David J. Bauer, Ph.D.
Director
David leads the Casagrande Institute, managing day-to-day operations and drawing on more than 20 years of experience in consulting, education, and leadership. He specializes in enhancing the effectiveness of faculty compensation practices and evaluating programs funded by government agencies and private foundations. David has a broad academic background in psychology with primary emphases in behavioral neuroscience and quantitative analytics, and additional scholarly interest in moral judgment. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a BA from Hope College.
djbauer@viterbo.edu
608-796-3617
Frank A. Casagrande
Independent Senior Consultant
Frank brings over 40 years of combined expertise in consulting, education, and executive compensation. He led the higher education sector at Hay Group for a decade and contributed extensively to their work on executive compensation for tax-exempt organizations, following a 10-year tenure in tax benefits and actuarial services at KPMG and Buck Consultants. With roots in education as a middle and high school teacher, and roles as an adjunct professor at Rutgers and Montclair State Universities, he is also recognized as a seasoned speaker at educational association events. He holds a BS in applied mathematics, an MA in teaching, and an Executive Compensation Certificate, complementing his background as a retired enrolled actuary.
Karen Hutcheson
Independent Senior Consultant
Karen Hutchenson is a highly respected authority in compensation consulting with over 25 years of specialization in higher education, including former leadership of higher ed practices at Mercer and Segal. She has helped over 160 institutions with strategic compensation, performance management, and HR effectiveness initiatives. Karen focuses on developing practical, competitive, and sustainable compensation and job architecture programs that align with institutional mission and resources. She holds a BA in business administration from Boston University.
Sharon Eisenmann
Independent Senior Consultant
Sharon brings over 30 years of experience as a human resource professional including 25 years in higher education as the Chief Human Resource Officer for St. Joseph’s University and Gwynedd Mercy University working directly with senior leadership. Most recently Sharon has been consulting with institutions across the country on a variety of HR issues and initiatives. She has a BS in Education from Chestnut Hill College and a MS in Education from Gwynedd Mercy University.
Michael Williams
Independent Senior Consultant
For the past twenty years, Mike has worked with The Austen Group, a company to which small colleges and universities outsource some of the more complicated and tedious functions of institutional research. The Austen Group has assisted more than eighty small colleges and universities in the areas of admissions, financial aid, program mix analysis, and retention and has produced the Key Indicators Tool and the Financial Indicators Tool for The Council of Independent Colleges. The Austen Group was purchased in 2015 by Ruffalo Cody which then purchased Noel Levitz and is now Ruffalo Noel Levitz. Mike returned to his own consulting practice in 2020 and also serves as Senior Advisor for Data and Benchmarking Services for The Council of Independent Colleges.
Robert “Skip” Myers, Ph.D.
Independent Senior Consultant
Robert “Skip” Myers combines over 30 years of leadership in higher education with a specialized focus on executive roles, strategic turnarounds, and board dynamics. He has led large public and private institutions, including a transformative tenure as the interim president at UMUC (now University of Maryland Global Campus), where he spearheaded significant global expansion. His experience also encompasses roles as chancellor and president, enhancing academic quality and financial stability at institutions like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide and Daniel Webster College. He has an academic background in journalism and public relations, with a PhD in higher education policy, planning, and leadership.
Sherri Ondrus, Ph.D.
Independent Consultant
As a social psychologist and certified executive coach, Sherri has held leadership roles across three sectors of higher education. She has conducted confidential 360-degree evaluations of university presidents, led strategic planning, evaluated grants and continuous improvement initiatives, and served as secretary to a board of trustees. As an adjunct faculty member at two state universities, she has taught graduate-level research methods, accreditation, and planning to the next generation of academic leaders. An Ohio native, Sherri earned a PhD and MA in Social Psychology from the University of Toledo and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Baldwin-Wallace University.
Elizabeth Svoboda, Ph.D.
Independent Consultant
Elizabeth Svoboda, PhD, has over eight years of experience conducting research and evaluation in the social, health, and education sciences to assess impactful outcomes for individuals and communities. As a program evaluator, she has managed multiple evaluation projects funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, and nonprofit programs. Elizabeth has expertise in experimental and quasi-experimental design, mixed methods research, and psychometric methods. Elizabeth earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Educational Psychology from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and a B.A. in Psychology from Creighton University.
