Meet Our Team

Karen H. Larwin, Ph.D.

Lead Evaluator

Karen Larwin has been a methodologist and evaluator for a little more than 20 years; and in that time, she has managed to fit a lifetime’s worth of research, publications, and professional presentations. In 2007, Karen earned her Ph.D. in Evaluation and Measurement with an Applied Statistics Focus from Kent State University and an MPH from NEOMED. She is currently a tenured Professor of Educational Administration at Youngstown State University. Her research has appeared in over 50 scholarly peer-reviewed journals including Research in Higher Education, Journal for Counseling and Development, the International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, and the American Journal of Health Services. Karen has also presented over 50 times at professional conferences including the American Evaluation Association, the Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy, the Mixed Methods Research International Association, and the United States Consortium on Teaching Statistics. Outside of her academic achievements, Karen has earned an impeccable reputation as an honest, fair, and comprehensive evaluator. She has over 80 published evaluation projects and reports. Most of this work was generated by word of mouth referrals from collaborators who were impressed by her dedication, analysis, writing and presenting. As an external evaluator, Karen has experience with a variety of projects including 21st Century Grants, Straight A Fund Ohio Grants, and programs sponsored by the Institute for Educational Sciences. She has also conducted private, internal assessments for organizations looking to improve their day-to-day operations. Most importantly, Karen understands the value of practical analysis and evaluation to facilitate positive growth and change for an organization or program. She has the unique quality of taking complex, advanced methodologies and paring them down to the most vital pieces to guide organizational leaders in their decision making.

Evaluation Associates

Abbey Given

Abbey Given earned her bachelor’s degrees in both Fashion Merchandising Management and Business Marketing from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University in 2010. She has previously worked within the corporate retail world in merchandise operations, as well as social media marketing and editorial content management. Abbey also spent a year with EPIK and the Korean Metropolitan Office of Education in Daejeon, South Korea where she taught English to elementary school children grades K-6. Abbey joined R.E.M. in May 2019 and assists with research and organizing data. She looks forward to helping the team create more sustained projects.

Susan A. Beck, M.S., E-RYT

Susan Beck earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Kent State University in 2005.  She worked in the academic sector for 10 years on synthetic and nutritional chemistry before returned to school for her Master of Science in Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech, which was awarded in 2015.  After receiving her master’s degree, she worked 4 years as a program manager on Department of Defense government contracts.  Additionally, Susan received her 200 hour yoga teaching certificate from Yoga Alliance in 2012 and has been actively teaching yoga since, including teaching yoga to children with a socioeconomic disadvantage.  She is passionate about providing services to children to promote wellness.  Susan joined R.E.M. in March 2019 and assists with research and report preparation.  She looks forward to helping the team with STEM grants and wellness initiatives in the future.

EmmaLeigh K. Given

EmmaLeigh K. Given is an education professional with over 11 years of experience in curriculum development and instruction, with a particular passion for topics related to ecology, environmental issues, veterinary skills, medical, and career skills. In addition, she has eight years of experience in field research studies and data collection and management. She is an experienced R and SPSS data analyst, with a particular expertise in community level studies, multiple regression, general linear models, forecasting, and technical reporting. EmmaLeigh Given earned a Master of Science degree in Biology from Youngstown State University, a Ph.D in Ecology from Kent State University, and a Career and Technical Workforce Development License from Kent State University, where she also took graduate-level courses in special education, program evaluation, and advanced teaching methods. EmmaLeigh Given has extensive experience in educational program development and outreach and has demonstrated success in increasing program enrollment by 60% in one year through outreach and innovation. She has also been recognized for her research, having been awarded seven competitive research grants and presenting her findings at conferences both nationally and internationally. In 2019, EmmaLeigh joined REM associates, where she served as a STEM leader for Mahoning Counties Striving Readers grant.

David A. Larwin, M.A.

With over 25 years of experience in experimental research and teaching, David Larwin has worked on a myriad of projects for R.E.M Consulting that included both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. With a B.A. and M.A. in Experimental Psychology, David has worked both individually and as part of teams to develop unique experimental designs and measurement instruments. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Kent State University Salem Regional Campus. Over his esteemed career, in addition to teaching General Psychology, David has also taught courses in Child Psychology, Quantitative Methods, Personality, Social Psychology, and Writing in Psychology. His research has been published in peer-reviewed professional journals including the Journal of Education and Leadership, Educational Psychology Review, American Journal of Health Sciences, Journal of Education for Business, and Journal of Psychology. David regularly presents at professional conferences including for the American Evaluation Association and United States Consortium on Teaching Statistics.

Susan Clutter

Susan Clutter received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Clark University and a master’s degree in Forensic Science from the George Washington University. She worked as a CSI for the Montgomery County and Baltimore City Police Departments in MD before becoming a college professor in 2003. She has taught at various colleges in the Maryland and Virginia area, and has taught forensic courses for the Virginia Fire Marshal Academy and the State Department. Her specialty areas include Crime Scene Investigation, Blood Pattern Interpretation, and Fire Science. Susan is now an Associate Professor in the Forensic Science program at Youngstown State University, where she has received Distinguished Professor awards in both scholarship and service. She has one 16-year-old son and a very bossy corgi.

Headquaters

Youngstown Ohio

Call Us

(330)-623-7595

EMAIL US

khlarwin@rem.associates