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Dr. Sylvia R. Epps joined DIR in 2008. As the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Director of Research Operations, she manages the research staff, and provides project management, quality assurance, and strategic leadership. For over 15 years, Dr. Epps has engaged in research and evaluation, with a focus on data collection and analysis. She has directed program evaluations, implementation studies, and large-scale, multisite data collection efforts, with an emphasis on education, college access, and low-income and at-risk populations. Dr. Epps has served as project director or senior advisor for multiple projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education, including an Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B) and a study of TRIO Implementation and Outcomes. She has also managed or supported projects for MDRC, Urban Institute, Abt Associates, and Mathematica Policy Research. For these projects, she has directed study design, instrument development and programming, data analysis, and report writing. Her work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has centered on evaluation planning, design, and implementation. Dr. Epps has completed advanced training in applied research, structural equation modeling, and working with large-scale databases. She earned her Ph.D. in human development and family sciences from the University of Texas at Austin and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard University Graduate School of Education.