Brent E. Wholeben, Ph.D. serves as director of the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Policy Studies (REPS), is responsible for all administrative aspects associated with REPS operations, and reports to the dean of the College of Education. Dr. Wholeben has served as associate director of the Bureau of School Services and Research (BSSR) at the University of Washington-Seattle, and as director of data management for the College of Education at the University of Texas at El Paso. Dr. Wholeben holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (with emphasis in research, evaluation, and statistics), and a collateral minor in Industrial Engineering (with emphasis in operations research). He also holds two master's degrees from the University of Hawaii-Manoa (Educational Psychology and Educational Administration), and a B.S. in Mathematics from St. Bonaventure University. Dr. Wholeben's certifications include life licensure as a secondary mathematics teacher in New York and Hawaii, permanent certification as a school counselor in the state of Hawai'i, permanent certification as a mental health professional in Montana, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Psychiatry from the Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu. Dr. Wholeben completed his clinical residency at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu in inpatient psychiatric.
Linda Faivre is the office's staff secretary and serves as the personal assistant to the REPS director. She provides specialized support that is closely identified with the director's viewpoint and responsibilities. Her duties include matters involving budget, payroll, and personnel records, as well as the procurement of furniture, equipment, and supplies. Linda has a master's degree in Adult Continuing Education and a bachelor's degree in Psychology, both from NIU. She began working at NIU in 1980 for the Community Services Office in the College of Continuing Education. When that office moved to Chicago in 1983, Linda became secretary for the newly formed Research and Evaluation in Adult Continuing Education (RE/ACE) Office, which later merged with the REPS Office.
Ximena D. Burgin, Ed.D. The project manager assists in setting, and then directly managing, research and evaluation client expectations by effectively communicating and identifying needs, and meeting client's business objective. The project manager oversees research assistants in project work within the unit by creating and executing project work plans to meet the changing needs and requirements of clients. The project manager defines the scope of the project, identifies resources needed, and assigns individual responsibilities. The project manager manages the day-to-day operational aspects of numerous projects, and reviews the status reports of team members, addressing and resolving issues as appropriate. The project manager insures that standard policies and procedures are enforced, and improved as deemed advisable. The project manager reviews client deliverables as prepared by the project team and reviews all work products with the REPS Director for final approval before forwarding to client.
Beatrice Kooken is a Secretary IV in REPS. The individual in this position provides secretarial services for the director and supports graduate research assistants who are serving as individual project coordinators. In addition, this person provides coordination support for projects and supervises student workers. The person in this position also serves as the office's transcriber.