About Us

Heather has been with NCU since 2011, serving in a variety of roles such as research specialist supporting faculty and students in their dissertation work, director of research curriculum and practice, Institutional Review Board member, and director of institutional assessment. Ze has led numerous continuous improvement efforts at the institution and is privileged and grateful to work with such an amazing team.

Heather holds five degrees from the University of New Hampshire, including a Master of Science in College Teaching and a PhD in Psychology. As a lifelong learner, Heather has also completed the WSCUC Assessment Leadership Academy and became an AAC&U VALUE Institute certified scorer. Heather’s research interests involve curriculum development and assessment surrounding student-centered learning, unique teaching methods, and inclusion. Ze is also an active special education advocate in zir community, serving on multiple boards and state taskforces helping families to get the academic and therapeutic services their children need.

hhussey@ncu.edu

Amanda Corriveau joined NCU in 2017. As the Coordinator for OPIE, Amanda tracks workflow procedures to ensure goals and deadlines are being achieved.

She also coordinates our department meetings, collects, and collates feedback for presentations to committees and groups regarding assessment, planning, and strategic research. Other current work includes serving on several institutional committees; providing support for OPIE tools; assisting with assessment rubric wiring and audits; resource review; and budget management.

Amanda holds a BS in elementary education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She enjoys event planning, traveling, and spending time with her family.

acorriveau@ncu.edu

Currently serving as the Director of Strategic Research at Northcentral University, Tara is passionate about engaging in continuous improvement to promote inclusive excellence in online higher education. She has presented her work at more than 20 national and international conferences across North America, Europe, and Africa. In addition, she has published 10 articles in peer-reviewed journals on various topics relating to online higher education.

Tara holds a PhD in Human Sciences with a Specialization Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University.

tlehan@ncu.edu

Charlene Sutton joined the University in 2007. As an Accounting Associate for the University’s Accounting Department, she developed automated solutions of critical accounting workflows and processes in collaboration with the IT Department. In 2009, Charlene took an offer with the University’s IT Department where she worked as a QA Technician and played an integral role in the successful migration the University’s accounting system to a new platform, while working nights and weekends to earn her BBA at the University. Certifications in SQL Reporting Services and Advanced Transact SQL Programming led her to a Report Writer position in 2010, where she continued to support and train the Quality Assurance staff in her previous role. In 2011 she was recruited to serve under her current department, the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (OPIE), where she took on roles as a Business Data Analyst, Business Process Manager, Assessment and Accountability Analyst, and her current role since 2015, Associate Director of Institutional Assessment.

As the Associate Director of Institutional Assessment for OPIE, Charlene oversees the tools, processes, training, measures, and data from which the effectiveness of curricular programs and student services is determined to drive improvements in line with the University’s strategic plan. Supporting numerous University committees, she is often sought out for technical support, validation of data, and training in systems and processes.

Charlene earned her certification as a Project Management Professional in 2018 (current through 2024) and is a member of the Project Management Institute through May 2022.

csutton@ncu.edu

Stephanie Weigel joined NCU in 2021. As the Director of Assessment & Institutional Research for OPIE, Stephanie works to advance the strategic use of data throughout the institution to improve the efficacy of practices that impact student success and institutional effectiveness. Stephanie also collaborates with campus constituents for the ongoing development of datasets, research methods, analyses, and tools to support campus-wide assessment and continual improvement. She has a passion for data visualization and has designed several internal infographics and dashboards.

Stephanie holds a PhD in experimental psychology from the University of North Dakota. Her area of scholarly research includes examining the social and cognitive processes individuals use in their judgement and decision-making processes.

sweigel@ncu.edu