Dr. Cohen is a developmental psychologist and the President of the Michael Cohen Group LLC. He has gained recognition throughout the world for being a provider of superior qualitative and quantitative research studies, as well as his roles as a developmental psychologist and clinician. Michael has shaped the MCG philosophy, which is to go beyond behavior and surface responses to pursue the deepest possible understanding of why individuals act the way they do.

Presently, Michael is serving as the Principal Investigator for two U.S. Department of Education Ready to Learn Media Cooperative Agreements, focused on the use of media to engender disadvantaged children’s early literacy acquisition. Dr. Cohen also serves as the Principal Investigator for a multi-year evaluation of the integration of new pedagogy and services in the Bridgeport Connecticut Public School System.

Michael’s interest in mental health, crisis, trauma and education, combined with his expertise in the field of children and media, led to his role in New York City’s post-9/11 recovery. He counseled both Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York City School Chancellor Harold Levy on the effects of trauma in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and was the principal investigator of the seminal study, “The Mental Health Impact of the World Trade Center Attack on New York City School Children.”

He has published papers on theoretical aspects of applied research and has presented his findings at both national and international conferences and organizations such as AERA, ESOMAR, Society for Research and Child Development (SRCD), American Education Research Association (AERA), KidPower, and The World Association of Public Opinion Research (WAPOR).

Michael serves on executive board for the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. He taught at the Yale School of management and the Children’s Study Center at City University of New York (CUNY). He holds a PhD in psychology from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Additionally, Dr. Michael Cohen is a published poet.

Martha Hadley is a Managing Director at MCG and Co-Principal Investigator for the LAMP and UMIGO Ready to Learn (RTL) Evaluations, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. Martha received her Doctorate in Developmental Psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and completed Postdoctoral training at New York University. She has taught research methods and clinical theory at Bank Street, Hampshire and Smith Colleges.

Amy Siskind is a sociologist with a breadth of experience in both academic and applied settings. She received her doctorate in sociology in 1995 from The New School for Social Research. Dr. Siskind taught and designed curricula for several years at the Children’s Studies program at Brooklyn College/CUNY. At MCG, Amy has managed and participated in both qualitative and quantitative evaluation research for projects, including the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready to Learn Program, and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s “Eat, Sleep, Play” outreach program.

Anna is Director of Finance at MCG. She brings eight years of financial expertise in small- to mid-size corporations, as well as start-up ventures. Anna holds a Bachelor of Science in International Finance and Accounting from the College of Staten Island. Her career has focused on financial management reporting and consolidation, budgeting and forecasting, and internal financial controls. Prior to joining MCG, Anna headed her own consulting practice focusing on the development and implementation of strategic financial plans for start-up companies.

Carmina Marcial is a Research Director at MCG and the Account Manager of the firm’s research activities for Project LAMP. Carmina has led numerous formative studies to help inform the development of the children’s media properties for both the previous and current round of the Ready To Learn Program. She also helped plan and conduct the summative research, evaluating the educational efficacy of properties created for an earlier Ready To Learn cooperative agreement. Carmina is fluent in Spanish and holds an M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University’s Teachers College, and a B.A. in Communications from Tulane University.

Claire Hatamiya is a Research Director at MCG. She has over 15 years of experience facilitating programs in nonprofit organizations and public schools in New York City, as well as in Baltimore and the Oakland/Bay Area. She has created and facilitated interactive and experiential workshops for youth and youth providers on topics such as girl’s health, HIV/AIDS, youth development, global health issues, human rights, and cultural diversity. Claire holds a doctorate in Educational Theatre from NYU, a master’s degree in Health Education from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and bachelor degrees in Ethnic Studies and Dramatic Arts – Dance from the University of California at Berkeley.

Gerad O’Shea is a Research Director at MCG and the Statistics Coordinator for the firm.  As a researcher, he serves as Project Director for Nickelodeon’s Bubble Guppies and the Action for Bridgeport Community Development’s Total Learning initiative and is the Account Manager for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s nutrition curriculum evaluation.  Prior to joining MCG, Gerad was a Junior Research Scientist at the Child & Family Policy Center at NYU. Gerad graduated from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and received an M.A. in Applied Psychology from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at NYU, supported by the Monroe Stein Memorial Scholarship. Prior to entering the field of applied psychology, Gerad was the assistant band director at the Boston Arts Academy and founded Four Square Records in Boston, MA.

Inna assists the President of MCG. Her responsibilities include client relations, day-to-day scheduling, travel, correspondence, planning and office management. As a member of professional research team, she is adept in editing and producing client-ready proposals, presentations and reports, contributing to research study design, planning for individual interviews, focus groups and surveys, participating in data analysis, and attending industry conferences and client meetings. Inna earned her Master’s Degree in Education from the State Pedagogical University in Khabarovsk, Russia, during which time she completed a year of international exchange studies at the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. She speaks several languages.

Joe Caliguro is a consultant at MCG. He is retired from the U.S. Department of Education. He has also worked in Student Affairs at both Penn State University and the University of Wisconsin, taught 10^th grade American Literature, and worked in news at NBC-Washington. He is A.B.D. status in the doctoral program in Higher Education Administration at Penn State, and holds a Masters Degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology from Penn State, as well as a B.A. in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Maryland.

Katherine Yoshida is a Director at MCG. She serves as the Account Manager for the research and evaluation component of Project UMIGO, a U.S. Department of Education Ready To Learn project aimed at enhancing early numeracy, mathematics, and digital skills in under-served populations. Her previous experience includes the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (Behavioral Health) and the United Nations (Economic & Social Affairs, UN Women). She earned her PhD in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and her BSc from McGill University.

Katie Potter is a Research Associate at MCG. Before joining MCG, Katie worked as a medical translator for the Shoulder-to-Shoulder organization in Honduras as well as at the Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank, NJ. Katie also developed Spanish Story Time for children ages one to five at River Road Books in Fair Haven, NJ. Additionally, she was an intern for Yale University’s Centering Pregnancy Plus Project. Katie graduated magna cum laude from Skidmore College with a double major in Psychology and Spanish, as well as a member of Psi Chi, the International Honors Society of Psychology. An athlete, she was also a part of the Skidmore College field hockey team.

Kimberly is the Field Manager for all qualitative projects at MCG and the Director of the SOHO Research Centre. Before joining MCG, Kimberly was manager of the Production Studio for WordWorld, an Emmy award-winning animated children’s television series aimed at developing preschoolers’ literacy and pre-literacy skills. She holds a Bachelor Degree of Arts in Urban Studies and is currently pursuing her MBA in General Management.

Katherine is a Senior Research Associate at MCG, where she performs fieldwork and drafts formative and evaluative research reports. She holds a Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she focused on At-Risk Youth, Resiliency and Prevention. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Bates College. Currently, she is working on her doctorate at Fordham University in Applied Developmental Psychology. She has also been awarded a fellowship from the Yale Child Study Center to consult on Early Childhood Development (EDC) Apps that will help guide policymakers and community leaders in developing countries.

LaToye is a Director at MCG. Prior to joining MCG, LaToye was a research analyst at Nickelodeon where she contributed to many award-winning animated series including The Backyardigans, Team Umizoomi, and Bubble Guppies. She earned a BFA in Animation from Rochester Institute of Technology while working as a teachers aide at the University’s preschool. LaToye is currently pursing her MA in Developmental Psychology for Educators at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests include broadcast and interactive media for children.

A Senior Associate at the Michael Cohen Group, Salomea Swain supports research, grant writing and facilitation, and infrastructure organization. Salomea is an educator, a children’s literature specialist, special education teacher, early childhood teacher, movement therapy facilitator, technology instructor, and storyteller. She also served as Archives Librarian/Archivist for the Public Broadcasting System. She holds degrees in Comparative History and Library Science from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Kristen McGregor is a Senior Research Associate at MCG . Prior to her time in New York, she could be found building playgrounds around Ontario as the producer of TVO Kids’ latest series, Giver, with Sinking Ship Entertainment. She has also contributed to numerous children’s shows as a creative producer (Are we there yet? World Adventure; Roll Play), writer (Babar and the Adventures of Badou; Pirates: Adventures in Art), and creator (her science-based preschool series for children, Hippothesis, is currently airing on TVO). Kristen also holds a B.A. in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University, as well as a master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she investigated childhood creativity and how to help spur innovative thinking through media.

Daisy is the Director of Security at the Michael Cohen Group, her other responsibilities include welcoming guests, fetching the mail, and cleaning up after client lunches.  Daisy holds a certificate in Obedience from Petsmart and is originally from New York City.  She has an expertise in stress reduction and relaxation and her research interests are animal development and behavior, conditioned response and clicker training.