Dr. Paula S. Krist, Director

Dr. Paula S. Krist is the Director of Operational Excellence and Assessment Support (OEAS) at the University of Central Florida. Before earning her Ph.D. is in Educational Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Krist earned a Master’s degree in Education and a Master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology. She joined UCF in 2004 after being Director of Institutional Research and Assessment at Florida Institute of Technology. During her 11 years at Florida Tech, Dr. Krist also was active as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Mathematics and Science Education department, teaching and serving on graduate student committees. In addition, she directed the Florida Tech Instructional Development seminars for graduate students and faculty and worked with the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. At UCF, she is actively involved in SACS, university, and program and department related assessment support activities. Her assessment activities include working closely with the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) to help faculty refine academic program level and General Education assessments. As director of OEAS, Dr. Krist coordinates the assessment, survey and statistical support, and continuous quality improvement efforts of the OEAS office.

Dr. Krist's research interests include assessment, teaching and learning, and individual differences factors in academic performance. Her teaching experience includes Research Design, Statistics, Educational Assessment, and Effective Teaching at the College Level. She has consulted in the area of effective teaching and assessment for universities and colleges. She presents workshops and sessions at state, regional, and national conferences. Recently, she was a faculty member of the first Association for Institutional Research Assessment Institute. She is active in the Association for Institutional Research, the Southern Association for Institutional Research, and the Florida Association for Institutional Research.

Dr. Patrice Lancey, Associate Director

As the Associate Director, Pat is responsible for the development, administration, and analysis of statistical studies that describe and evaluate University operations, both academic and administrative.

Dr. Divya Bhati, Assistant Director

Dr. Divya Bhati is the Assistant Director of Operational Excellence and Assessment Support (OEAS) at the University of Central Florida. She holds a Masters degree in English from Meerut University, India, and a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from University of Central Florida. As the Assistant Director, Divya supports all assessment efforts for academic programs and administrative units.

Prior to assuming her current position, Divya worked for three years as a doctoral student in the College of Education Dean's Office on various projects related to assessment, accreditation and measurement techniques, including the state program approval process. She has had extensive exposure in curricular and professional development, application of technology in classroom settings, and in planning and development of procedures.

Dr. Bhati's dissertation entailed working with the International Association of Fire Fighters in an effort to enhance their performance by evaluating their hazardous material training. She has received several awards and has presented at the Association of Educational Communication and Technology International Conference.

Uday Nair, Applications Systems Analyst/Programmer

Mr. Uday Nair is the Coordinator for Statistical Research and is responsible for the processing and analysis of survey data and statistical studies that describe and evaluate University operations. Uday holds a Bachelors degree in Textile Technology from L.D. College of Engineering, Ahmedabad, India and a Masters in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida. Currently he is a Doctoral Candidate in the Industrial Engineering Department with a focus on Quality Engineering.

Diane Snyder, Applications Systems Analyst/Programmer

Diane Snyder joined the OEAS Office in March, 2008 as an Applications Systems Analyst/Programmer. She was previously employed at UCF in the Office of Institutional Research. Diane brings many years of programming and database experience to the office having worked at the Brevard County Clerk's office as well as at Kennedy Space Center. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration & Management from UCF and is currently enrolled in the Management Information Systems graduate program here at UCF.

Diane's responsibilities include:

• Design, development, implementation, integration, documentation and maintenance of multiple dynamic, web-based applications
• Utilize various software and programming techniques to develop and maintain applications and their underlying databases. Programming languages include, but are not limited to, Visual Basic .Net, C# .net, Java, ColdFusion, html, and JavaScript. Software environments include Visual Studio .net, Microsoft Sharepoint and Infopath, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Flash.
• Work as a team member with functional user groups and other technical personnel to coordinate system functionality and consult on corresponding business processes
• Recommend new programs and improved processes for the effective use of information systems management

  
  Rachel Straney, Coordinator, Management Analysis

  As Coordinator, Management Analysis, Rachel's primary function includes planning, development and implementation of process analysis efforts to describe and evaluate university operations in both academic and administrative areas. She earned both of her degrees, a Bachelors in Statistics and a Masters in Statistical Computing, from UCF.

   

  Linda K. Rizzo, Office Manager

  As the Office Manager, Linda is responsible for the administrative support for OEAS and UAPS. Administrative duties include: reception area responsibilities, guiding visitors and referring callers to appropriate personnel, scheduling duties using GroupWise calendar, and electronic file maintenance. Financial duties include: processing purchases, travel, ID transfers, and budget reporting. HR functions include: employee processing, payroll processing, and leave approval forms.