Key Staff Biographies

Management Team

Brian J. Adams, President and CEO

Mr. Adams has served as President and CEO for Alpine Testing Solutions since February 2005. Since he joined Alpine Testing Solutions in February 2005, the company has reasserted its leadership in the testing industry as a customer-focused provider of innovative, quality psychometric, test development, and credential management services for certification, education, and licensure programs. As a practitioner in testing, Mr. Adams has focused on program and test design, domain analysis, item development, and standard setting. His current interests include performance testing solutions, efficient test development processes, test security solutions, and finding the mythical meeting ground of business constraints and sound testing practices.

Chad W. Buckendahl, Ph.D., Director of Education, Licensure, and Professional Certification Services

Dr. Buckendahl provides psychometric consultation and directs validation research for testing programs in education, licensure, and professional certification. He was a co-principal investigator for the most recent Evaluation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2009), and has authored more than 50 publications and conference papers on topics including standard setting, alignment, and legal issues in testing. Dr. Buckendahl also contributed chapters to Defending standardized testing (2005), Handbook of test development (2006), High stakes testing in education: Science and practice in K-12 settings (2011), Assessment of higher order thinking skills (2011), Setting performance standards: Foundations, methods, and innovations (2011), and served as an expert witness. He also co-edits the Journal of Applied Testing Technology (JATT).

Blair Harris, Director of Technology Services

Mr. Harris is responsible for technology services including CertMetrics™ Credential Management system. Mr. Harris is also an accomplished test development practitioner who has assisted in the development of hundreds of exams through leading domain analysis, item development and standard setting workshops.  Mr. Harris is able to leverage his expertise in exam development and technology to oversee the development and direction of Alpine Testing Solutions technology services.  Mr. Harris earned a Master’s of Organizational Behavior from Brigham Young University in 1999 and has worked as a change management consultant.

Russell Smith, Ph.D., Director of Psychometric Analysis Services

Dr. Smith’s primary role is to provide test development and psychometric analysis consultation. He is responsible for conducting and overseeing the quality of psychometric analyses including classical test theory, item response theory, Rasch, equating, scaling and standard setting. He has presented extensively before professional organizations and at national conferences and co-authored a book chapter in the Handbook of Test Development (2006). Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, Dr. Smith was a senior psychometrician at Prometric and Galton Technologies. His current research interests include automated test assembly algorithms and psychometric security analyses.

Chuck Johnston, Ph.D., Director of IT Certification Services

Dr. Johnston leads the IT Certification Services group at Alpine Testing Solutions. He is a pioneer in the computer-based testing industry and directed the technology team that created the first global computer-based test delivery system in the early 1990s. Dr. Johnston played a significant role in growing several fledgling businesses into global test delivery companies. He has led teams in technology, test development, customer service, operations, and business development, as well as directed the business development and operational launch of two of the world’s largest testing programs in the US and the UK. His primary focus is innovative testing methods, particularly in the development of performance-based testing. Dr. Johnston earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota.

Psychometric Staff

Susan L. Davis-Becker, Ph.D., Senior Psychometrician

Dr. Davis-Becker is responsible for providing psychometric advice and consultation to a variety of educational and credentialing testing programs. Her specific areas of expertise include test content development, standard setting and validity research. Susan received her doctoral degree in assessment and measurement from James Madison University where she worked for the Center for Assessment and Research Studies as a consultant to various assessment programs within the University. She has published numerous journal articles, book chapters and presented research at regional, national, and international conferences.

Brett P. Foley, Ph.D., Psychometrician
 
Dr. Foley has worked with many types of testing programs, including licensure, educational and information technology certification testing. Additionally, he has provided general educational measurement and related policy consultation and has led validation research in alignment and standard setting. Dr. Foley received his Ph.D. in Quantitative, Qualitative, and Psychometric Methods from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  He is president of the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association. His research interests include alignment, standard setting, item response theory, policy considerations in testing, and visual data representations.

Lisa O'Leary, Ph.D., Psychometrician

Dr. O'Leary is primarily responsible for conducting, interpreting, and communicating psychometric analyses and providing advice to a variety of information technology certification, licensure, and educational testing programs. Dr. O'Leary received her Ph.D. in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation from Boston College. Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, she worked in higher education as an assessment and evaluation expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University. She has presented at regional and national conferences and published journal articles on her current research interests, including longitudinal growth models, item and exam stability over time, and the extension of item response theory to social science research.

Gary Peterson, Senior Data Analyst
 
Mr. Peterson has extensive technical expertise and experience formatting and parsing test results data, generating statistical analyses from test report data and creating analysis report scripts and templates.  Mr. Peterson previously worked at Thomson Prometric as a Senior Systems Engineer where he supported various data management and data analyst efforts for external and internal clients, including the psychometric team. In addition, Mr. Peterson has recent experience as a Senior Human Resources (HR) Research Analyst at Intermountain Healthcare where he consulted at all levels of HR to produce reports and metrics on key data analysis and report creation projects.

Anne H. Davidson, Ed.D., Psychometrician

Dr. Davidson has worked with large-scale assessment programs in leadership roles for both private industry and state government. She has led state-level operations of test specification, administration, reporting, and research and evaluation, and provided consultation and training related to psychometrics. Dr. Davidson has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy with a focus on mixed methods research from the University of Vermont and ten years of teaching experience in K-12 and higher education. Dr. Davidson is a member of the National Council on Measurement in Education and the American Educational Research Association. Her research interests include growth modeling, assessment and special populations, policy, and validation methodologies.

Business Development and Program Management Staff

Kim Sadowski, Business Development Manager

Ms. Sadowski is a skilled professional with 24 years of experience in the instructional design and testing industries. Her primary interest is to understand each client’s unique needs and create solutions that enable clients to meet their goals. Since she joined Alpine Testing Solutions in 2005, the company has grown exponentially and established itself as a leader in the IT certification marketplace. Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, she was at Galton Technologies, Inc., where she helped grow the business to a multi-million dollar provider of test development, psychometric, and data management services in the IT certification marketplace. Ms. Sadowski holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Brigham Young University and has professional experience in Account and Program Management, Instructional Design, Assessment, Training, Technical Writing, Team Building, Personnel Management and Business Development.

Mr. Hegerhorst has 15 years experience providing excellent customer service and managing projects in the training and certification industries. His demonstrated ability to prioritize and his passion for meeting customer needs enable him to effectively manage and drive projects to completion. He has a keen understanding of the testing industry and is diligent in working with clients to design project workflows, schedule and manage resources, and solve problems. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Management.

Myisha Stokes, Program Manager

Ms. Stokes is responsible for organizing and driving the implementation of projects. She has been involved in many aspects of business administration and has diverse experience working with clients in various fields.  She enjoys maintaining and enhancing client relationships with a core focus on helping clients meet their program goals. Her knowledge of test development, her versatility, customer service, attention to detail, and work ethic contribute to successful engagements with clients in the certification, licensure, and education arenas. Ms. Stokes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and has completed work toward a Master’s Degree in Equitable Education Practices from the University of California, San Diego.

Deirdre Lupher, M.Ed., Program Manager

Ms. Lupher, is a Program Manager at Alpine Testing Solutions. In this role she is responsible for assisting and guiding clients through the process of developing testing programs in a timely and cost-efficient manner that comply with best practices in the testing industry. Ms. Lupher has extensive experience overseeing contracts in the educational arena and worked with a diverse body of clients and stakeholders for more than five years in her previous position with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Most recently, she presented at the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Association’s regional conference.  Ms. Lupher received her Master’s degree in Education from the University of California, San Diego. 

Lisa Hammer, PMP, Program Manager

Ms. Hammer is a Program Manager at Alpine Testing Solutions. With more than 25 years of experience in project and program management, she is responsible for organizing and driving the implementation of projects. Her extensive experience in planning, coordinating and tracking multiple complex projects has resulted in a reputation for accountability, flexibility, professionalism and resourcefulness. Her commitment to quality throughout the project lifecycle, as well as her passion for customer service, enable her to apply analytical problem solving methodologies, provide technical direction to staff, and efficiently allocate staff resources while effectively communicating with clients. Ms. Hammer is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional (PMP^®) and a member of the PMI national, Baltimore and Montgomery County chapters.

Kent Jones, PMP, Program Manager

Mr. Jones is a Program Manager at Alpine Testing Solutions.  With more than 13 years of experience in project management and managing teams of project managers, he currently is responsible for organizing and driving the implementation of projects.  His experience has focused on managing the implementation of enterprise custom software projects with clients domestic and abroad.  His passion for project management and customer service drives him to stay current of all methodologies of project management.  Mr. Jones is a PMI certified Project Manager (PMP), member of PMI-Northern Utah Chapter, and received his Bachelor of Science Information Technology with a concentration in Information Management from the University of Phoenix.     

Test Development Staff

Barbara Badgett, Ph.D., Test Development Professional

Dr. Badgett brings a wealth of experience from her work across a wide variety of professional domains and contexts.  As an instructor, she has taught general educational psychology and measurement theory courses designed for pre-service teachers.  As a facilitator, she has participated in alignment and standard setting studies for state education agencies.  In her current role, she conducts virtual and in-person workshops related to domain analyses, item development, standard setting, and content specification reviews for clients in such diverse domains as IT, health care, aviation maintenance, and education. Her current research interests include the readability of test items and the corresponding validity implications for credentialing programs. Dr. Badgett's clients praise her ability to establish rapport quickly, mediate the passionate discussions that often ensue in exam-development activities, and create a productive and enjoyable work environment. She is also adept at introducing structure to navigate program ambiguities and in balancing industry best practices with business realities. 

Cristina Goodwin, Test Development Professional

Ms. Goodwin has a diverse professional history, including several years developing licensure and certification tests, and managing certification programs. Prior to becoming engaged in test development, Ms. Goodwin spent many years as a public affairs official and community relations advisor with the United States Armed Services in Germany. Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, Ms. Goodwin led a team to develop performance-based Microsoft Office and digital literacy certification exams. Her skills range from managing testing programs and projects to facilitating domain analysis, content development, alignment, and standard setting workshops and processes. Ms. Goodwin has worked with many organizations, including in IT, insurance, and healthcare industries, construction trades, and in education. She has presented on performance-based testing at national and international conferences.

Scott Russell, Test Development Professional, Lead

Scott brings to the position more than twelve years of experience in the field of testing. He is responsible for facilitating a wide array of test development and validation work, including program design, domain analysis, content development, content review, and standard setting workshops and processes. Mr. Russell has facilitated both traditional and unique certification projects for a diverse client base, including Information Technology, Scientific Services, and Language Instruction.  Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, he served as a program manager for Cisco Inc.

Software Development Staff

Sharla Nielson, Software Development Team Leader and Scrum Master

Ms. Nielson has more than a decade of experience managing teams and defining processes for testing and business software companies. Her experience has focused on managing and analyzing the implementation and migration of international company’s data and processes onto new and/or improved software solutions. She spent several years managing global implementations in both Europe and Asia. Previous positions include Enterprise Project Management Team Lead, Implementation Analyst, Global Implementation Project Manager and Database Manager. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Information Systems.

R. Granger Godbold, Software Engineer

Mr. Godbold brings a decade of experience in online certification data management to his current role as the system architect of CertMetrics™ Credential Management system. Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, Mr. Godbold was with Galton Technologies and Thomson Prometric. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

Benjamin Robbins, Software Engineer

Mr. Robbins is a Senior Software Developer at Alpine Testing Solutions, Inc. where he designs tools for item creation, analysis, and to help candidates track their certification progress. Mr. Robbins has been active in working with technology for the test-development and certification industry for over a decade.

David Tracy, Software Engineer

Mr. Tracy has nearly three decades of experience in the computer industry including software development positions with WordPerfect and Novell. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University.

Russ Prows, System Administrator

Mr. Prows has more than 15 years of experience in the field of system administration, where he has focused on research, security installation and maintenance, and hardware and software support.  His current responsibilities include monitoring system performance, implementing security measures, assisting with a highly functional Scrum team, and offering internal IT support.  Mr. Prows is a Microsoft Certified System Engineer, and holds a Bachelors of Science in IT and Network Management from Western Governors University.

Office Administration Staff