Our Team
Ella Taylor, Ph.D.
Dr. Ella Taylor is an experienced statewide education leader with more than 15 years of senior administrative expertise in research, assessment, data systems, accountability, reporting, grants, and policy-informed decision support. She specializes in helping education leaders transform complex data into clear, strategic insight that drives stronger decisions and meaningful results.
Throughout her career, Ella has led high-performing teams, developed trusted and compliant systems, and partnered with superintendents, district leaders, and public agencies to strengthen planning, reporting, and continuous improvement efforts. Her work spans K–12, higher education, and cross-district initiatives, always with a strong commitment to equity, accountability, and practical impact. Her expertise in quantitative and qualitative methods, survey design, performance growth targets, designing and leading community engagement, strategic planning and data analysis has helped numerous school districts and education-focused projects.
Ella has presented and led data-informed work for numerous school districts, education service districts, and statewide professional audiences, including AESA, OSBA, OAESD, COSA, and the Oregon Small Schools Association. She brings a thoughtful, collaborative approach to every engagement, helping education organizations use data not just to report results, but to guide action.
Pat Ketcham, Ph.D.
Dr. Patricia Ketcham is a highly experienced research and evaluation leader with more than 20 years of work across K–12 education, higher education, and public health. She specializes in designing and leading program evaluations that help school districts, statewide initiatives, and community partnerships improve outcomes for students. Her work is grounded in both quantitative and qualitative methods, with expertise in survey design, data collection, and analysis using tools such as Excel, SPSS, Tableau, and Qualtrics.
Her consulting strengths include evaluation, strategic planning, and systems-level improvement. She has partnered with school districts and education service districts across Oregon to support strategic planning, Student Investment Account planning, and alignment of data systems with organizational goals. Her portfolio includes major work in college and career readiness, STEM education, digital literacy, dual credit, chronic absenteeism, and Title III services, with a consistent focus on equity, inclusion, and improving outcomes for historically underserved students.
Pat has served in senior leadership roles at the Center for Education Innovation, Research & Evaluation and the Research Institute at Western Oregon University, where she led all phases of evaluation implementation from design through reporting. Known for her collaborative approach and methodological rigor, she helps organizations turn complex data into clear findings, practical strategies, and meaningful action.