Sarah Kostecki, PhD

Experience

• 

  World Trade Center Illinois

  Jan 2007 - Jan 2007

  Intern
• 

  International Communications Provider

  Jun 2008 - Sept 2009

  Sales Associate
• 

  Language Services Provider

  Sept 2009 - Apr 2010

  Account Executive, Linguistic Validation Group
• 

  MSKCC

  Apr 2010 - Aug 2011

  Physician Office Assitant
• 

  The Graduate Center, City University of New York

  Aug 2011 - Jun 2021

  PhD Researcher, Political Science Department

  I secured grant funding for 11 research projects totaling more than $85,000 and collaborated with researchers across multiple universities worldwide to execute projects. I developed insights and evaluated outcomes of social and economic inequality issues across 24+ high-income countries, including women’s employment, unpaid work (childcare & housework), in-work poverty among different groups in the NYC area, and family leave best practices aimed at policymakers at different levels. • Project Management / Database Creation: Developed an original public-use policy database and documentation with 21 new policy variables that measured different aspects of leave and childcare policies in 31 countries (US, Europe, and LATAM) to advance policy measurement in this area. • Analytics: Utilized multi-level modeling, inequality measures, and cross-tabulations to establish links between employment and earnings gaps, and specific leave policies. Also used statistical matching techniques, inequality and poverty measures, and inferential and descriptive statistics to analyze additional data. • Presentations: Delivered research findings at 15 conferences and workshops in the US and Europe for academic and non-academic audiences. • Publications: Authored or co-authored 7 publications spanning academic articles, policy reports, and briefs. • Program Development: As head of the Student Services Committee, collaborated with top administrators to plan and implement the first lactation room and parental leave policy for doctoral students. Show less

• 

  LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg

  Sept 2011 - Jun 2017

  Research Specialist

  Data Specialist, LIS Cross-National Data Center (2013-2017)Data Specialist / Research Associate, Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality (2011-2016)As a graduate fellow, I worked at the LIS Satellite Office and the Stone Center, both located at CUNY Graduate Center. In my role as a data specialist, I developed expertise in the use of LIS data and gained expert knowledge about social welfare policies targeting different populations. I collaborated frequently with senior members of the data team and the director of operations. • Project Management / Best Practices: Initiated, wrote, and maintained LIS documentation best practices to streamline methods for adapting national household income data to a standardized template for comparative research.• Policy/Data Analysis: Evaluated surveys from 24+ countries over multiple years to identify relevant social protection policy data (e.g., cash assistance for housing or food) to be included in the LIS database. • Publication: Formatted and edited Income Inequality and Economic Disparities in the Middle Class, a groundbreaking book about economic disparities in high-income countries like the United States. • Special Events: Co-organized and hosted multiple receptions at the Stone Center. Show less

• 

  The World Bank

  Jun 2014 - Aug 2014

  Data Consultant

  • Used panel data (25 waves) from an experimental pilot mobile phone survey (Listening to Africa, L2A) carried out in Tanzania to design a study that showed mobile phone credits, regardless of amount, are not linked to response rate attrition. This study advanced what we know about how to collect high-quality data in low-income countries using mobile phones. • Actively collaborated with colleagues from our non-profit research partner Twaweza in Tanzania to strengthen cross-border research partnerships. Show less

• 

  Hunter and Queens Colleges

  Jan 2015 - Aug 2021

  Instructional designer and teacher (undergraduate level)

  Concurrent with my PhD research, I taught 125+ undergraduate students public and social policy and media politics.• Project Management / Curriculum Design: Developed instruction and expanded the curriculum for 6 courses catering to diverse student backgrounds, including 90 students from the Roosevelt House Public Policy certificate program.• Rating: Received consistently high reviews for teaching effectiveness and passion (6.13 of 7 at Hunter College and 4.65 of 5 at Queens College). • Mentoring: Advised and provided recommendation letters for 12+ students during tenure. Show less

• 

  UN Women

  Aug 2018 - May 2019

  Data Consultant

  I was recruited by the research director of this organization dedicated to achieving gender equality for women and girls worldwide. I collaborated with member nation stakeholders to obtain data, develop and deliver insights, and produce UN reports around international trends in gender equality. • Project Management / Data Quality: Reduced the duplication of statistics and improved the ability of stakeholders to utilize statistics for different tables or figures by enhancing the functionality of the Statistical Data Manager (SDM). • Transparency: Improved data transparency by creating data annexes (databases) within the SDM to make statistics available on a public dashboard. • Writing: Contributed to a key report on gender equality with data insights on trends in women’s labor force participation rates (LFPRs) by sex, marital status, and poverty rates of single mothers. • Data Sourcing: Utilized data from multiple sources, including LIS data, International Labour Organization (ILO), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and Australian Bureau of Statistics. • Tools: Used Stata and Excel to manage, clean, and merge data, perform statistical analyses, and replicate results. Used Excel and Tableau to visualize data. Show less

• 

  University of Luxembourg

  Aug 2021 - Apr 2023

  Postdoctoral Researcher, Propel Project on Housing Inequality

  I studied housing inequality to identify trends, patterns, and potential policy solutions for reducing inequality and unaffordability in high-income countries. I shared my research insights at four conferences and in an academic article for Housing Studies, the top international journal for this type of research. • Project Management / Research Plan: Developed a research agenda on housing affordability in the US and Europe, including project timelines, using Gantt charts, time blocking, and project completion estimates. • Leadership: Managed a 5-member database project team, coordinated deadlines and project goals for 1 grad student intern and 2 post-doctoral students, and mentored 2 grad students in data analysis and indicator creation (1 started her PhD and another finished her first academic article).• Analytics: Quickly learned to use the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS), a multiply imputed dataset with over 5,000 variables, then conducted statistical analyses of the SCF and HFCS data using Stata and Excel. • Evaluation Tools: Co-designed 2 surveys: 1) an experimental survey to evaluate housing policy attitudes in 3 European countries, and 2) a survey to evaluate factors leading to low rental benefit take-up in Luxembourg.• Presentations: Created slide decks for 3 conference presentations in Europe and served as a featured speaker for the Air Force AIR University Showcase conference. Show less

• 

  Sustainable Marblehead

  Sept 2023 - Apr 2024

  Volunteer, Clean Energy and Public Policy Working Group

  I was tasked with establishing and improving data utilization and outreach for the Clean Energy & Public Policy Working Group. I immediately recognized the need for best practices around data collection and for identifying new data sources and new stakeholders with whom the organization could partner. • Project Management: Saw a need for and wrote best practices report on data collection and goal progression to improve data strategy. Created data insights by conferring with sustainability managers in 3 nearby municipalities. • Stakeholder ID: Established a network of 25 municipal sustainability managers, non-profits, government entities, and organizations that supply data/research tools and clean energy rebates for municipalities. • Funding: Identified a potential source of funding in the form of a rebate from the EPA to procure an electric school bus for the Marblehead school system. • Outreach: Obtained agreement from multiple homeowners to participate in a series of presentations in 2024 on decarbonizing homes to reduce the output of greenhouse gasses. Show less

• 

  Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

  Jan 2024 - now

  Director of Data and Business Intelligence

  I was hired into newly-created department and role to oversee alignment of the organization’s data and business strategy. I manage 2 direct reports and a budget of $225K for operating expenses (salaries, software, training, and development), and focus on improving the quality, accessibility, and usability of data. • Data Centralization: Revamped data processes and systems to remove barriers presented by siloed systems in each department, establishing a centralized data and CRM space that can be utilized across the organization. • Reporting & Presentation: Collaborate with departments organization-wide to align data and analytics with overall business strategy, making growth and impact metrics readily available for reporting (includes compliance) and improving the quality of presentations to partners, government officials, the board, and the public. • Identify BI Tools: Wrote the RFP to procure an organization-wide CRM database and grants management application to improve grant fund monitoring and compliance with funding requirements. • Best Practices: Work closely with department heads to gain buy-in for change, put new data processes in place, deliver presentations and training, and ensure the cultural shift necessary to maintain data best practices.• Mission Impact: Made it possible for each department to easily access data showing the direct impact of their work. Example: Measurement of the Emissions Reduction Potential (ERP) of emerging clean energy and climatetech technologies.• Governance: Established data governance processes and standardized data collection to ensure data integrity, accuracy, and security. Show less