BARBARA P. HEATH, PhD
Barbara Popovec Heath is managing member and lead consultant for East Main Educational Consulting, LLC. She relocated to North Carolina to teach high school after receiving a B.S. in physics from the University of Pittsburgh. Barbara then continued her education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) and North Carolina State University, earning a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in science education (physics). Her thesis and dissertation were focused on the development of in-service and pre-service teachers from a constructivist perspective. Barbara served in a postdoctoral position with the chemistry department at UNCW prior to venturing into the educational consulting arena. Barbara lives in the Wilmington area with her husband and three children. They enjoy the many outdoor activities available in southeastern NC.
J. ANTHONY HEATH, BS
J. Anthony Heath is a member and consultant for EMEC, LLC. Anthony earned a B.S. in Biology from UNCW followed by serving in the Army and NC National Guard as a medic. He returned to UNCW receiving teaching certification and completing numerous hours of graduate coursework in science education. Anthony’s culminating portfolio focused on technology in the inquiry-based science classroom. Prior to joining EMEC in spring 2008, Anthony was employed as a clinical research associate for an international pharmaceutical company headquartered in Wilmington. Anthony lives in the Wilmington area with his wife and three children. He enjoys the outdoors and training his five Labrador Retrievers for field trial and hunting.
ARUNA LAKSHMANAN, PhD
Aruna Lakshmanan is a senior consultant with EMEC. Her educational background includes an MS in Mathematics (India), an MA in Mathematics Education, an MS in Applied Statistics, and a Ph.D. in Educational Research Methodology, all earned at the Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. Her dissertation focused on quantitative research methods for which she received a dissertation research grant from the American Educational Research Association. Aruna was also presented with the Best Dissertation Proposal Award from the Association of Institutional Research. Prior to joining EMEC, Aruna worked as a Statistical Research Scientist at Kraft Foods in Glenview, Illinois, as an analyst at the Office of Institutional Research at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), and has taught Sociological Data Analysis and Interpretation at the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at UNCW. She has also conducted training workshops in statistics and statistics related software. Aruna has experience in working with large datasets, surveys, statistical design, and statistics for the social sciences. She lives with her husband and sons in Wilmington and enjoys writing haiku, playing trivia games and writing quizzes.
CLAIRE STUEBE, MA
Claire Stuebe is a Consultant I with EMEC. Claire’s educational background includes a BA in History from Duke University, and an MA in Community Counseling from Adams State College in Colorado. During her graduate school program she completed an evaluation of the Adams State Counseling and Career Center, which led to increased marketing of the student services provided. Prior to joining EMEC, Claire worked for the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center (funded by the Center for Disease Control), as an Evaluation Coordinator. She planned and implemented the evaluation tasks associated with several health-related projects, as well as, collected and analyzed the related data. She currently lives in Carolina Beach with her two children, a cat, and a dog. Music, waves, and walking are favorite past-times.
LORI DAVIS, MPA
Lori Davis is a Project Coordinator with EMEC. Lori’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Throughout her graduate studies, she completed a comprehensive grant proposal for the Science and Mathematics Education Center, carried out the process of developing a strategic plan and fulfilled an internship with the Pender County Planning and Community Development Department. She also completed an extensive capstone project including surveys, interviews, and data analysis focused on finding best implementation practices to promote Low Impact Development in communities. Lori started as a project assistant with East Main in August of 2006. In her spare time, she enjoys music, traveling, and hanging out with her dog, Kila.
MARKETTA RAY, BS
Marketta Ray is a Project Assistant for EMEC. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in the Industrial/Organizational field. Her thesis and capstone focused on hirability and prejudice. During her undergraduate years she was a member of the EKU Psi Chi Honor Society, Psychology Club, and a Student Affiliate of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Inc. In her spare time, Marketta volunteers at the Coastal Therapeutic Riding Stables; working with horses and disabled children. She also enjoys a wide range of activities including, but not limited to, painting, writing, snowboarding, disc golf, hiking, and camping.