Our Team

Alison Miller, PhD, Dissertation Coach, Owner and Founder of “The Dissertation Coach”
Since 2000, Alison Miller, PhD has been coaching graduate students to finish doctoral dissertations and master’s theses. She developed the strategic, structured approach that all of our coaches use to motivate and guide students to the finish line. Alison is the author of Finish Your Dissertation Once and For All: How to Overcome Psychological Barriers, Get Results, and Move On with Your Life published in 2009 by the American Psychological Association. She frequently leads dissertation and thesis workshops and has extensive experience as a dissertation coach. She has worked with thousands of graduate students individually, in groups, and workshops over the last decade. Alison has a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cornell University. She is also the owner of Life Essentials, a company that offers life coaching and corporate seminars and workshops and Tiara: Exceptional Women’s Coaching. For more information, visit: www.lifeessentialscoaching.com and www.tiaracoaching.com. Alison is a frequent contributor to Fox News in the Morning in Chicago and her work has been featured in many publications including Crain’s Business, The Chicago Tribune, WGN radio, and Time Out Magazine. Alison is passionate about coaching graduate students. Her clients benefit from her direct yet gentle approach to helping them increase awareness of beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that interfere with their dissertation or thesis progress and learn ways to successfully move forward. Alison strives to create collaborative coaching relationships of safety and openness that help her clients overcome barriers and learn tangible skills that will benefit them beyond the experience of earning their graduate degree.
Colleen Halliday-Boykins, PhD – Managing Director, Dissertation Coach and Consultant
Colleen holds a doctoral degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles with a minor in measurement and statistics. Since completion of her degree, she has held a faculty appointment at the Medical University of South Carolina in a division devoted to real-world research with children, adolescents and their families She has an extensive background in empirical research, having authored several empirical articles in leading journals, including many first author pieces, having received federal funding to complete her own research, and having designed and implemented several other research projects of varying levels of complexity. She has also served on the editorial and as ad hoc reviewer for scientific journals. Colleen is proficient in quantitative data analysis, methodological rigor, research synthesis and academic writing. As a well-rounded researcher, she is able to consult with students regarding all aspects of the thesis and dissertation process, from identifying a topic, developing a problem statement, designing a methodology, writing literature reviews and proposals to analyzing the data, writing the method and result sections, synthesizing and interpreting the findings, and addressing committee feedback. Colleen has advised, mentored and consulted with students in a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, human services, social work, health administration and business administration. She has excellent mentoring skills and a passion for helping students achieve their academic and professional goals.
Jill Blackwell, PhD – Dissertation Consultant
Jill obtained her PhD in Experimental/Developmental Psychology from the Department of Psychology at DePaul University. She is currently serving as Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology at a local university in Chicago. She teaches research methods I, II, III, and has served as faculty advisor to numerous students who have completed their research projects. Her research interests span the fields of health psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and biological/social psychology. She has experience providing guidance from project inception, hypothesis development, selecting and developing appropriate research methods, and analyzing and interpreting data. She has served as peer review/editor, providing constructive advice, for numerous scientific journals. She is compassionate and positive and can provide problem solving assistance to any student.
Chang-ming Hsieh, PhD – Dissertation Consultant and Statistician
Chang-ming received his master’s degree from Columbia University and PhD in social welfare from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently an associate professor of social work at a local university in Chicago where he teaches graduate-level introductory and advanced research methods. His main areas of expertise include applied quantitative methods. As a highly skilled data analyst and methodologist, he has been working with students and faculty members on dissertations and research projects across disciplines in social and behavioral sciences for nearly a decade. Clients consistently describe Chang-ming as a “true teacher” and acknowledge him for his ability to explain complex statistics in easy-to-understand terms and to help students develop a thorough understanding of the statistical approach they use in their research. Chang-ming can assist students in any stage of the research process whether students are at the proposal phase or writing the final study. In addition, he is very effective at helping students address the feedback and comments of committee members before or after their final defense meeting.
Kristine L. Jones, M.P.H., PhD Dissertation Consultant
Kristine Jones is an experienced qualitative field researcher and has written numerous technical reports, grant proposals, and articles in her academic discipline. As a faculty member at several universities, both in the U. S. and in Latin America, she directed numerous theses and dissertations with graduate students in history, public health, and the social sciences. She holds a PhD in Latin American and Native American History from the University of Chicago and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, has received NEH, SSRC and Fulbright grants for archival and ethnographic research in Argentina and Chile, and was a Fulbright Professor in History in Chile. As a consultant, she enjoys helping students narrow and clarify their research problem, structure arguments, identify optimal methodological approaches, prepare proposals for IRB approval, interpret and synthesize research findings, respond to committee concerns, and produce polished final drafts. She understands the importance of having a non-judgmental sounding board to help work through problems and analyze qualitative research results in the fundamentally creative process of completing an original research project.
Curt Preissner, PhD – Dissertation Coach
Curt earned his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently a mechanical engineer at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at UIC. At Argonne, he uses his expertise to design innovative x-ray instrumentation. Curt has published many conference papers and journal articles and has presented at national and international conferences. He has experience with many types of research projects and has designed and conducted a variety of experiments. Having worked in research environments for over 10 years, including as a principal investigator on a federally funded grant, he thoroughly understands the processes of investigation, experimentation, and writing. Curt connects easily with students and is an empathetic listener. He has developed and facilitated a dissertation/thesis group for graduate students at ANL. He is dedicated to and inspired by coaching students in overcoming obstacles to complete their dissertations while at the same time creating opportunities for the students to develop new ways of being that will enable them to complete their graduate work and serve them in post-graduate life.
Stephanie Latkovski, PhD – Dissertation Coach and Consultant
Stephanie Latkovski has a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. Currently an independent consultant and grant writer, Stephanie has extensive experience in foreign language education and study-abroad programs. As Associate Dean of the College at the University of Chicago, Stephanie recruited, trained and supervised graduate students as faculty assistants for study-abroad programs. Throughout her career, Stephanie has coached graduate students in humanities and social sciences through various phases of graduate school, from the application and grant-seeking phase to interviewing for tenure-track positions. She has helped graduate students identify and narrow research topics, clarify the scope of a project, and offer a sounding board for studies to be included in the review of literature. Stephanie has taught French and Spanish on the secondary level, as well as linguistics and writing on the university level. In 2006-2007, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English as a second language and modern American literature in Ukraine. Stephanie has studied several languages, traveled extensively, and has worked with many students from other countries who need advice navigating the American system. Stephanie also advises post-doctoral junior faculty needing support for tenure-track advancement.
Jeremy Taylor, MA, – Statistician
Jeremy Taylor worked for over 8 years in statistical analysis, data management, and research methodology, consulting and teaching for the last three. In addition to consulting for The Dissertation Coach, Jeremy currently serves as Data Management and Analysis Team Coordinator for DePaul University’s Stress and Coping Project and a part-time Child and Family Therapist at DePaul Family and Community Services. Analytic techniques Jeremy has expertise in include: hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), structural equation modeling (SEM), cluster analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, regression, moderator analysis, mediator analysis, factor analysis, specificity analysis, ANOVA, t-tests, as well as most non-parametric statistical techniques and basic descriptive statistics. Jeremy prides himself on offering thorough analysis, while equipping his clients with the understanding of their data they need to confidently stand in front of their committee or their next professional conference. For technology minded clients, video tutorials and live remote demonstrations may also be available.
Kathryn Paterson, PhD – Dissertation Coach
Kathryn Paterson holds an M.A. in playwriting from the University of Cincinnati, and an MFA and PhD in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston. Dr. Paterson has worked with arts, humanities, and social science students for the past 16 years, teaching everything from developmental writing and reading to graduate level seminars in research. She currently teaches at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where she advises theses and mentors both undergraduate and graduate literature students. Her students have won local, state and national prizes and have published in a wide variety of journals. She has written plays, short fiction, and literary criticism, with research emphases in managing writing anxiety and in the application of mythic structures to the composition of lengthy projects. As a coach, she enjoys helping students at various stages of the writing process, particularly those who are stuck in the phases of idea development and generation. She helps students identify their writing blocks and figure out strategies to overcome them and manage the physiological aspects of writing anxiety.
Lindsey Patterson, MS – Statistician
Lindsey has a Masters of Science in Applied Social Psychology at PSU in 2010 and is a highly skilled statistician. At PSU, Lindsey also works as a teaching assistant for both undergraduates and graduate students and served as a reviewer of many master’s theses and dissertations. Lindsey can assist students in analyzing quantitative data. She has expertise in conducting a variety of analyses including independent and dependent t-test, one-way and factorial ANOVA and ANCOVA, MANOVA, correlation and regression, multiple regression, mediated regression, moderated regression, logistic regression, multiway frequency analysis, HLM, factor analyses, cluster analysis, power analyses, chi-square, and a number of non-parametric tests. Lindsey can also aid students in transforming their research questions into appropriate hypotheses and provide guidance and editing for writing of the Methodology, Results, and Discussion sections of theses and dissertations. Lindsey is enthusiastic, positive, supportive and known for her ability to explain statistics in a straightforward, easy to understand manner.
Michal Lemberger, PhD – Dissertation Coach and Consultant
Michal Lemberger holds a PhD in English from University of California, Los Angeles. She has taught at various local colleges and universities in Los Angeles in subjects ranging from composition to American and British Poetry and Bible as Literature and has acted as thesis advisor for students, guiding them though the process of formulating a topic, conducting appropriate research, setting goals, and producing a written product. As an editor, she has worked with graduate students and academics at various stages of their careers, providing feedback and assistance on everything from thesis proposals to articles or dissertation chapters to entire book manuscripts. She has experience working with scholars in the fields of literature, history, education, sociology, theology, philosophy, fine arts and art history, and law. Michal has developed a specialty in working with scholars for whom English is not a primary language. She can help guide students through the entire process of conceptualizing, writing, and editing a dissertation. Michal has a love of language and a thirst for knowledge. Compassionate and attentive, she relishes the opportunity to support students as they find their authentic voices and progress to completion in a timely manner.
Anita Kite, PhD – Dissertation Consultant
Dr. Anita Kite has a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut and has been working in the field of education since 1993. Early on she worked as an academic counselor in community colleges and as an administrator at a 4-year institution. Once beginning her doctoral work in Connecticut in 1995 she sought out opportunities in which to combine her passions for adult learning, organizational learning and evaluation. During that time and in the years since, she has worked with for-profit and non-profit organizations, K-12 schools, state departments of education and universities. In these roles she has designed and conducted evaluations (including, but not limited to, those focused on outcomes, impacts, implementation and formative feedback), analyzed data (both quantitative and qualitative), written reports and presented findings to diverse audiences. She has also leveraged her communication and consulting skills to help clients in her consulting practice identify and specify the goals and objectives of their initiatives. Most recently Anita has worked as a research specialist at The Education Alliance at Brown University and has taught graduate courses online at the University of Illinois and at Northeastern University. Additionally, in her work at the University of Illinois, at Northeastern University and previously at the University of Connecticut, Anita provided guidance on research methodologies and statistical analyses to students completing their dissertations and other capstone research projects.
Christopher Bradley, PhD – Dissertation Consultant and Statistician
Christopher began his career in higher education at Northern Arizona University where he earned a bachelors degree in sociology and a minor in social work. From there he went on to Bowling Green State University where he earned a masters degree and a PhD in sociology. At the doctoral level Christopher specialized in social psychology and also obtained formal minors in statistics and both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Now a tenured professor at a large Midwestern university, to date Christopher has published nine peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals, authored eighteen applied research reports, accrued a quarter of a million dollars in research grant funding and coauthored a book on the connections between western social psychology and eastern Zen Buddhism. His current research interests are grounded in the social psychological domains of emotion, motivation, the self, religion and intimate relationship violence. He has expertise in qualitiatve and quantitative research methodlogoies. Christopher’s warm and personable approach to helping clients is complemented by his rigorous attention to detail and his ability to provide logical and concise feedback in a timely fashion. Christopher enjoys helping his clients with all aspects of the dissertation process. He feels that it is his responsibility to provide clients with the tools, guidance and knowledge they need to successfully complete their dissertation.
Laura E. Plybon, PhD – Dissertation Consultant and Statistician
Laura received her PhD in experimental developmental psychology, with an emphasis in program evaluation, from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Having over fifteen years of research experience, she has worked in academia as an assistant professor, primary investigator, and director of assessment and in the non-profit world as a director of research and as an evaluation specialist. Currently, she is as an adjunct professor at colleges and universities in southwest Missouri and provides grant-writing consultation services for area non-profits and educational organizations. She is a co-author on a book on violence prevention, has published numerous research publications in peer-reviewed journals — the most recent with two of her former students as co-authors — and has conducted over 35 presentations at local, state, and national conferences. Her research interest are diverse and address topics in the fields of developmental, social, community, cultural, counseling, and educational psychology; behavioral health and health promotion; prevention program development and evaluation; psychometrics and survey development; and higher education assessment. A self-admitted statistics nerd, Laura has extensive statistical expertise and is highly knowledgeable of advanced statistical analyses, including ANCOVA/MANCOVA, exploratory- and confirmatory-factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and HLM. Laura greatly enjoys being a collaborative consultant with students and, in the words of one of her former students, is very patient and teaches each individual person in way that he/she learns best.â€ She enjoys assisting students at any stage of the research process, but is especially skilled at helping students on literature reviews, methodology, and statistical analyses.
Peter S. Bachrach, PhD – Dissertation Consultant and Statistician
Peter received his PhD in Psychology from Brandeis University and is both an accomplished researcher and statistician. Trained at UCLA, Wake Forest University, Brandeis University, and the National Center for PTSD/Boston VA Healthcare System, Peter is a Research Psychologist, Methodologist, and Program Evaluator. While a Research Psychologist at the National Center for PTSD, he instructed clinical psychology interns, post-docs, and faculty in research methodology and statistics, and conducted complex research studies. As Research Professor of Geriatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, he applied lifespan developmental theory, didactic medicine, and advanced research methodologies to both teach and evaluate programs for laypersons, geriatric fellows, doctors, nurses, undergraduate medical students, and social workers about adult development, stress, leadership/management, and educational program evaluation. Peter served as the sole program evaluator for both ADGAP (Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs) and a nationwide consortium of cutting-edge geriatric and gerontological training programs at medical schools including Harvard, Duke, University of Michigan, Mt. Sinai, UCLA, and Yale and was the technical/methodological adviser to the National Council on Aging for all Geriatric Education Centers across the United States. As a dissertation consultant, Dr. Bachrach seeks to create positive working relationships with all students to facilitate their highest quality work.
Tara J. Smith, PhD – Statistician
Tara holds a doctoral degree in Behavioral Science with specialization in reading acquisition, human development and methodology from the department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island, and a master of education with a focus in educational psychometrics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Over the past two decades, Tara has enjoyed a variety of roles as researcher and analyst across both educational and psychological disciplines and has extensive experience working within grant funded research. Tara began her work at the Brown University department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior working as a researcher on longitudinal studies of depression and anxiety. Most recently she worked at the Education Alliance at Brown University where she conducted structured program evaluation both locally and at the national level. Furthermore she has experience as both a teaching assistant and professor for the University of Rhode Island. She has assisted students and worked with lay persons and professionals of all educational levels and backgrounds. Tara brings a high degree of interest, knowledge and structure to each project and believes strongly in mentorship, clarity and mutual respect within the educational environment. Over the course of her education and research experiences she has become proficient in scale development, data management and broad array of quantitative analytical techniques. Her kind manner and clear mode of communicating information has earned her the appreciation and respect of the students with whom she works. As a statistical consultant, Tara will help each student understand the processes behind the statistical analyses and the proper interpretation of results.
Jeffry White, PhD – Dissertation Consultant and Statistician
Jeffry L. White has a Ph.D. in quantitative research, evaluation and measurement from The Ohio State University with Master’s degrees in educational research and evaluation, public policy and management, and health services administration. Since earning his doctorate he has held faculty appointments at Ashland University (Ohio) and the University of Louisiana, Lafayette where his duties include mentoring and advising doctoral students in Educational Leadership and Foundations. He teaches courses in intermediate and advanced statistics, survey research design, program evaluation, and measurement and assessment. Dr. White is co-author of Needs Assessment: Analysis and Prioritization (Sage, 2010), and has an extensive background in quantitative methods. Dr. White has been the program evaluator on National Science Foundation initiatives designed to improve the graduation rates of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Dr. White is skilled in applied research methods, conceptualization and synthesis of the literature review, and survey design and is a prolific academic writer. As an author and scholar well-versed in quantitative methods, he consults with students regarding all aspects of the research process, including how to avoid the pitfalls and pratfalls of working with a thesis or dissertation committee. Because of his diverse background, Dr. White has mentored and advised students in education, public policy, criminal justice, human services, business, and health care administration. His philosophy in working with students is to help them obtain a better understanding of the research process in order to conceptualize, design, and carry out a study that permits them to achieve their academic goals.
Melinda Valente, EdD – Dissertation Coach
Melinda earned her Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University. She also holds an M.A. and a B.A. from Emerson College, where she gained experience in the areas of mass communication, media management, and television production. After working in the entertainment industry for a few years she decided to return to her true passion, academia. For the past ten years Melinda has worked at Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, CA. In her current role as Associate Director in the Office of Admissions, Student Information and Services, Melinda helps guide prospective students through the admissions process in addition to counseling current law students on academic policies, degree requirements, and other concerns. Melinda has a great deal of compassion for the ups and downs on the doctoral journey and is committed to helping students more effectively manage the dissertation process and overcome the internal and external challenges they face. She truly enjoys helping students accomplish this significant milestone in their academic careers.
Valentina Kloosterman, PhD – Dissertation Consultant
Valentina holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut and a MA degree in Psychology from University of Belgrano in Argentina. She is currently serving as a lead researcher at a university in South Florida where she oversees research and evaluation projects, fieldwork, and instrument design; collects and analyzes data; writes and develops grant proposals; and revises research-evaluation reports. Over the past fifteen years, Valentina has been teaching and researching in education with a particular emphasis on issues of child development, high level thinking, and cultural diversity. Valentina has expertise in qualitative research and program evaluation and for the past decade, she has co-directed the design and implementation of research-evaluation projects, as well as provided guidance and mentoring to undergraduate and graduate students both in the United States and Latin America. In addition, Valentina has served as editorial reviewer and managing editor, advisor, presenter, and committee leader for national and international associations, and has written extensively in English and Spanish in her areas of expertise. One of Valentina’s most gratifying professional experiences is working one-on-one with students in the process of research, including literature review, data collection and analysis, and writing of findings and implications. She also encourages and guides students in the submission of conference proposals, academic presentations, and writing of publications.