Robert Rodier

Rob is a seasoned education leader with a background in data-driven decision-making and educational technology. He was a Harvard Fellow from 2020 to 2023, participating in the inaugural higher education cohort of the Strategic Data Project at the Center for Education Policy Research. In 2024, he earned his Ed.D. in Education Leadership from Western Carolina University, building on his extensive academic foundation, which includes an M.S. in Information Assurance from Norwich University (2008) and a B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1995).

Currently, Rob oversees the development and support of the software platform used by the Gardner Institute for their partner institutions. This innovative platform empowers colleges and universities to analyze and plan projects using comprehensive data about students’ race, ethnicity, first-generation status, gender, age, socio-economic status, and other critical factors such as financial aid and academic programs.

Rob works closely with Institutional Research staff, faculty, administrators, and other higher education professionals to ensure that survey information and other data are effectively utilized in the Gardner Institute’s work. This includes historical and predictive analytics that drive institutional improvement. Since 2020, under Rob’s leadership, the platform has integrated new features like equity dashboards with IPEDS data, improvement science tools, and curricular analytic tools from their partner, Damour Systems, PBC.