Key Staff Biographies

Management Team

Brian J. Adams, President and CEO

Mr. Adams has a history of creating teams that consistently exceed client expectations in terms of knowledge, competence, and quality of work. Since he joined Alpine Testing Solutions in February 2005, the company has reasserted its leadership in the testing industry as a customer-focused provider of innovative, quality psychometric, test development, and credential management services for certification, education, and licensure programs. As a practitioner in testing, Mr. Adams has focused on program and test design, domain analysis, item development, and standard setting. His current interests include performance testing solutions, efficient test development processes, test security solutions, and finding the mythical meeting ground of business constraints and sound testing practices. Mr. Adams currently serves as the Chair of the Certification and Licensure Division of the Association of Test Publishers.

Chad W. Buckendahl, Ph.D., Director of Education, Professional Credentialing, and Licensure Services

Dr. Buckendahl provides psychometric and policy consultation, and directs validation research for testing programs in education, licensure, and certification. He was a co-principal investigator for the most recent Evaluation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2009), and has authored more than 50 publications and conference papers on topics including standard setting, alignment, and legal issues in testing. Dr. Buckendahl also contributed chapters to Defending Standardized Testing (2005), Handbook of Test Development (2006), and served as an expert witness. He is co-editor of the forthcoming book, Contemporary Issues in High Stakes Testing and co-editor of Journal of Applied Testing Technology.

Blair Harris, Director of Technology Services

Mr. Harris’ is responsible for technology services including CertMetrics™ Credential Management system. Mr. Harris is also an accomplished test development practitioner who has assisted in the development of hundreds of exams through leading domain analysis, item development and standard setting workshops.  Mr. Harris is able to leverage his expertise in exam development and technology to oversee the development and direction of Alpine Testing Solutions technology services.  Mr. Harris earned a Master’s of Organizational Behavior from Brigham Young University in 1999 and has worked as a change management consultant.

Russell Smith, Ph.D., Director of Psychometric Analysis Services

Dr. Smith’s primary role is to provide test development and psychometric analysis consultation. He is responsible for conducting and overseeing the quality of psychometric analyses including classical test theory, item response theory, Rasch, equating, scaling and standard setting. He has presented extensively before professional organizations and at national conferences and co-authored a book chapter in the Handbook of Test Development (2006). Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, Dr. Smith was a senior psychometrician at Prometric and Galton Technologies. His current research interests include automated test assembly algorithms and psychometric security analyses.

Psychometric Staff

Susan L. Davis, Ph.D., Senior Psychometrician

Dr. Davis is responsible for providing psychometric advice and consultation to a variety of educational and credentialing testing programs. Her specific areas of expertise include test content development, data analysis, standard setting and validity research. Susan received her doctoral degree in assessment and measurement from James Madison University where she worked for the Center for Assessment and Research Studies as a consultant to various assessment programs within the University. She has a book chapter in publication, numerous journal articles, and presented research at regional, national, and international conferences.

Brett P. Foley, Ph.D., Psychometrician
 
Dr. Foley  has worked with many types of testing programs, including licensure, educational and information technology certification testing. Additionally, he has provided general educational measurement and related policy consultation and has led validation research in alignment and standard setting. Dr. Foley received his Ph.D. in Quantitative, Qualitative, and Psychometric Methods from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  He currently serves as a technical advisory committee member for the Council of Chief State School Officers English Language Development Assessment State Collaborative and is president-elect of the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association. His research interests include alignment, standard setting, item response theory, and policy considerations in testing. 

Gary Peterson, Senior Data Analyst
 
Mr. Peterson has extensive technical expertise and experience formatting and parsing test results data, generating statistical analyses from test report data and creating analysis report scripts and templates.  Mr. Peterson previously worked at Thomson Prometric as a Senior Systems Engineer where he supported various data management and data analyst efforts for external and internal clients, including the psychometric team. In addition, Mr. Peterson has recent experience as a Senior Human Resources (HR) Research Analyst at Intermountain Healthcare where he consulted at all levels of HR to produce reports and metrics on key data analysis and report creation projects.

Business Development and Program Management Staff

Kim Sadowski, Business Development Manager

Ms. Sadowski is a skilled professional with 24 years of experience in the instructional design and testing industries. Her primary interest is to understand each client’s unique needs and create solutions that enable clients to meet their goals. Since she joined Alpine Testing Solutions in 2005, the company has grown exponentially and established itself as a leader in the IT certification marketplace. Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, she was at Galton Technologies, Inc., where she helped grow the business to a multi-million dollar provider of test development, psychometric, and data management services in the IT certification marketplace. Ms. Sadowski holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Brigham Young University and has professional experience in Account and Program Management, Instructional Design, Assessment, Training, Technical Writing, Team Building, Personnel Management and Business Development.

Silvia Carvalho, Program Manager

Ms. Carvalho brings 15 years of project management experience and keen problem-solving skills to her role. She works closely with internal and external resources to drive projects that enable clients to build reliable, fair, and defensible tests within time and budget parameters while building positive customer relationships. Silvia has a Master of Education from the Universidad de Buenos Aires and professional background in the areas of test adaptation and localization, language instruction and courseware development.

Steven Hegerhorst, Program Manager

Mr. Hegerhorst has 15 years experience providing excellent customer service and managing projects in the training and certification industries. His demonstrated ability to prioritize and his passion for meeting customer needs enable him to effectively manage and drive projects to completion. He has a keen understanding of the testing industry and is diligent in working with clients to design project workflows, schedule and manage resources, and solve problems. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Management.

Myisha Stokes, Program Manager

Ms. Stokes is responsible for organizing and driving the implementation of projects. She has been involved in many aspects of business administration and has diverse experience working with clients in various fields.  She enjoys maintaining and enhancing client relationships with a core focus on helping clients meet their program goals. Her knowledge of test development, her versatility, customer service, attention to detail, and work ethic contribute to successful engagements with clients in the certification, licensure, and education arenas. Ms. Stokes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and has completed work toward a Master’s Degree in Equitable Education Practices from the University of California, San Diego.

Deirdre Lupher, Program Manager

Ms. Lupher, M.Ed., is a Program Manager at Alpine Testing Solutions. In this role she is responsible for assisting and guiding clients through the process of developing testing programs in a timely and cost-efficient manner that comply with best practices in the testing industry. Ms. Lupher has extensive experience overseeing contracts in the educational arena and worked with a diverse body of clients and stakeholders for more than five years in her previous position with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Test Development Staff

Barbara Badgett, Ph.D., Test Development Professional

Dr. Badgett brings a wealth of experience from her work across a wide variety of professional domains and contexts.  As an instructor, she has taught general educational psychology and measurement theory courses designed for pre-service teachers.  As a facilitator, she has participated in alignment and standard setting studies for state education agencies.  In her current role, she conducts virtual and in-person workshops related to domain analyses, item development, standard setting, and content specification reviews for clients in such diverse domains as IT, health care, aviation maintenance, and education. Her current research interests include the readability of test items and the corresponding validity implications for credentialing programs. Dr. Badgett's clients praise her ability to establish rapport quickly, mediate the passionate discussions that often ensue in exam-development activities, and create a productive and enjoyable work environment. She is also adept at introducing structure to navigate program ambiguities and in balancing industry best practices with business realities. 

Cristina Goodwin, Test Development Professional

Ms. Goodwin has a diverse professional history, including several years of experience developing licensure and certification tests and managing certification programs. Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, she lead a team to develop performance-based Microsoft Office and digital literacy certification exams. Her skills range from managing testing programs and projects to facilitating domain analysis, content development, alignment, and standard setting workshops and processes. She has worked with many organizations, including in IT, insurance, and healthcare industries, construction and maintenance trades, and in education. She has presented on performance-based testing at national and international conferences.

Scott Russell, Test Development Professional

Mr. Russell brings to the position more than ten years of experience in certification testing. He is responsible for facilitating a wide array of test development and validation work, including program design, domain analysis, content development, content review, and standard setting workshops and processes. Mr. Russell has facilitated both traditional and unique certification projects for a diverse client base, including Information Technology, Scientific Services, and Language Instruction.  Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, he served as a program manager for Cisco Inc.

Software Development Staff

Sharla Nielson, Software Development Team Leader and Scrum Master

Ms. Nielson has more than a decade of experience managing teams and defining processes for testing and business software companies. Her experience has focused on managing and analyzing the implementations and conversion of an international company’s data and processes onto new and/or improved software solutions. She spent several years managing global implementations in both Europe and Asia. Previous positions include Enterprise Project Management Team Lead, Implementation Analyst, Global Implementation Project Manager and Database Manager. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Information Systems.

R. Granger Godbold, Software Engineer

Mr. Godbold brings a decade of experience in online certification data management to his current role as the system architect of CertMetrics™ Credential Management system. Prior to joining Alpine Testing Solutions, Mr. Godbold was with Galton Technologies and Thomson Prometric. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

Benjamin Robbins, Software Engineer

Mr. Robbins is a Senior Software Developer at Alpine Testing Solutions, Inc. where he designs tools for item creation, analysis, and to help candidates track their certification progress. Mr. Robbins has been active in working with technology for the test-development and certification industry for over a decade.

David Tracy, Software Engineer

Mr. Tracy has nearly three decades of experience in the computer industry including software development positions with WordPerfect and Novell. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University.

Office Administration Staff

Ms. Stout has over twenty years experience in the management of administrative responsibilities including, but not limited to, reception, shipping, receiving, scheduling, travel, inventory, correspondence, coordinating, arranging, calendaring, personnel, employee benefits, payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Ms. Stout hold a Bachelor of Science in Education from Brigham Young University.

Becky Hegerhorst, Support Staff

Ms. Hegerhorst is responsible for a wide variety of support tasks including, event planning, job postings, management staff support, and support for the office manager. She comes to Alpine Testing Solutions with 8 years of experience as a Mortgage Broker, and 5 years of experience as an office manager and general accounting specialist with companies such as WordPerfect and Novell. Ms. Hegerhorst has considerable experience managing projects in the business industry and in her community. Her attention to detail and tenacious nature make her an outstanding contributor to the administrative and organizational needs of the company.