RDP CONSULTING
INFORM • INFLUENCE • INCITE
TEAM
Rogéair D. Purnell, PhD
PRESIDENT AND CEO
Rogéair brings over 25 years of professional experience as a program director, grantmaker, researcher, and facilitator. She has designed, led, and consulted on numerous high-profile studies and projects focused on advancing opportunity, promoting success, and catalyzing change. The launch of RDP Consulting was inspired by her desire to support nonprofit and postsecondary leaders in exploring and building on their strengths to fulfill their visions and realize their missions. Her client partners include nonprofit and philanthropic leaders and organizations who appreciate her demonstrated commitment to culturally competent, equity-driven, asset-based approaches.
Rogeair holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stanford University, and from the University of Michigan, she earned a Master’s in Social Work, and one in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Psychology.
Originally from Third Ward in Houston, Texas, Rogéair has lived in Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington State, as well as Barcelona, Spain, and Yokohama, Japan. She resides in Hayward, CA—the heart of the Bay—with her dog, Naya.
Darla M. Cooper, EdD
Dr. Darla M. Cooper is an educational leader and expert in research and evaluation dedicated to using inquiry, data, and evidence to improve the lives of all community college students. Dr. Cooper currently serves as the Executive Director for The Research and Planning Group for the California Community Colleges (The RP Group). Dr. Cooper has worked in the California Community Colleges for over 25 years, previously holding institutional research director positions at three colleges. Additionally, Dr. Cooper directly supported students in achieving their educational goals during her tenure at the University of Southern California (USC), where she was a director of research and information, student services counselor, and ombudsperson.
Dr. Cooper regularly contributes her expertise to RDP Consulting projects and other state and national initiatives. She is presently the Board President for the Umoja Community Education Foundation, an organization that focuses on supporting Black student success. Dr. Cooper has worked on national efforts designed to promote student access and attainment, including the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Pathways Project. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and an MSEd and EdD from USC.
Mina Dadger, PhD
Mina Dadgar is the founder of Education Equity Solutions, a California-based small business that conducts research and facilitates learning to ensure that higher education policy is informed by practitioner and student voices. Mina has published studies on dual enrollment, redesigning college math, and creating inclusive processes for higher education reform. Her 2014 study on the economic value of college credentials was highlighted by NPR as an influential educational publication. Mina has worked as a researcher at Community College Research Center, West Ed and the Career Ladders Project. As the Associate Vice Chancellor for guided pathways she oversaw the statewide implementation on equity-focused college redesign efforts. Mina began her post-secondary journey at Houston Community College in Texas, when her family immigrated to the United States.
Amal Amanda Issa
Amal Amanda Issa currently serves as a Guided Pathways Regional Coordinator for the San Francisco Bay Area with the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Throughout the state, she supports colleges and educational partners in increasing equitable access and completion, including through dual enrollment program development and guided pathways redesign that improves students’ experiences through holistic supports. Prior to her work in higher education, Amanda gained experience in instruction, program mapping, and student-centered design as a Bay Area high school teacher. Amanda completed fellowships in instructional practices and creating equitable opportunities in education at both Yale and Stanford as well as through the California Education Policy Fellowship Program.
Kelley Karandjeff
For over 25 years, Kelley Karandjeff has worked with educational institutions to center students in redesign. She is passionate about amplifying student experiences and college stories of transformation, so each student reaches their goals and thrives post-graduation. Kelley has served as a consultant since 2008, providing strategic communications, knowledge management, and qualitative research services to RDP Consulting and other partners like the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement and The Research and Planning Group for
California Community Colleges. Current areas of focus include equitable dual enrollment, development education reform, guided pathways, and student financial stability. After multiple years collaborating with the San Francisco Unified School District on school-to-career reform, Kelley joined City College of San Francisco and served in both the Offices of Institutional Effectiveness and Workforce Development for more than a decade.
Tom Pyun
Tom Pyun is an independent strategy, grantmaking, and evaluation consultant. He has expertise in developing strategies and business plans, building organizational capacity via workshops and coaching, and conducting rigorous quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. Tom was a key team member for RDP Consulting's capacity building work promoting cultural competency among domestic violence organizations.
Roy Robles
Roy Robles, with a dynamic background in media production and community college career technical education pathways, brings a wealth of experience in project management, production, and art direction. He has a deep understanding of the educational landscape, policies, and culture, and the ability to bridge the gap between academia and the arts. Motivated to forge impactful community pathways and opportunities, especially for underrepresented groups, Roy champions the trades, career education, maker spaces, and community-based schooling. With roots in the urban settings of New Jersey and New York, Roy’s approach is informed by firsthand insights into the educational system’s shortcomings and the importance of community-driven, autodidactic learning in addressing them. His commitment to education reform and community empowerment underscores his work, striving to effectuate meaningful change in both local and broader educational contexts.
Diane Rodriguez-Kiino, PhD
Diane Rodriguez-Kiino, Ph.D. has been a professor of higher education leadership at California Lutheran University since 2010. Concurrently, she has served as a senior researcher with the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges. To date, she has served as lead evaluator or senior researcher for eight complex multi-year grants—privately and federally funded—that center on supporting underrepresented P-20 students. During the 2014-15 academic year, she served as a Fulbright Scholar in Japan, and returned to Tsuda College in Tokyo as a visiting professor in 2016. RDP Consulting and Diane have coauthored evaluation reports highlighting community college successes in and challenges to ensuring equitable student outcomes.
Eva Schiorring
Eva Schiorring has almost two decades of experience in research and evaluation and extensive knowledge about STEM education in community colleges and four-year institutions. Eva presently serves as the external evaluator for five NSF-funded projects that range in scope and focus from first-year persistence in STEM to leadership development and experimentation with alternative delivery, including flipped courses. She has partnered with RDP Consulting on various evaluation projects focused on supporting the work of community colleges to ensure student success.
Ice'e (Shay) Shields-Harris
Born and raised in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area, Shay discovered her passion for social work while enrolled at Laney College. Initially pursuing a path in nursing, Shay’s trajectory shifted when she encountered the transformative work of her mentor, Rogéair Purnell, through Laney’s Gateway to College program. As coworkers with the initiative, Shay and Rogéair supported youth seeking a second chance through education, facilitating programming that allowed participants to obtain their high school diploma and college credits simultaneously.
Fueled by this experience, Shay continued her own higher education journey, earning a BASW at San Francisco State University. There, her dedication to qualitative research and commitment to fostering equity in education and the workforce flourished. Currently pursuing her MSW at the University of Southern California, Shay is focused on advocacy and policy change. As a team member with RDP Consulting, she manages the planning and administration of numerous research projects. In all aspects of her work, Shay seeks to create meaningful and lasting impacts in the lives of others, championing social justice and inclusivity every step of the way.
Shiree Teng
Shiree Teng has worked in the social sector for 30+ years as a social and racial justice champion—as a front line organizer, network facilitator, capacity builder, grantmaker, and evaluator and learning partner. Shiree brings to her work a lifelong commitment to social change and a belief in the potential of groups of people coming together to create powerful solutions to entrenched social issues. As a partner to RDP Consulting, she has collaborated on social justice focused evaluation and research efforts focused on domestic violence, community building, and leadership development.