Team

Sandy Epstein

Chief Operating Officer
sandy.epstein@asu.edu
Sandy facilitates business and professional development projects, strategic initiatives, and Decision Theater’s engagement at ASU and with the global community. Sandy also leads the  collaboration, coordination and execution of Decision Theater’s  resource intelligence projects in water, energy and natural resources.
Sandy earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Master’s degree in Education at Washington University in St. Louis as well as her Master in Business Administration from Maryville University. After more than a decade of teaching, Sandy began her career in business negotiations, development and leadership for non-profit organizations and universities. Her consulting and facilitation work in strategic planning, raising funds, board development, shareholder engagement, vision and mission alignment sessions includes companies and organizations world-wide.

Robert Pahle, Ph.D.

Chief Technology Officer, Assistant Professor of Research
robert.pahle@asu.edu
Dr. Pahle is responsible for technology development, integration, infrastructure support and guidance of projects at Decision Theater. In this role he leads a team of professionals and students. Key focus areas are decision support systems, integration and workflow processes, visualization, database management, high-performance computing and user interaction.
One of Dr. Pahle’s significant milestones in technology development has been the creation of an innovative framework (complex systems framework) which is capable of integrating disparate models and simulations. In addition, Robert works extensively  with GIS databases and the parallelization of GIS analytics and queries.
In addition to his role at the Decision Theater, Robert serves as a senior sustainability scientist at the Global Institute of Sustainability. Dr. Pahle holds an engineering diploma (master’s degree) in architecture from the University of Siegen, Germany, and has taught classes in building structure and design at ASU. He has a Ph.D. in environmental design and planning, focusing on dynamic, real-time informative warning systems and intelligent buildings.

Rahul Salla

Software Development Principal Manager
Rahul.salla@asu.edu
Rahul leads the software development and computer systems teams at the Decision Theater. He is in charge of the entire software development process and his responsibilities include project planning, requirements management, quality assurance and final deployment. Rahul provides architectural and technical guidance during the design, development and delivery of all projects.
Before joining DT Rahul was the Principal Software Engineer at STMicroelectronics and led many software development projects. He earned his Bachelors of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the University College of Engineering, Osmania University, India and Masters of Science in Computer Engineering from NJIT. His master’s thesis work offered pioneering research in Powerline communications which contributed to the creation of Arkados, a co-founding member of the Homeplug Alliance. He was part of the small core team that developed a re-configurable hardware and software platform for high-speed transmission of converged multimedia, voice, and data traffic over AC electrical wires with applications in Smartgrid.

Aaron Lance

Systems Analyst Associate
aaron.lance@asu.edu
Aaron Lance has over a decade of experience in land development civil engineering design and systems automation for engineering analysis. Following the real estate market decline in 2008, Aaron attended the School of Sustainability with a desire to learn how to address problematic land development patterns and assure that we continue to thrive in the desert southwest in spite of water and energy challenges of a growing population. After completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability in 2011, Aaron began working with the Decision Theater team to support, improve and help create technology tools for decision making and smart choices toward a sustainable future.

Cynde Garrett

Administration and Events
cynde.garrett@asu.edu
As front desk manager and events coordinator, Cynde handles general administration needs, customer relations and details logistics.  Cynde, a long time Arizona resident, offers a wealth of local knowledge and event planning expertise – she has planned and coordinated numerous weddings and other special events.  Cynde is a “people person extraordinaire” and enjoys working with colleagues, students and clients alike.  Cynde makes everyone visiting Decision Theater feel special.
Cynde is the captain of our fun committee and rivals Sparky in Sun Devil spirit!

 

Spiro Maroulis

Associate Director, Policy Informatics
Spiro.maroulis@asu.edu
Spiro Maroulis is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Affairs, and the Associate Director for Policy Informatics at the Decision Theater.  His research addresses problems involved with understanding the relationship between individual and collective behavior. This includes investigating implementation difficulties with strategic initiatives inside organizations, as well as modeling the emergence and evolution of markets and institutions.
Prior to coming to ASU, Professor Maroulis was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Social Enterprise and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Ford Center for Global Citizenship at the Kellogg School of Management.  He received his B.S.E from Duke University, M.P.P. from Harvard University, and Ph.D. from Northwestern University, where he was also a member of the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling (CCL) and the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO). Outside of academia, he has worked for Red Hat Software and Anderson Consulting (now Accenture), and was also the cofounder of PracticeFields, LLC, a corporate education and consulting company that creates computer simulations and interactive board games of business systems — an approach he now enthusiastically applies to policy problems in his work at the Decision Theater.

Everett Lasher

Project Manager – MapStory
gregory.lasher@asu.edu
Everett helps manage the MapStory project at Decision Theater, providing training and creative direction to the team. He is also a research assistant to the CEO of the ASU Foundation, managing emerging geospatial initiatives and other projects.  Everett’s interests include climatic statistical analysis, river contamination, geographic information systems,  geospatial policy, and the earth.
Everett earned his Bachelor of Science in Geology from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania before moving to Arizona to work at ASU.

Srivatsav Kandala

Lead Research Project Aide – MapStory
sskandal@asu.edu
Srivatsav Kandala is currently a doctoral student in Transportation Engineering at Arizona State University. Mr.Kandala has a Master’s degree in Transportation Engineering and a Graduate degree certificate in Statistics from Arizona State University. Srivatsav received his Bachelor’s degree from JNTU University in India and is a certified Engineer-In-Training (EIT) from the Arizona State Board of Technical Registration. He is currently the Vice-President of ITE student chapter at Arizona State University. His research interests include freeway bottleneck analysis, traffic transitions, intelligent transportation systems and statistical analysis.

Shobana Atmaraman

Research Project Aide – MapStory
satmaram@asu.edu
Shobana is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering from Anna University, India.  Shobana’s interests include web development and network security and her hobbies include reading books, sketching and playing table tennis.

Ashish Birade

Research Project Aide – MapStory
ashish.birade@asu.edu
Ashish is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Ashish
completed his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and certification in Java, C and Data
Structures. During his undergraduate program, Ashish worked on five major projects and was involved in diverse research areas. He enjoy giving seminars, presentations and interacting with people. Ashish is currently a member of the ASU Chi Alpha spiritual community group and is passionate about music, playing the guitar, and performing in local rock bands.  Ashish’s other hobbies include socializing and gymming.

Padmini Gudipudi

Research Project Aide – MapStory
pgudipud@asu.edu
Padmini Gudipudi is a doctoral student in School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. Padmini completed her Master’s degree in transportation systems engineering from IIT Bombay, India and her Bachelor’s degree from Acharya Nagarjuna University in civil engineering.  After graduation, Padmini worked as a transportation planner and modeler for consulting engineering services PVT (I) Ltd, Mumbai, India as well as on various transportation modeling projects such as Mumbai BRTS, Mumbai Metro and Pune Metro. Currently Padmini is a treasurer for ASU-ITE student chapter. She is familiar with the various modeling and statistical analysis software’s like CUBE, Alogit, SAS and SPSS.

Nikhil Kulkarni

Research Project Aide – MapStory
nkulkar3@asu.edu
Nikhil completed his Bachelor’s degree  in Information Science and Engineering at Vishveshwaraya Technological University, Belgaum, India in 2010. Nikhil is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Computer Science Engineering at ASU. Between degree programs, Nikhil worked at Siemens, India, as a Systems Engineer. His technical interests include unix/linux operating systems, multiprocessor OS,  and artificial intelligence.
Nikhil’s hobbies include playing Indian classical flute and at ASU he is a member of the “Spicmacay” group which aims at promoting classical music among youth.  At the Decision Theater, Nikhil serves as a project aide for MapStor Foundation.

Abhishiktha Pendyala

Research Project Aide – MapStory
Apendyal@asu.edu
Abhishiktha Pendyala is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Computer Science at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Abhishiktha completed her Bachelor’s degree in Technology from Acharya Nagarjuna University in 2011.  Following graduation, Abhishiktha worked as a web developer and has received numerous awards in technical symposiums.
Abhishiktha’s  research interests are primarily in WebTechnologies and Databases.

Carl Poston

Research Project Aide – MapStory
cposton@asu.edu
Carl graduated May 2011 from ASU with a Bachelor of Science degree in urban planning. Carl is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems from the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning.  Carl enjoys playing rugby, watching movies and traveling.
During his undergraduate program, Carl traveled to London, England as part of a 2-month internship with Bechtel Corp, where we worked with engineers designing a new 40-mile network rail line extension.

Srinath Raghavan

Research Project Aide – MapStory
sraghav4@asu.edu
Srinath is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in the field of Computer Science.  Srinath received his Bachelor’s degree from Anna University, Chennai, India. His penchant for understanding the latest technologies in computer science drove him to explore course projects based on cloud computing whereby software is provided as a service. Srinath has exceptional problem solving and lateral thinking skills. Some of Srinath’s technical interests include web designing with Adobe Flash, web application development and database driven programming. Outside the technical world, Srinath is involved in playing badminton, table tennis and swimming.

Adam Stranieri

Research Assistant
Astranie@mainex1.asu.edu
Adam is research assistant and currently working on a geo-spatial model of Goodyear, AZ.  Adam drives presentations in the Theater’s Drum, assists researchers in a variety of projects, and attends to operational and client needs.  Adam holds a BA in Sustainability with a concentration in urban dynamics and recently completed an internship at the Arizona State Senate in which he researched natural resource management policies.  Currently, Adam is a graduate student and teaching assistant pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning.  His research interests include water and energy systems planning and sustainable urban development strategies for the built environment.

Lalithmani Venkateswaran

Research Project Aide – MapStory
lvenkate@asu.edu
Lalith is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Electric Power and Energy Systems.  He completed his  Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Anna University in Chennai, India.  Lalith is fascinated by designing and analyzing electrical circuits and has great interest in computer science trends and advancements.  Lalith comes to DT with considerable experience in Oracle,Visual Basic, SQl and Java.  Outside of school and work,  Lalith enjoys playing cricket, volleyball, tennis, table tennis and swimming.

Naveen Danturi

Student Worker
ndanturi@mainex1.asu.edu
Naveen Danturi is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in computing studies. Naveen completed his bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from JNTU-H India. Prior to coming to ASU, Naveen worked for Hewlett Packard as Unix System Administrator for more than a year. Naveen’s technical interests include all unix flavored operating systems, web development, programming etc. His hobbies include travelling, watching movies and swimming.

Zoe Escarcega

Student Worker
zescarce@mainex1.asu.edu
Zoe is an Arizona native, and is entering her sophomore year as an American History major. She is also a member of ASU’s Student Admissions Relations Team and gives campus tours to prospective students as a Devil’s Advocate. At Decision Theater, Zoe helps “drive” project presentations and supports the DT team.

Kena Fedorschak

Student Worker
kena.fedorschak@asu.edu
Kena is a third year student at ASU pursuing concurrent degrees in Sustainability and Psychology. Kena is an Arizona native who has traveled the world extensively. His passion lies in issues of social justice and inequality, both of which are fundamental components of a sustainable society. At the Decision Theater, Kena helps “drive” presentations and provides administrative support to visitors, staff and faculty.

Roberto Garza

Student Worker
roberto.garza@asu.edu
Robert helps set up the Drum for demonstrations which he also ‘drives’ and presents. He helps keep track of the facility usage, handles the needs of clients and the front desk. He also assists project managers on specific projects.
A Texas native, Robert is in his senior year and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Psychology and Justice Studies at ASU. He is a brother of  Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity, the National Honorary Fraternity, a member of the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band, plays several different intramural sports, and is a Floor Manager at ASU Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium.

Kelley Gullo

Student Worker
kgullo@mainex1.asu.edu

Kelley is a sophomore currently working on a degree in Marketing and a minor in Anthropology. She has lived in Arizona most of her life and calls Queen Creek, Arizona home. In her spare time, Kelley serves as n administrator for a non-profit organization that provides competitive robotics teams to elementary and high school students and is the Vice President of Philanthropy for ASU’s chapter of American Marketing Association. In addition, Kelley is a Peer Programmer in the W. P. Carey School of Business Residential Halls.  At Decision Theater, Kelley provides support for daily operations by assisting in projects and helping with administrative duties.

Jaycen Horton

Student Worker and MapStory Project Aide
jaycen.horton@asu.edu
Jaycen Horton provides support for daily operations and has been instrumental at creating and designing innovative DT testing technology. With duties ranging from assistance in projects  to operating the Drum, Jaycen fortifies the ongoing momentum of Decision Theater. Born and raised in Arizona, Jaycen has furthered his native development by pursuing a B.S.P. in Urban Planning at Arizona State University. As he studies within this field, he offers further application of  urban planning aspects to Decision Theater.

Lindsay McLean

Student Worker
lmmclean@mainex1.asu.edu
Lindsay is an Arizona native pursuing a degree in Digital Culture with a minor in Sustainability. Lindsay enjoys doing graphic work and painting when she is not studying or working.  In her role at Decision Theater,  Lindsay helps support the DT team.  In addition, Lindsay ‘drives’ presentations in the drum and helps with overall DT research efforts.

Erzhena Soktoeva

Student Worker
Erzhena.soktoeva@asu.edu
Erzhena works with the student team to support the daily operations and research projects at Decision Theater.   Erzhena, born and raised in Russia, is an international student in her junior year, and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management at the WP Carey School of Business at ASU. She is a president of the Russian Student Association  and a member of the International Students Club at ASU.

Yushim Kim, Ph.D.

Affiliated Faculty
ykim@asu.edu
Yushim Kim
Dr. Kim works on finding new and different ways of using available information in making policy decisions.
Dr. Kim is an assistant professor at the ASU School of Public Affairs and an affiliated faculty of the Decision Theater. Dr. Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration, a master of public administration, and a Ph.D. in public policy and management. Dr. Kim conducts research on policy informatics using the Decision Theater.
Dr. Kim conducts research in public policy analysis and policy informatics. She frames conceptual questions in these areas in the context of public service delivery, public health/welfare policy, and crime.
Prior to her position at ASU, Dr. Kim worked as a researcher for the Ohio Women, Infants, and Children program at the Ohio Department of Health and a postdoctoral researcher at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, taking part in evaluation research of welfare demonstration projects in Ohio.

Erik Johnston, Ph.D.

Affiliated Faculty
erikwj@asu.edu
Erik Johnston
Dr. Johnston is charged with discovering how to use tools, models, and simulations to help individuals and groups make effective policy decisions using the Decision Theater.
As an assistant professor in the ASU School of Public Affairs, Dr. Johnston is currently engaged in four lines of research: 1) Assessing how models and simulations can aid individuals and groups make policy decisions, 2) Understanding the policy consequences for implementing and sustaining collaboration in civic, business, and academic contexts, 3) Analyzing the influence of distance, facilitation, and communication delay on technology supported work groups, and 4) Applying complex systems methodology and theory using agent-based modeling as a complement to traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods.
He earned a Ph.D. in Information and a Certificate in Complex Systems from the University of Michigan. He is a two time NSF IGRET fellow, first as a STIET (Socio-Technical Infrastructure for Electronics Transactions) fellow and then as an IDEAS (Institutions, Diversity, Emergence, Adaptation, and Structures) fellow. During his Ph.D. studies, he was the President of the Doctoral Student Organization and earned both the Outstanding Doctoral Student Award and Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award.