maine.edu

Elora brings to the DIP multifaceted experience working within and supporting nonprofit organizations and their boards, from Maine to New Mexico. She is both empathic toward the challenges they face and motivated to explore realistic ways to use data to improve their capacity and outcomes. In her time with the DIP, Elora has explored her passion for community-based learning and quantitative data analysis which led her to start the Applied Research Fellowship and join the Maine Rural Health Research Center as a part-time analyst. Outside of work, Elora is a perpetual student but can sometimes be found sailing around Casco Bay or traipsing about northern Maine and the Katahdin region.

EMAIL: rebecca.wurwarg@maine.edu

Becky is a graphic designer who enjoys working closely with partners to develop a creative vision for sharing their data and stories. She combines training in data communication with expertise in foundational design principles and current design trends to create informative, digestible, and engaging visual representations. In her spare time Becky can be found cooking a big dinner or lending a hand at her husband’s local culinary knife shop.