The Project ALERT Team

The team supporting Project ALERT at RAND is well-established and capable of continuing to meet the needs of educators and students. Our team is comprised of professionals in the fields of education and clinical psychology, with expertise in areas of substance abuse prevention, adolescent health, program evaluation, research methods, and implementation science.

Andrea Phillips

Director

Andie Phillips is a policy researcher with expertise in education policy, policy analysis, program evaluation, single case design, and qualitative methods and analysis. Phillips’ work focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions that promote growth and development of the whole child, including academic performance, behavioral and emotional well-being, cognitive health, and mental health.

Alice Huguet

Trainer and Coach

Alice Huguet is codirector for RAND's Center for Qualitative and Mixed Methods and a policy researcher focused on K–12 education. She studies policies that influence the academic and life opportunities of students who have been historically underserved by educational institutions.

Eupha Jeanne Daramola

Trainer and Coach

Eupha Jeanne Daramola (Ph.D.) is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She studies how school policies are designed and implemented with a focus on racial equity. Her research is informed by her time as a 9th grade teacher in Philadelphia, PA.

Marylou Gilbert

Trainer and Coach

Marylou Gilbert is a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. She has over 20 years with general project coordination experience includes planning, managing and leading efforts in community-based health promotion and disease prevention projects in many areas such as juvenile justice, families in crisis, adolescent health behavior, education, mental health, homelessness, and substance use.

Jill Cannon

Coach

Jill Cannon is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. Her work focuses on examining the relationship between early childhood programs and policies and child outcomes.

Courtney Kase

Coach

Courtney Kase is a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. She has experience in program evaluation, qualitative research, and project management in projects in the areas of behavioral health treatment access and quality, behavioral health and physical health service integration, and substance use disorder prevention.

Brian Kim

Coach

Brian Kim is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. He has experience in early childhood education policies and interventions.

Michael Woodward

Assistant Director

Michael Woodward is research operations administrator at the RAND Corporation. He has been a key member of the Project ALERT leadership team since 2014. His responsibilities include assisting educators on program implementation issues, writing the newsletter, and triaging the help desk.

Andrew Sloan

Software Engineer

Andrew Sloan is a research software engineer at the RAND Corporation.

Jay Liu

Senior IT Manager

Jay Liu is a research software engineer and senior IT product delivery manager at the RAND Corporation with extensive experience in software development and systems administration.

Eric Pedersen

Director Emeritus

Eric R. Pedersen is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He served as the Director of Project ALERT from 2013 to 2022 and is now the Director Emeritus. Dr. Pedersen worked at RAND as a behavioral scientist for 8 years before transitioning to adjunct status. His research lab at USC, the Prevention, Early intervention, and Addictions Recovery Lab (the PEARL), focuses on developing brief substance use interventions for young adults and veterans.