Jennifer Zanna-Kolakowski
Manager R&D Data Analysis
Brick
Summary
Results-oriented and client-focused professional and proven leader with 27 years’ experience in the educational assessment industry and 15+ years’ experience managing staff at various levels. Highly skilled in project management, data analysis, and building relationships with clients and across organization and teams. Strengths include exceptional writing and interpersonal communication skills, critical-thinking ability, and sound technical acumen. Extensive experience leading teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment where quality and 100% accuracy are essential for the success of products and services. Adept at bridging the gap between different functional areas and in implementing process changes and solutions in collaboration with clients and stakeholders.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Manager R&D Data Analysis – Professional Educator Programs
Educational Testing Service
1 2016 - Current
- In alignment with organizational goals and budget constraints, manage a team of data analysts that coordinates the data analysis processes and statistical operations for multiple teacher licensure assessments and professional educator programs, including: Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE), Texas Educator Certification Program (TECP), Missouri Performance Assessments, Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT), Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL), Performance Assessment for Teacher Leaders (PATL), ProEthica, as well as the Praxis CORE and World Languages tests
- Advise on key planning, decision making, resource allocation, budgeting, and onboarding
- Provide expertise and operational support as required
- Identify opportunities for cost reduction, process improvement, and innovation
- Collaborate with team to implement necessary changes
- Apply comprehensive end-to-end knowledge, assess the implications of actions and decisions across all departments, and offer innovative and creative solutions to challenges
- Maintain high-quality products and services within the Psychometric Analysis & Research unit and foster consistent, efficient, and error-free statistical and psychometric processes
- Empower staff to think innovatively, openly share ideas, and suggest process improvements
- Coach and develop strong employees, providing guidance during transition to leadership roles that inspire confidence among team members
- Manage personnel actions, including staffing decisions, work assignments, performance appraisals, and diversity efforts
- Also responsible for hiring, promotions, OKR development, and performance evaluations.
Manager Data Analysis – College Board Programs
Educational Testing Service
01.2007 - 01.2016
- Manage a team of data analysts that supports the day-to-day statistical analysis operations for multiple large-scale assessments with external clients
- Oversee the design and coordination of the data analysis workflow required for producing program work plan deliverables; Ensure accurate and timely reporting of test scores; Direct planning to conduct equating/scaling, item analysis, differential item functioning analysis, test analysis, and research projects
- Coordinate the preparation of technical documentation and standard operating procedures for critical operational processes; Maintain compliance with the ETS Office of Quality policies and participate in Corrective and Preventative Action (CAPA), Process Conformance Review (PCR) and Design for Control (D4C) activities to support ETS ISO Certification
- Prepare budgets & forecasts and review monthly actuals & budget reports; Accountable for justification of program budget variances
- Respond to client change requests for existing contracts; Review & clarify business requirements, summarize vendor assumptions & deliverables, and prepare cost-estimates for work scope increase or decrease
- Make hiring and staffing decisions; Evaluate performance of direct reports and ensure that appropriate professional development occurs
- Served as the Lead Statistical Analysis contact for the multi-year College Board Assessment Redesign Project
- Consulted on and provided assistance to internal stakeholders, the client, and the Corporate Project Management Office for various activities supporting the on-boarding of new assessments, including the embedded pretesting of new items, scoring applications & score reporting, form assembly & planning, import of client item statistics, and contingency planning
- Reviewed and provided feedback on business requirements and guidance documents
- Supported the transition of Statistical Analysis responsibilities to the client; Prepared documentation in response to ad-hoc requests & inquiries; Participated in multiple all-day meetings with client to answer questions about current processes and procedures.
Principal Statistical Data Analyst II
Educational Testing Service
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Responsibilities of previous role expanded to include the administrative supervision of several data analysts.
Principal Statistical Data Analyst I
Educational Testing Service
01.2001 - 01.2006
- Responsibilities of previous role expanded to include involvement in multiple research projects of varying complexity as well as leading efforts to implement statistical analysis process changes to support the launch of revised assessments and score reports
- Served as Lead Statistical Operations Coordinator for complex testing programs, PSAT/NMSQT and California State University (CSU), supporting & executing significant process & procedural changes while maintaining 100% accuracy
- Collaborated with other departments across ETS to create and/or support procedures necessary to maintain or improve quality of processes related to test assembly, scoring, and score reporting
- Implemented process changes for the PSAT/NMSQT necessitated by the launch of the 2004 redesign and the roll-out of a new descriptive score report in 2001
- Organized and coordinated major segments of operational processing for the SAT Reasoning Test; Made substantial contributions to data analysis activities supporting the launch of the 2005 redesign
- Served as a Program Auditor for the ETS Office of Professional Standards Compliance evaluating testing program(s) against the ETS Standards for Quality and Fairness.
Lead Statistical Data Analyst
Educational Testing Service
01.1999 - 01.2001
- Duties and assignments of previous role combined with increased responsibilities associated with assuming role as Lead Statistical Operations Coordinator for two testing programs
- Coordinated and conducted all aspects of operational data analysis for PSAT/NMSQT & CSU testing programs; Perform statistical analysis & data processing tasks that require an understanding of applied statistics and measurement
- Participated on cross-divisional Test Creation Team(s) as Statistical Analysis representative; Served as liaison to Program Direction/SBU and IT
- Developed and maintained statistical procedures, technical documentation, and data processing schedules for critical operational tasks
- Trained data analyst and psychometric staff on software, systems, procedures, and analysis requirements.
Senior Statistical Data Analyst
Educational Testing Service
01.1998 - 01.1999
- Responsibilities of previous role expanded to include coordination of small projects and serving in back-up capacity to the Lead Statistical Operations Coordinator.
Statistical Data Analyst
Educational Testing Service
01.1997 - 01.1998
- Completed various tasks required to support the statistical operations of assigned testing programs
- Wrote, revised, & checked program code using statistical software packages (SAS) and ETS proprietary software & systems to analyze large datasets containing examinee data
- Performed quality control to ensure the accuracy and evaluate reasonableness of data
- Produced tables, figures, & descriptive statistics for psychometric documents and statistical reports.
Education
Rutgers Mini-MBA Business Essentials Program -
Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics - undefined
The College of New Jersey
Ewing, NJundefined
Skills
Project, Change and Relationship Management
Highly effective organizational and time management skills
Excellent writing and interpersonal communication skills
Data Visualization Tools (Power BI, Tableau)
Programming: SAS, ETS Proprietary Software & Systems, IBM Mainframe – TSO, JCL, ISPF, IDMS
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Microsoft SharePoint (site manager)
Working knowledge of Python, SQL, Gitlab
Experience working with Test Assembly & Item Banking Systems
Team Leadership
Operations Management
Strategic Planning
Performance Management
Time Management
Staff Development
Timeline
Manager Data Analysis – College Board Programs
Educational Testing Service
01.2007 - 01.2016
Principal Statistical Data Analyst II
Educational Testing Service
01.2006 - 01.2007
Principal Statistical Data Analyst I
Educational Testing Service
01.2001 - 01.2006
Lead Statistical Data Analyst
Educational Testing Service
01.1999 - 01.2001
Senior Statistical Data Analyst
Educational Testing Service
01.1998 - 01.1999
Statistical Data Analyst
Educational Testing Service
01.1997 - 01.1998
Manager R&D Data Analysis – Professional Educator Programs
Educational Testing Service
1 2016 - Current
Rutgers Mini-MBA Business Essentials Program -
Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics - undefined
The College of New Jersey