As an Insights Illuminator, Amanda plays an integral role on both qualitative and quantitative research initiatives. Though her academic training and professional experiences have leaned more quant, she has become a truly ambidextrous researcher who can whip out a screener, activity guide or qual analysis as brilliantly as a survey, banner plan or data-driven story. In fact, creating compelling final deliverables that combine human insight and empathy with decision-guiding data is one of her superpowers. Think numbers jockey meets consumer whisperer meets graphic designer.
Amanda’s work spans key clients in the food & beverage, toy & game, apparel and technology categories. One minute she’s uncovering motivations for holiday shopping at Target; the next minute she’s creating developmental playbooks to grow clients’ understanding of youth across ages and stages.
Amanda began her career in behavioral healthcare as a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). She went on to hold roles as research coordinator and project analyst at Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, also in Pittsburgh.
Amanda later became a quantitative project manager at Newristics, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based market research firm that specializes in messaging optimization using behavioral science and artificial intelligence.
Prior to Smarty Pants, she was a senior market research consultant at PNC Bank, where she began as a market research consultant. She was responsible for leading primary research across various lines of business, including investments, small business banking and the PNC brand.
Amanda earned her Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology from Robert Morris University and a magna cum laude Master of Arts in Research Methodology from the University of Pittsburgh, a program that focuses on psychometrics, research design and statistical methods.
Amanda is based in Pittsburgh, PA. When she’s not working, you can find her at the gym, in a pool, on a field (or court) playing in a recreational sports league… or in the kitchen trying a new recipe she discovered on TikTok.
