Jennifer Roark, PhD, MSW
RAP Team Manager
Jenn Roark is the Research and Planning Manager for the team. Dr. Roark is a Portland native, growing up in St. Johns during the 80s and 90s. As the only child among her siblings to graduate high school while experiencing houselessness, her experiences propelled her to spend her life studying the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality within the context of the criminal justice system. Throughout her career, she has worked as an advocate, clinician, professor, and researcher, but her favorite job was working graveyard during the 90s at Denny’s by Lloyd Center. There she honed her love for the PDX folx who live in the margins and shadows. When Jenn is not reading and looking at the world as a research question, she is remodeling her old home in North Portland, hanging with family and folx on the porch, and helping a neighbor or friend in need.
Debi Elliott, PhD
Research Evaluation Scientist
Debi Elliott is the Research Evaluation Scientist for RAP. Dr. Elliott received her PhD in clinical child psychology from The Ohio State University. She has been working in research and evaluation since 1992 in the areas of substance abuse treatment and recovery, mental health treatment, juvenile/criminal justice, supportive housing, crime victimization, and survey research. At RAP, she oversees a number of federal and state research grants, as well as projects that support DCJ. She also has expertise in research ethics and served on the Portland State University Institutional Review Board for human subjects protection. Outside of work, she loves to bake, garden, and knit when she's not enjoying time with her two wonderful grandsons.
Kelsey Ravindren, MS
Senior Data Analyst
Kelsey Ravindren is a Senior Data Analyst for the Research and Planning Unit. She holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, with a focus in corrections. She previously worked as a coach and project manager for the Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) model and as the Juvenile Operations Fidelity Specialist for the Juvenile Services Division. Outside of work, Kelsey is an avid baker and Green Bay Packers fan who loves spending time with her husband, son, and two cats.
Meagan Zurn, PhD
Research and Evaluation Analyst 2
Meagan Zurn is a Qualitative Researcher for the Research and Planning unit of the Department of Community Justice. She completed her PhD at the London School of Economics, and specializes in establishing data collection processes, evaluation design, and qualitative research methods. Her recent work has been with the DCJ Gang Unit, establishing and evaluating culturally specific treatment programs.
Miranda Sitney, PhD
Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst
Miranda Sitney earned her doctorate in applied community psychology at Portland State University in 2020. Her research has centered around juvenile delinquency, juvenile sexual offending behaviors, and callous-unemotional traits in young people. She began on the RAP team as an intern while in graduate school and has remained on the team ever since. Her primary projects include the evaluation of the Gresham Service Coordination Team, managing the Statewide Data Dashboard Initiative, and working with the Juvenile Services Division on a variety of projects related to the success of young people involved in the criminal justice system. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, finding new podcasts to listen to, and hiking with her dog.