People

David Bailey

Vice President, Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy

dbailey4@nd.edu
Ph: 57.631.2487
Fx: 574.631.3531
511A Main Building

David serves the University of Notre Dame as the Vice President of Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS). He partners with leaders across campus to build strategic plans and facilitates cross-university strategic initiatives. David has led the office since 2012 and is a member of the President’s Leadership Council.

Prior to assuming his current role at the University, David was a senior equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs for eight years, covering the technology hardware sector, which includes companies such as Apple, Dell, HP, IBM, and NetApp. Prior to Goldman Sachs, David held the same position at the boutique Wall Street firm, Gerard Klauer Mattison (now part of Bank of Montreal). David began his career at IBM, first in application development and then as a client executive for ten years, marketing to global Wall Street firms

David graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1983, with a BS in Mathematics, and later earned his MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

David is married to Ann Chara Bailey, an architect, and has twin sons, Jack and Ben.

Ryan Barr

Program Director, Institutional Innovation

rbarr@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3442
Fx: 574.631.9235
511S Main Building

Ryan joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS)  in November 2022 as Program Director on the Institutional Innovation team. Prior to joining Institutional Innovation, Ryan served as a practitioner/consultant in Deloitte’s Strategy & Analytics Higher Education practice. He consulted with institutions of higher education on initiatives ranging from institutional strategy to organizational design, and operations. His work has focused on transformational projects to increase service effectiveness, as well as targeted service delivery redesign projects, with a focus on the foundational change management efforts necessary for success. He has aided educational institutions in implementing state-of-the-art technology and in identifying, attracting, and supporting target student populations; and launching new, critical academic programs.

Ryan has served in numerous capacities in the field of Higher Education as a Coordinator, business officer, and instructor. As an administrator, he has worked with colleagues on issues associated with strategies for student success, budgeting/budget reallocation, and campus climates exploring the experiences and perceptions in relation to diversity and inclusion.

A native of Niles, Michigan, Ryan received his B.A. from Michigan State University in Social Relations & Policy and his master's in Higher Education Administration. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education at Jackson State University.

Cynthia Belmarez

Institutional Research Specialist

belmarez.1@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.5425
Fx: 574.631.9235
403C Grace Hall

Cyndi has been part of the Notre Dame family for over 20 years. Beginning at the President’s Office in 1988, Cyndi served as an assistant to the executive assistant to the president during Rev. Edward “Monk” Malloy, C.S.C.'s presidency for eight years. After working in the President’s Office, Cyndi worked in the Upward Bound Program temporarily until she came into her current role at the University as an Institutional Research Specialist.

Cyndi earned her undergraduate degree at Indiana University with a major in Sociology. She also attended the Indiana Vocational Technical College studying Accounting.

Lissa Bill

Executive Director of Institutional Innovation & Institutional Strategy

lissa.bill@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.4060
Fx: 574.631.3531
511K Main Building

Lissa Bill joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in December 2017.  Prior to joining IRIS, Lissa served as the Senior Counselor to the Vice President for Student Affairs from October 2014 – December 2017.  In this role, her responsibilities included strategic planning, survey, and data management, collaboration with University Relations on behalf of Student Affairs, coordination of professional development for the Division of Student Affairs, and special projects. 

Previously, Lissa served as a Career Coach and the Career Operations Manager in the undergraduate Career Center for six years.  Before coming to Notre Dame, Lissa spent over a decade working as a buyer and product manager in corporate retail for companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Bachrach, and Sears Holdings.

Lissa earned a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from the University of Michigan and a master’s in international higher education at Loyola University in Chicago.  She and her husband, Clay, live in South Bend with their two sons, Graham and Conor.

Mark Gunty

Undergraduate Analytics Program Director

gunty.4@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.9472
Fx: 574.631.9235
406D Grace Hall

Mark Gunty was appointed Assistant Director of Institutional Research in November 1995. Initially, he focused on student survey administration and development. Mark has since assumed primary responsibility for the analysis and reporting of student feedback on courses and instruction, including most recently the development of a new web-based Course Instructor Feedback system. As the Undergraduate Analytics Program Director, he provides consultation and analytical support on assessment and evaluation projects for academic, student affairs, and operational units.

Prior to working in Institutional Research, Mark held visiting faculty positions at Notre Dame and IU South Bend in their sociology departments. He continues to teach courses in research methodology, organizations, and gender. In the twelve years after college, he taught religion and coordinated campus ministry programs at high schools and colleges in Illinois and California. While working in Institutional Research, Mark has had leadership and advisory positions with the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at UCLA, the Catholic Higher Education Research Cooperative, and the Catholic Identity Mission Assessment project.

Mark earned a bachelor’s degree in comparative religions from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He holds a master’s degree in human development from St. Mary’s University in Winona, and another master’s in international peace studies from Notre Dame. He was awarded a doctoral degree in sociology from Notre Dame in 1993. He has served on local parish religious education boards and on the board of directors for Ten Thousand Villages, a local fair trade retail outlet. His wife, Kitty, is chair of the Fine Arts Department at Marian High School. The Guntys have four children, all of whom are Domers.

Theo Helm

Program Director, Institutional Strategy

thelm1@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.4522
Fx: 574.631.3531
511L Main Building

Adrea Hernandez

Executive Director, Institutional Research

aherna28@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3549
Fx: 574.631.9235
405 Grace Hall

Adrea came to Notre Dame in the spring of 2021. As Executive Director, Adrea works with partners across the University to collect data from students, alumni, faculty, and staff in order to inform assessment efforts.

Prior to joining Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS), she served as the Director of Institutional Research for the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). In that role, Adrea worked with representatives from colleges and universities across the country to administer surveys as part of a process to improve undergraduate education and advance their institutional missions.

Adrea is originally from El Paso, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Yale University. She then went on to earn a doctoral degree in the American and New England Studies program at Boston University. Adrea and her husband, Neal, enjoy spending time at their farm, where they have sheep, honey bees, and a truck garden with heirloom tomatoes, beans, corn, and sunflowers.

Morgan McCoy

Program Director, Institutional Innovation

mschlarb@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.1950
Fx: 574.631.3531
511S Main Building

Morgan McCoy joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in January 2024 as a Program Director on the Institutional Innovation team. Prior to joining Institutional Innovation, Morgan held several positions at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business focused on operations, logistics, and implementing efficiencies. Her previous work focused on the areas of academic operations, student programming and events, new-student onboarding, and facilities management.

Morgan received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, majoring in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management with a minor in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship. She and her husband, Shane, currently reside in her hometown of Mishawaka, Indiana.

Connor O'Rear

Analyst and Consultant

corear@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.4609
Fx: 574.631.9235
406E Grace Hall

Connor started in Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in January 2023 as an Analyst and Consultant. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Connor was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Purdue University. His research focused on developing high-impact interventions to promote children’s academic skills. As part of this work, Connor served as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on grant-funded projects aimed at designing and implementing educational technologies that can be used by parents and teachers to support preschoolers' mathematical development.

Connor grew up in the South Bend area and graduated from Wabash College in 2014. He then went on to get his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Connor and his wife, Andrea, who is a professor at Saint Mary’s College, live in South Bend.

Jenny Petersen

Operations Specialist & Officer Assistant to the Vice President

jpeter24@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.1097
Fx: 574.631.3531
511D Main Building

Jenny Petersen joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in the spring of 2022, where she currently serves as the Operations Specialist & Officer Assistant to the Vice President.  Previously, Jenny worked for six years as the Senior Administrative Coordinator to the Associate Dean for the Social Sciences and Research in the College of Arts & Letters Dean's Office. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Jenny was an executive assistant at Baird Capital, a private equity firm in Chicago.

Originally from northern California, Jenny earned a bachelor's degree in English from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2007. She and her husband, Brian, live in Granger and are proud parents to two children, Addie and Logan.

Brandy Rypma

Institutional Research Specialist

brypma@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.2848
Fx: 574.631.9235
403D Grace Hall

Brandy Rypma has worked as an IR Specialist in Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) since April 1999. Her main areas of responsibility include completing internal & external data requests/surveys, modifying/updating/processing corporate data for reporting, maintaining access rights for the Self-Service Reports (SSR), and general office support. Prior to joining the University, Brandy worked as an Accounts Payable Clerk for a precision steel roll company, STRIPCO, Inc.

Brandy earned her A.S. degree in Accounting from Davenport College in Grand Rapids (MI) in 1995. She is the proud mother of two children.

Dana Schrader

Business Intelligence Professional

ddreher@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3508
Fx: 574.631.9235
403A Grace Hall

Dana joined Notre Dame in August 2016 as a member of the Business Intelligence team in the Office of Information Technologies. In October 2018, she transitioned to an embedded role with Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS), assisting with reporting for the Institutional Research team and the university-wide dataND initiative. Prior to Notre Dame, Dana spent over ten years at Press Ganey, a patient satisfaction and experience consulting firm in their custom reporting department.

Born and raised in South Bend, Dana graduated cum laude from Saint Mary's College with a B.S. in Mathematics in 2007, then received her MBA from Indiana University in 2013. She resides in South Bend with her husband, Ben, and their three daughters, two dogs, and tens of thousands of bees (they've recently taken up beekeeping as a hobby). Outside of work, Dana enjoys baking, photographing her kids, camping, and geocaching.

Jessie Schuman

Program Director, Institutional Strategy

jschuman@nd.edu
Ph: 574-631-2484
Fx: 574.631.3531
511K Main Building

Jessie Schuman joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in December 2019 when she was appointed Strategic Planning Program Director. Prior to joining IRIS, Jessie served as an HR Consultant from December 2016 - December 2019. In this role, Jessie provided guidance and support to University leadership and employees of designated divisions and colleges on strategic initiatives impacting their organization and people. Her responsibilities included working with senior leaders to identify HR issues that would help achieve business goals and objectives, counseling managers and employees on employee relations issues and performance management, assisting with organizational restructuring to fit the business needs of the division or college, helping leaders with the annual talent review process, and collaborating with the HR centers of expertise to assist client groups. Jessie has had the privilege of supporting campus units in the President, Executive Vice President, and Provost divisions.

Previously, Jessie worked at Notre Dame in Student Affairs for nine and a half years in Residential Life and in the former Office of Residence Life and Housing. Before coming to Notre Dame, Jessie worked in Student Affairs at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

Jessie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from North Carolina State University. She and her husband, Greg, live in Granger with their three children, Molly, Leah, and Jack.

Claire Slebonick

Program Director, Institutional Innovation

cleather@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.8410
Fx: 574.631.3531
511R Main Building

Claire Leatherwood Slebonick joined Institutional Innovation in May 2022 after spending more than six years in Notre Dame’s Athletics Department.

While working in Athletics, Leatherwood Slebonick held a variety of positions, which included the associate athletics director for Policy, Equity, and Legal Affairs and sport administrator for cross country and track & field. As the associate athletics director for Policy, Equity, and Legal Affairs, Leatherwood Slebonick supported Notre Dame’s policy and governance efforts in all contexts; this included: the strategic leadership of internal Athletics policy initiatives and affiliated processes, identifying and educating on Notre Dame institutional policy matters that interact with or impact the Athletics, and engaging with external conference and national governance matters. She engaged in the development and strategic management of Notre Dame’s gender equity commitment and associated endeavors. Additionally, Leatherwood Slebonick executed strategic opportunities to engage with campus partners, including support units and academic colleges, on athletics-related initiatives and issues.

Leatherwood Slebonick began her career at William & Mary (W&M), starting in June 2012 as the assistant director of Compliance. She held multiple positions, leaving her final role as the assistant athletic director of Compliance to join Notre Dame in the fall of 2015. In the assistant athletic director role at W&M, she served as the senior compliance officer, supervising all compliance staff and reporting directly to the Associate Athletic Director for Student Services. She also was the sport administrator for the cross country and track & field programs. 

Leatherwood Slebonick won multiple varsity letters as an undergrad at Yale University, where she ran with the Bulldogs' cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field varsity teams. A 2009 graduate of Yale, Leatherwood went on to graduate from Notre Dame Law School in May 2012. 

Leatherwood Slebonick is originally from Ashville, Ohio, and is married to Pat Slebonick, who serves as the executive director of the Studebaker National Museum. The couple lives in South Bend with their son, Slade, and dogs, Toby and Walter.

Kendall Smith

Analyst and Consultant

ksmith77@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3242
Fx: 574.631.9235
406D Grace Hall

Kendall first came to Notre Dame in 2020 as a Research Scientist in Mendoza's Human-Centered Analytics Lab where he developed a background in Machine Learning and Research Computing. Since then, he has also served as an IT Solutions Consultant at the IDEA Center. Kendall received his training in Quantitative Psychology (M.S.) at Ball State University, in addition to holding an internship with their Office of Institutional Research.

Mary Tarsha

Analyst and Consultant

mtarsha@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.6499
Fx: 574.631.9235
406A Grace Hall

Mary joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in the Spring of 2023.  At IRIS, she provides consultation support by leveraging a variety of statistical and analytical modeling techniques.  Prior to her work as an Analyst and Consultant, Mary received her doctorate in Developmental Psychology and Peace Studies with a minor in Advanced Quantitative Social Science from the University of Notre Dame.  She also holds a master’s of education in Empirical Research in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University.  Her research and teaching focused on ways to promote the biosocial construction of flourishing and well-being across the lifespan.  Her work merited the honorable Stephen Pepe Fellowship and nomination for the Shaheen Award, the highest award given to graduate students at the University of Notre Dame.