Our Team

Ana Maria Grigoras

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Owner

Dr. Ana Maria Grigoras, Chief Executive Officer of L&G, is a child clinical psychologist and Fulbright scholar with impressive knowledge in program design and evaluation. Dr. Grigoras earned her M.A. in Educational Psychology from New York University in 2003 and, subsequently, a Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from St. John’s University. Dr. Grigoras has over 20 years of experience directing research and evaluation studies of federal, state, and local education, youth development, and mental health programs and after-school programs for clients in the public and private sectors. Dr. Grigoras has directed all phases of research, including development of study designs employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, instrument design, multi-site data collection, data analysis, and reporting. Dr. Grigoras is especially proficient in blending quantitative and qualitative research methods to measure the implementation and impact of critical areas of education and youth development programming. She has a wide breadth of experience documenting research strategies, analyzing data, and writing comprehensive evaluation reports.

Danielle Lawrence-Campbell

Dr. Danielle Lawrence-Campbell is the President of L&G. Her background includes working as an evaluation research consultant in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia for more than ten years. Her varied working experience working with disenfranchised populations in large urban settings enabled her to develop best practices in applied quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. She offers expertise in designing program evaluations and research instruments (e.g. surveys, focus group discussion guides), conducting focus groups and administering surveys, managing a team of research assistants, developing, and managing databases, performing advanced data analysis, as well as drafting reports and presenting findings for diverse audiences. In addition, she is proficient in offering technical assistance to clients on effectively organizing, collecting and presenting program and participant data. She serves as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University where she has taught such courses as health promotion, program planning, and social marketing. Dr. Lawrence-Campbell earned an MPH in Epidemiology from Yale University in 2002, and subsequently her DrPH in Community Health Sciences from Boston University.

Christina López

Senior Director of Research and Evaluation

Dr. Christina López is L&G’s Director of Research and Evaluation. She is a sociologist of education with over 20 years of experience in youth development and community partnerships. Her Lower East Side upbringing in the projects, Bronx roots, and Dominican identity have inspired her commitment to service throughout the various roles she is held in her career. She has managed over forty school-CBO partnerships as a former CBO supervisor in Brooklyn and DOE program manager in the Bronx. In addition, her scholarly work examined the educational experiences of underrepresented minorities at predominantly white institutions and the social forces that shape systems of education. Dr. López earned both a MA and Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from New York University, and a BS in Science and Technology Studies and Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute..

Cindy Lowe

Director of Development 

Cindy Lowe has over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector. She has held direct service, program management, and quality assurance roles and has led continuous quality improvement work for large human service organizations – including Children’s Aid and the Jewish Board – to strengthen behavioral health and child welfare programs. Before stepping into her current role, Cindy served as an Evaluator with L&G, managing evaluation projects for after-school and youth development programs, as well as supporting L&G’s grant writing and capacity-building work. She holds an MSW and an MPA from Columbia University.

Pia Otero

Associate Director of Research and Evaluation 

Pia is a bilingual Spanish-speaking evaluator and researcher with over 20 years of experience leading research and evaluation projects across the U.S., England, and Latin America. Her program evaluation work has focused on the quality of early childhood and K-12 education and youth development in academic, government, nonprofit, and community-based organizations. Before joining the L&G team, she served as the Associate Director of Research and Evaluation at iMentor and the Curriculum and Evaluation Manager at The Hispanic Committee for Children and Families in NYC. She also led evaluation efforts in Argentina for Buenos Aires and the National Department of Education. Her teaching experience includes mentoring research fellows in research methodology to study poverty-related issues in South and Central America and teaching quantitative and qualitative research methods in the Sociology department at the University of Buenos Aires. Pia holds two master’s degrees, one from Teachers College, Columbia University—where she was a Fulbright
Scholar—and one from Universidad de San Andrés in Argentina. She also completed advanced training in applied statistics and international development evaluation.

Danny Unger

Associate Director of Research and Evaluation

Danny Unger is an experienced teacher and education researcher. He is a Ph.D. candidate of Teacher Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he previously earned his M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. His research focuses on how pre-service teachers develop a sense of belonging through relationship-building experiences which occur in informal environments, impacting formal learning outcomes. He has taught university courses to pre-service teachers enrolled in teacher preparation programs including general methods and curriculum development and has taught social studies courses to high-school students such as history, civics, and economics. At the University of Nevada, Danny created a Saturday STEM program for middle and high school students which provided educational enrichment and STEM learning to students attending at-risk schools in the Las Vegas Valley.

Hannah Kitchin

Senior Evaluator

Hannah received her Master of Arts in Applied Psychology from New York University Steinhardt with a focus on Human Development and Social Intervention. She also holds a BA in Psychology from Rollins College. She is passionate about improving the lives of children and families through high-quality programming that caters to their unique needs. Before joining L&G, Hannah supported continuous quality improvement efforts for child welfare programming at Children’s Aid. She also partnered with the NYCDOE to research the professional learning needs of early childhood educators and identify effective methods to increase art instruction in the classroom. Most recently, she
coordinated the rollout of NYC early childhood initiatives to better serve preschool students with disabilities and educate families on the special education process.

Gary Cohen

Evaluation Manager 

Gary Cohen holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Boston College, with a focus on Logistics. With a diverse teaching background, Gary has taught 7th and 8th-grade math in New York Public Schools in the Bronx. Additionally, Gary taught 4th Grade at an all-boys charter school in the South Bronx. As a Community School Director, he collaborated with school administrators and families, ensuring access to vital services such as health, mental health, and after-school support. As Program Manager for a Restorative Justive and Violence Prevention program, Gary developed and implemented strategies to promote positive behavior and conflict resolution. Deeply passionate about empowering underserved youth, he applies a strategic lens to evaluating and improving after-school prgrams, ensuring they effictively support student growth and development.

Aleksandr Tikhonov

Senior Research and Evaluation Officer

 Alek received his PhD and MS in social psychology from Rutgers University – New Brunswick. Prior to attending Rutgers, Aleks completed his MA in psychology at the City College of New York (CUNY) and BA at California State University, Northridge. Over his 12-year reserach career, Aleks lead and assisted in scientific studies examining the relation between reacial discrimination, cultural identity, and mental health among 1st and 2nd generation immigrants of color. The outcome of these efforts is seen in the 7 peer-reviewed publications he co/authored during his career which have been cited more than 100 times. Alek’s commitment to and passion for and passion for social justice and equity is evidenced through his work.

Joaquin Villa

Consultant

Shaquinah Taylor Wright

Consultant

Michael Bradley

Consultant

Danielle Dorancy

Consultant

Daniella Dorancy is the CEO of Dorancy Analytics, LLC and a current Master’s candidate in Measurement and Statistics. She has experience in quantitative and mixed-method research, with a focus on behavioral health, youth development, and social service programming. Her expertise spans across various sectors, providing data-driven insights to inform decision-making and program evaluation.