People

Michelle Joyce

Vice President, Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy

mjoyce@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.2487
Fx: 574.631.3531
511A Main Building

Michelle Joyce assumed the role of Vice President for Institutional Research, Innovation, and Strategy in August 2026. In this role, Joyce serves as the president’s principal advisor on institutional strategy, planning and performance assessment and oversees the University’s central institutional research function, ensuring the integrity and strategic use of data.

Prior to this role, Joyce served as Associate Vice President in Development, leading campaign administration, Corporate & Foundation Relations (CFR), and Academic Advancement. Joyce partnered with leaders across the University to identify, articulate and enable their strategic priorities in her role managing For Good, the largest campaign in Notre Dame’s history. Joyce also served as the Development liaison to the Office of the Provost. Joyce previously led CFR as Executive Director and Foundation Relations as Senior Director. These positions followed her work as a Foundation Relations Director, focusing on the colleges of science and engineering. Joyce has led proposal development for large, multi-stakeholder strategic initiatives.

Before her role in Development, Joyce served as a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for twelve years as the Associate Director of the Mass Spectrometry & Proteomics Facility. During her time in the department, she created and served as the founding director of the ND LIGHTS program, which provided under-resourced schools with laboratory instrumentation through a science course she developed and taught to undergraduate students.

Joyce earned her B.S. in chemistry from Notre Dame in 1999 and her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Duke University in 2003. Michelle and her husband Tim, who is also a class of 1999 alumnus, have two children, Ian and Analiese.

Ryan Barr

Program Director, Institutional Innovation

rbarr@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3442
Fx: 574.631.9235
511S Main Building

Ryan joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in November 2022 as Program Director on the Institutional Innovation team. Prior to joining Institutional Innovation, Ryan served as a practitioner/consultant in Deloitte’s Strategy & Analytics Higher Education practice. He consulted with institutions of higher education on initiatives ranging from institutional strategy to organizational design, and operations. His work has focused on transformational projects to increase service effectiveness, as well as targeted service delivery redesign projects, with a focus on the foundational change management efforts necessary for success. He has aided educational institutions in implementing state-of-the-art technology and in identifying, attracting, and supporting target student populations; and launching new, critical academic programs.

Ryan has served in numerous capacities in the field of Higher Education as a Coordinator, business officer, and instructor. As an administrator, he has worked with colleagues on issues associated with strategies for student success, budgeting/budget reallocation, and campus climates exploring the experiences and perceptions in relation to diversity and inclusion.

A native of Niles, Michigan, Ryan received his B.A. from Michigan State University in Social Relations & Policy and his master's in Higher Education Administration. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education at Jackson State University.

Jessica Dennis

Advisor to the Vice President of Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy

jessica.dennis@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.1097
511D Main Building

Jessica Dennis serves as Advisor to the Vice President for Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS).

Prior to joining IRIS, Jessica served as the Senior Program Director for the For Good Administration team in Development. In that position, she advised leadership, managed major benefactor engagement events in collaboration with the University Operations, Events, and Safety team, and launched a new priority management software system for the department. Previously, she has also held several positions within the ESTEEM Graduate Program and the IDEA Center focused on budget planning, program operations, admissions, and student experience.

Jessica received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Education, Schooling, & Society. She and her husband, Lex, live in South Bend.

Lissa Bill

Executive Director of Institutional Innovation & Institutional Strategy

lissa.bill@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.4060
Fx: 574.631.3531
511W Main Building

Lissa Bill joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in December 2017. Prior to joining IRIS, Lissa served as the Senior Counselor to the Vice President for Student Affairs from October 2014 – December 2017. In this role, her responsibilities included strategic planning, survey, and data management, collaboration with University Relations on behalf of Student Affairs, coordination of professional development for the Division of Student Affairs, and special projects.

Previously, Lissa served as a Career Coach and the Career Operations Manager in the undergraduate Career Center for six years. Before coming to Notre Dame, Lissa spent over a decade working as a buyer and product manager in corporate retail for companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Bachrach, and Sears Holdings.

Lissa earned a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from the University of Michigan and a master’s in international higher education at Loyola University in Chicago. She and her husband, Clay, live in South Bend with their two sons, Graham and Conor.

Theo Helm

Program Director, Institutional Strategy

thelm1@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.4522
Fx: 574.631.3531
511K Main Building

Adrea Hernandez

Executive Director, Institutional Research

aherna28@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3549
Fx: 574.631.9235
405 Grace Hall

Adrea came to Notre Dame in the spring of 2021. As Executive Director, Adrea works with partners across the University to collect data from students, alumni, faculty, and staff in order to inform assessment efforts.

Prior to joining Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS), she served as the Director of Institutional Research for the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). In that role, Adrea worked with representatives from colleges and universities across the country to administer surveys as part of a process to improve undergraduate education and advance their institutional missions.

Adrea is originally from El Paso, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Yale University. She then went on to earn a doctoral degree in the American and New England Studies program at Boston University. Adrea and her husband, Neal, enjoy spending time at their farm, where they have sheep, honey bees, and a truck garden with heirloom tomatoes, beans, corn, and sunflowers.

Morgan McCoy

Program Director, Institutional Innovation

mschlarb@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.1950
Fx: 574.631.3531
511Y Main Building

Morgan McCoy joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in January 2024 as a Program Director on the Institutional Innovation team. Prior to joining Institutional Innovation, Morgan held several positions at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business focused on operations, logistics, and implementing efficiencies. Her previous work focused on the areas of academic operations, student programming and events, new-student onboarding, and facilities management.

Morgan received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, majoring in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management with a minor in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship. She and her husband, Shane, currently reside in her hometown of Mishawaka, Indiana.

Connor O'Rear

Analyst and Consultant

corear@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.4609
Fx: 574.631.9235
406B Grace Hall

Connor started in Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in January 2023 as an Analyst and Consultant. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Connor was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Purdue University. His research focused on developing high-impact interventions to promote children’s academic skills. As part of this work, Connor served as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on grant-funded projects aimed at designing and implementing educational technologies that can be used by parents and teachers to support preschoolers' mathematical development.

Connor grew up in the South Bend area and graduated from Wabash College in 2014. He then went on to get his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Connor and his wife, Andrea, who is a professor at Saint Mary’s College, live in South Bend.

Jenny Petersen

Survey Administration Specialist

jpeter24@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.1097
Fx: 574.631.3531
406D Grace Hall

Jenny Petersen joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in the spring of 2022, where she currently serves as the Survey Administration Specialist. Previously, Jenny worked for six years as the Senior Administrative Coordinator to the Associate Dean for the Social Sciences and Research in the College of Arts & Letters Dean's Office. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Jenny was an executive assistant at Baird Capital, a private equity firm in Chicago.

Originally from northern California, Jenny earned a bachelor's degree in English from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2007. She and her husband, Brian, live in Granger and are proud parents to two children, Addie and Logan.

Brandy Rypma

Institutional Research Specialist & Sr. CIF Blue Administrator

brypma@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.2848
Fx: 574.631.9235
403C Grace Hall

Brandy has been a dedicated member of Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) since April 1999, bringing more than 25 years of experience and institutional knowledge to her role.

She coordinates and submits external surveys, including federally mandated IPEDS reporting, and oversees annual corporate data freeze cycles to help ensure the accuracy, consistency, and integrity of University data. Brandy also analyzes complex institutional data and develops reports for campus stakeholders and external agencies, helping colleagues across the University meet a wide range of reporting needs.

Known for her attention to detail and extensive knowledge of University data and processes, Brandy serves as a trusted resource and collaborative partner to colleagues across campus. She also oversees the University's Explorance Blue course evaluation system and administers university-wide course evaluations in support of academic assessment and continuous improvement.

Before joining the University, Brandy worked as an Accounts Payable Clerk for STRIPCO, Inc. She earned her Associate of Science degree in Accounting from Davenport College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Of all her accomplishments, Brandy is most proud of being a mother to her two children.

Dana Schrader

Business Intelligence Professional

ddreher@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3508
Fx: 574.631.9235
403B Grace Hall

Dana joined Notre Dame in August 2016 as a member of the Business Intelligence team in the Office of Information Technologies. In October 2018, she transitioned to an embedded role with Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS), assisting with reporting for the Institutional Research team and the university-wide dataND initiative. Prior to Notre Dame, Dana spent over ten years at Press Ganey, a patient satisfaction and experience consulting firm in their custom reporting department.

Born and raised in South Bend, Dana graduated cum laude from Saint Mary's College with a B.S. in Mathematics in 2007, then received her MBA from Indiana University in 2013. She resides in South Bend with her husband, Ben, and their three daughters, two dogs, and tens of thousands of bees (they've recently taken up beekeeping as a hobby). Outside of work, Dana enjoys baking, photographing her kids, camping, and geocaching.

Jessie Schuman

Program Director, Institutional Strategy

jschuman@nd.edu
Ph: 574-631-2484
Fx: 574.631.3531
511L Main Building

Jessie Schuman joined Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy (IRIS) in December 2019 when she was appointed Strategic Planning Program Director. Prior to joining IRIS, Jessie served as an HR Consultant from December 2016 - December 2019. In this role, Jessie provided guidance and support to University leadership and employees of designated divisions and colleges on strategic initiatives impacting their organization and people. Her responsibilities included working with senior leaders to identify HR issues that would help achieve business goals and objectives, counseling managers and employees on employee relations issues and performance management, assisting with organizational restructuring to fit the business needs of the division or college, helping leaders with the annual talent review process, and collaborating with the HR centers of expertise to assist client groups. Jessie has had the privilege of supporting campus units in the President, Executive Vice President, and Provost divisions.

Previously, Jessie worked at Notre Dame in Student Affairs for nine and a half years in Residential Life and in the former Office of Residence Life and Housing. Before coming to Notre Dame, Jessie worked in Student Affairs at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

Jessie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from North Carolina State University. She and her husband, Greg, live in Granger with their three children, Molly, Leah, and Jack.

Kendall Smith

Analyst and Consultant

ksmith77@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.3242
Fx: 574.631.9235
406A Grace Hall

Kendall first came to Notre Dame in 2020 as a Research Scientist in Mendoza's Human-Centered Analytics Lab where he developed a background in Machine Learning and Research Computing. Since then, he has also served as an IT Solutions Consultant at the IDEA Center. Kendall received his training in Quantitative Psychology (M.S.) at Ball State University, in addition to holding an internship with their Office of Institutional Research.

Mary Tarsha

Analyst and Consultant

mtarsha@nd.edu
Ph: 574.631.6499
Fx: 574.631.9235
406E Grace Hall

Mary S. Tarsha, Ph.D. serves the University of Notre Dame as an Analyst and Consultant in the Office of Institution of Research, Innovation, and Strategy (IRIS). Her work leverages a variety of statistical and analytical modeling techniques in order to provide support for partners across the institution. She also works with university partners to help build and assess interventions crafted to support student, faculty and university success.

Prior to her work in IRIS, Mary received her doctorate in Developmental Psychology and Peace Studies with a minor in Advanced Quantitative Social Science from the University of Notre Dame. She also holds a master’s of education in Empirical Research in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University. Her research and teaching focus on ways to promote the biosocial construction of flourishing and well-being across the lifespan. Her work merited the honorable Stephen Pepe Fellowship and nomination for the Shaheen Award, the highest award given to graduate students at the University of Notre Dame. Her interdisciplinary work has been published in numerous scientific journals and books, addressing important issues in both education, psychology, and peace studies. Mary also serves as a Moreau First-Year Seminar Faculty member, where she enjoys teaching, engaging and accompanying first year students.