Dawn Leusner is a senior research project manager in the Office of Professional Standards Compliance in the Research & Development division at ETS. Her research focuses on fairness and equity. She joined ETS in 2003.
Leusner is also the institutional review board (IRB) administrator for ETS. In this role, she directs the review process of applications to conduct research and ensure compliance with relevant federal regulations, international and state laws, local contexts, including school protocols, and ETS policies and procedures. Training and mentoring a 13-member board, a cross-divisional team, the ETS IRB is charged with ensuring the rights and welfare of participants. Leusner collaborates across ETS (i.e., General Counsel Office, Information Security & Compliance) to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), and functionally supervises two IRB analysts.
Across ETS initiatives, she provides day-to-day oversight, maintains budgets; schedules, staffing, and contracts; and tracks and reports deliverables. Currently, she is supporting the newly formed Institute for Student Achievement Foundation.
In previous work from 1991 to 2001, Leusner conceptualized and led quantitative and qualitative market research studies, including design, instrumentation, data collection, analysis, report writing, and presentations. In 2002, as a relationship manager for the Liberty Science Center, she managed a subset of traditionally underserved school districts in New Jersey and developed resources for math and science teachers.
Leusner has over 25 years of varied, hands-on, research experience. She graduated from Georgian Court College with a B.S. in business administration. In 2008, she earned an M.A. in education at Rider University, and, under the principal, completed an internship in Lawrenceville Elementary School in New Jersey.