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About DSA

About DSA

  • About the Data and Strategic Analytics Team

    Data and Strategic Analytics (DSA) is the central data coordination team at the university, bridging academic and administrative departments through collaborative partnerships.

    We work closely with business users and VUIT to transform data into strategic insights, supporting informed decision-making across the institution.

    Our multidisciplinary team leverages expertise in:

    • Domain knowledge
    • Data Analytics (SQL and Python)
    • Institutional Research
    • Surveys
    • Statistical Analysis
    • Data Visualization (Tableau)
    • Oracle Reporting
    • Data Consulting
    • Data Governance
    • And more
Olivia Kew-Fickus

Olivia Kew-Fickus

Olivia Kew-Fickus is the Chief Data Officer.

She came to Vanderbilt in 2019, following seven years as the Director of Strategic Planning and 16 years in total at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Other roles she held at Birmingham included Assistant Registrar (executive projects manager) for the Vice-Chancellor (president) and Registrar (COO); School Manager for the School of Education; Research and Business Development Manager for the College of Social Sciences; and Projects Development Manager for the International Development Department. From 2000-2003 she managed international training programs for California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. From 1997-2000 she was Communications Manager and then Deputy Project Director for the USAID-funded US-Ukraine Community Partnerships Project.

Olivia is on the Global Editorial Board for CDO Magazine, is a contributor to Educause events and trainings, and is regularly a speaker at conferences, including the Snowflake Summit, the Nashville Analytics Summit, and the Association of Institutional Research. From 2017-2019 Olivia was a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Training Sub-Committee of the UK Higher Education Strategic Planners’ Association (HESPA). From 2015-2018 she was a governor (trustee) at Bournville College and then at South and City College Birmingham following a merger of those two institutions.

She holds an AB in History from Princeton University, and an MBA from the University of Leicester in the UK. In the mid-1990s she spent a year in Ukraine as a Rotary International Fellow, supported by Middle Tennessee’s Rotary Clubs, and she speaks Ukrainian and Russian.

Sharon West, Senior Assistant

Our Teams

  • Administrative Partnering

    The Administrative Partnering Team facilitates the use of Administrative data in decision-making, planning, and actions, based on the principle that the most useful information flows through a relationship. Team members will collaborate with leaders and serve as trusted advisers. They will develop an understanding of the context and nuance for each area and ensure that information is targeted to be most useful at the right time, in the right format.

    Partners will deliver:

    • Access to information by providing, customizing, and explaining reports and findings, and ensuring data are used responsibly

    • Facilitation of engagement with other DSA teams, e.g., to support surveys, data collection, analytics, customized datasets and data-led investigations

    • Training and support to increase data literacy and capability among leaders in units

    • Recommendations, suggestions, and sharing of best practice

    Jeff Loudon, Senior Director of Administrative Partnering
    Eric Rothdeutsch, Director, Data Analytics (Development and Alumni Relations)

    • Matthew Zlibut, Senior Data Solutions Analyst (Development and Alumni Relations)
    • Clare Robbins, Data Solutions Analyst (Development and Alumni Relations)
    • Muhammad Sarmad, Data Solutions Analyst (Development and Alumni Relations)

    Tara Mele, Director of Administrative Partnering

    • Margot Spain, Assistant Director, Strategy and Reporting (Division of Administration)
  • Data Governance, Solutions, and Consulting

    Data Governance, Solutions, and Consulting (DG&S) is all about making data work smarter for you. We’re passionate about keeping data reliable, consistent, and easy to understand. Working closely with Vanderbilt University’s technology team and departments across campus, we make sure both academic and administrative data flows seamlessly into the Vanderbilt University Data Warehouse.

    We also create certified datasets, Tableau dashboards, and Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) reports for both academic and administrative needs. We’re here to make data simple, visual, and insightful. Our goal is to give decision-makers the tools they need to thrive in a data-rich world.

    Daniel Kirby, Senior Director, Data Governance, Solutions, and Consulting
    Don Bailey, Director, Data Solutions

    • Jason Smith, Senior Data Analytics Engineer
    • Nathan Dryden, Senior Data Analytics Engineer
    • Alex Yeh-Quevedo, Data Analytics Engineer
    • Berta Diaz, Data Analytics Engineer
    • Jaylin Dyson, Data Analytics Engineer
    • Kyle Kinney, Data Analytics Engineer
    • Lima Mandal, Data Analytics Engineer

    Meriel O’Conor, Director, Data Consulting and Training

    • Evan Alini, Program Director, Data Training and Tableau Administration

    Jeannette Wolff, Data Governance Program

  • Institutional Research and Academic Partnering

    The Institutional Research and Analytics (IR&A) Team turns data into information and provides integrated analyses. This team investigates and studies data, helps ensure data accuracy, conducts analytical activities and research projects, builds comparative benchmarks, and provides predictive analytics.

    Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

    • Enrollment management research and predictive analytics
    • IPEDS & external data reporting
    • Rankings analysis and submissions
    • Consortium benchmarking via active partnerships with COFHE and AAUDE
    • National Science Foundation survey and data submissions
    • Vanderbilt administrative data analysis and research Support
    • Survey research, ad hoc research, and research support

    Richard J. Iannelli, Ph.D, Senior Director, Institutional Research and Academic Partnering

    Institutional Research and Analytics

    Ryan Corser, Ph.D, Survey Research Consultant

    Jesse Tow, Institutional Research Analyst

    Jennifer K. Doersam, Assistant Director, Institutional Research

    • Sathvika Talakanti, Institutional Research Analyst

    Academic Partnering

    Zach Inman, Ed.D, Senior Partnering Consultant and Associate Director, Data Strategy (Office of Undergraduate Education)

    Braylon Junior Lundergan, Ed.D, Senior Partnering Consultant

    Arik Ohnstad, Senior Partnering Consultant (Graduate School)

  • Key Leaders Partnering in Other Units

    Consuela Knox, D.Min, Senior Director, Strategy & Analytics (Office of the Provost)
    Victoria Robson, Ph.D, Director, Analytics and Enrollment Strategy (University Enrollment Affairs)

Contact Us

For general inquiries, please contact us at:

Office of Data & Strategic Analytics
Suite 1101, 110 21st Ave. South, Baker Building
Nashville, TN 37203
Email: DSA@vanderbilt.edu

Mailing Address:
PMB 407832
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37240-7832

For Data Requests, please contact us at: data-request@vanderbilt.edu
For Tableau questions, please contact us at: tableau@vanderbilt.edu