February 6, 2024
New staff join Office of Data, Assessment and Institutional Research
The Office of Data, Assessment, and Institutional Research, or DAIR, introduces two new staff members: Chris Havenstein, the lead institutional research analyst, and Natalie Elliott, the communication and office administrator.
Havenstein is responsible for leading quantitative reporting and analysis projects to support K-State's decision-making processes. His professional journey includes a stint as a senior data scientist at ConocoPhillips, where he built various data products to support engineering staff decision-making — fueled by statistics, machine learning and optimization techniques. With a master's degree in data science from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor's degree in business administration from K-State, Havenstein is well-positioned to advance institutional research, specializing in statistical modeling, data visualizations and machine learning.
Elliott plays a crucial role in fostering communication between DAIR and data partners and users across the university. Her responsibilities range from project management to website management. With a varied background, Elliott has worked in many public-facing roles. Her volunteer position with TNR Have a Heart is of note. Coming from a nontraditional background, Elliott adds a unique perspective that provides creativity to numerous business practices.
Office of Data, Assessment and Institutional Research is comprised of multiple cross-functional teams developing and implementing the institutional data strategy to transform the culture of using institutional data assets. Partnering with academic and service units, the office cultivates the use of data and analytics to enrich institutional knowledge for decision-making and planning by gathering, analyzing, and presenting institutional, external and survey data.