OUR TEAM

Kevin Akins

Kevin is an experienced pollster who has elected Democrats and progressives from city hall to the U.S. Senate. The son of a union steelworker, he is particularly proud of his work with organized labor, including recently defeating Right-to-Work by a 35-point margin at the ballot box in a conservative state.

Kevin brings a depth of experience polling diverse areas. He is a go-to Florida pollster who has employed bilingual and multi-modal research to pick up legislative and municipal wins, pass ballot initiatives, and has worked in the state’s bellwether Congressional Districts (including polling for Rep. Charlie Crist in FL-13). Kevin has also polled throughout California: as a part of the team for Rep. Ami Bera (CA-07), for organized labor, and in targeted legislative races across the Golden State.

Kevin also specializes in culturally moderate-to-conservative pockets of the country – and has won. This includes passing ballot measures in the South and Heartland, wins at the legislative and municipal level in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida, and serving as pollster for Rep. Joe Cunningham in SC-01, one of the biggest upsets in 2018 (a seat Trump carried by +13 points).

Kevin has seen the innerworkings of polling from all angles – working his way from a call house interviewer to a trusted strategist. Kevin earned an M.A. in political science from the University of Florida and a B.A. from Huntingdon College. He and his wife Chris live in Montgomery, where they raise their young sons Graham and Owen

John Anzalone

John Anzalone is one of the nation’s top pollsters and messaging strategists. He has more than twenty-five years of polling experience and was most recently the chief pollster for President Joe Biden’s campaign. This marks his fourth presidential campaign, after having polled for both Barack Obama (2008 & 2012) and Hillary Clinton (2016). As a pollster, he has helped elect U.S. senators, governors, dozens of members of Congress and numerous other office holders up and down the ballot.

In 2020, he helped Governor Roy Cooper win a second term in North Carolina, a state that Trump won that year. In 2018, John helped elect new governors in Michigan (Gretchen Whitmer), and Nevada (Steve Sisolak), and in 2019 he helped to re-elect Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards – who is the only Democratic governor in the deep south and “stunned Republicans with his reelection victory in the ruby red state.” During the 2018 midterms, John’s firm helped flip five GOP congressional seats as well as elect Kyrsten Sinema to the Senate in Arizona.

In the last two decades, John and his firm have helped beat more incumbent Republicans and take back more Republican seats than any other polling firm in the nation.

John and his team at Impact Research work regularly with the Democratic Governors Association, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Majority PAC, and Senate Majority PAC. They also work with important Democratic allies like the Human Rights Campaign, Emily’s List, The Hub Project, and Planned Parenthood.

In the corporate realm, John has helped Fortune 500 companies with data driven corporate strategy, messaging and branding. He currently serves as a strategic consultant and impact advisor for multiple corporations and trade associations. His specialties include giving guidance on how to maneuver in turbulent political environments, changing marketplaces and cultural dynamics, and crisis management.

A leader in his field, reporters from the nation’s top news publications routinely call on him for his expertise and political insights, and you can find him quoted in stories featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, The Hill, Roll Call and CNN, amongst others.

Prior to his polling career, Anzalone was a campaign operative and was one of the first staffers in Iowa for Joe Biden for President in 1987. He also worked for Democratic strategist James Carville on U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg’s 1988 campaign as his Political Director. He began his political career as an aide to David Wilhelm (who later became DNC Chairman) at Citizens for Tax Justice and the AFL-CIO, and then went on to manage campaigns in five states.

The son of two union members, John grew up in St. Joseph, Michigan, and graduated from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. John is married and has four children, four dogs, and lives in Montgomery, Alabama. He roots for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Chicago Cubs. 

Diana Candelaria

Diana Candelaria is the Administrative Manager at Impact Research. Diana is responsible for all areas of office operations, including accounts payable and receivable, vendor and client contracts, human resources and preparing client project packages. Prior to joining Impact Research, she worked as the contract administrator and network administrator for McClinton & Company, Inc., a local commercial real estate developer.

Diana is a magna cum laude graduate from South University, holding a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, specializing in leadership and management.

Joshua Chism

Joshua Chism is a Junior Research Analyst in Impact Research’s Montgomery office. He graduated in 2021 with his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Music from Troy University. During his undergraduate career his research focused on two main topics, the effects of Covid-19 and online mental health self-tests. His interest in politics began during his statistical studies at the time of the 2020 presidential election.

Outside of work, Joshua enjoys playing and performing classical and jazz music on his alto saxophone. He enjoys keeping up with many things such as movies, neuroscience, fiction books, and all things music.

Megan Crowe

Megan Crowe is a Senior Associate at Impact Research. Prior to joining Impact in 2021, Megan spent two cycles at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as the Northeast Targeting Director in 2018 and the Analytics Director for the DCCC’s Independent Expenditure in 2020. In those roles she contributed to successfully flipping and holding the House, working with campaigns and consultants to develop strategy, messaging guidance, and target audiences for Democratic candidates and organizations in competitive congressional districts.

Prior to getting sucked into politics, Megan worked in the non-profit sector on issues of hunger and nutrition, partnering with government and non-profit partners to develop plans and strategies for ending childhood hunger in their communities.

Megan is a proud native of Baltimore and lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband.

MAYRA CUEVAS

Mayra Cuevas is an Associate at Impact Research where she works with a variety of Democratic campaigns and progressive causes. She is involved in projects from start to finish, including developing questionnaires, poll analysis, and data visualization.

Mayra joined Impact Research in 2019 after working at EMC Research for three years. Her introduction to public opinion research occurred in graduate school, where she helped conduct focus groups and in-depth interviews in Quezon, Philippines in order to gauge the impact of climate change on food security and nutrition.

Mayra holds a Master of Public Health from Loma Linda University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology from La Sierra University. 

Casey Farmer

Casey Farmer is the Senior Director of Projects at Impact Research.  She is responsible for overseeing client research and the development of Impact’s analytical capabilities.  Casey graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2003 with a degree in Anthropology and Mathematics.  Most recently Casey attended Georgia State University where she received a master’s in 2010 in Quantitative/Educational Research with a focus on statistical analysis.

Prior to joining Impact, Casey worked for many years with a wilderness therapy program in Northeast Georgia Mountains.  She is a dedicated runner and enjoys spending time outside with her husband and two sons in Montgomery where they live.

MATT HOGAN

Matt Hogan has worked for the Democratic nominee in the past four U.S. presidential elections, polling in both the primary and the general election for President Joe Biden, as well as for President Obama in his 2012 re-election campaign. In addition to his work at the presidential level, Matt has polled for candidates at all levels of government, from mayor to the U.S. Senate, and is proud to have been part of the teams that helped elect Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) and Tom O’Halleran (AZ-1) to Congress. Matt has also worked with the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), and has extensive experience polling on issues such as healthcare, education, tax policy, immigration, and election reform.

Matt holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. in History from James Madison University. He lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife, daughter, and son.

Jared Holeman

Jared Holeman is from Ardmore, PA, a town right outside Philadelphia. He graduated from Princeton University in 2021 with a degree in Political Science and minors in Spanish and African American Studies.

At Princeton, Jared focused on issues relating to democratic health, racial politics, and transnational policy. Outside of the classroom, he spent much of his time involved with student organizing on campus and local activism in Philadelphia.

In his free time, Jared loves to tend to his garden and spend time outside in nature.

Nolan Jackson

Nolan Jackson was born and raised in Montgomery and graduated from Troy University in 2018 with a BA in Business Administration concentrating in Information Systems. He’s always had a keen interest in politics and is excited to be on the Impact Fielding team and learn the ins and outs of polling. As a fielding assistant, Nolan assists with the day-to-day fielding responsibilities and helps prepare projects as they come in.

While not buried in Excel he enjoys live music, a good workout and getting outdoors.

Ben Lenet

Ben Lenet is a Senior Associate in Impact Research’s Chicago office. Prior to joining ALG in 2019, Ben served as both the Director of Polling and Midwest Campaign Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. In those roles he managed and designed the organization’s strategic research initiatives and executed state and national campaigns to combat climate change, lower carbon emissions, and protect safe drinking water.

Before working at NRDC, Ben ran the Democratic Party of Illinois’ statewide coordinated campaign in 2014, which won numerous constitutional offices and state legislative seats despite the tough environment for Democrats. Previously, Ben served as political director to Congressman Mike Quigley, and spent two cycles at The Strategy Group, a direct-mail firm based in Chicago.

When not working, Ben is probably on a golf course, cooking, or spending time with his wife Jordan and their dog Morty. 

Jeff Liszt

Jeffrey Liszt is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, by way of the University of Chicago. Along with partner John Anzalone, Jeff polled for the 2008 Obama Presidential campaign in seven states, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. He has polled for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Democratic Governors Association independent expenditures, including the DSCC’s successful IE campaign for Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010. His international experience includes recent work in Ukraine and Slovakia. His non-political work includes extensive polling on healthcare, conservation, energy, and education. Jeff is also an Ironman triathlete.

Joe Lumansoc

Joe Lumansoc was born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Milledgeville, Georgia. Joe graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University in Marketing and a Minor in History, where he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa and a master’s degree from Auburn University at Montgomery in Applied Economics.

Prior to joining Impact, Joe worked in the corporate sector in sales, purchasing, and logistics. In his free time, he enjoys watching Atlanta sports teams, traveling, playing drums, cooking, and spending time with his wife, Haley.

Luke Martin

Luke Martin is a Senior Associate in Impact Research’s Washington, D.C. office. Luke previously spent eight years at a boutique Democratic polling firm where he worked as a strategist advising progressive clients at the national, federal, state, and local levels. His marquee wins include successful campaigns in many Obama-Trump Congressional districts. 

A native New Englander, Luke is originally from MidCoast Maine, and spent 4 years in Vermont where he worked in local politics and was the campaign manager for the Senate Majority Leader. While in Vermont, he also spent a year conducting policy research for the Vermont Legislature.

Luke and his wife Ally are the parents to the official Impact D.C. office dog, a golden retriever named Cabot. Luke is also a former ski instructor and still tries to spend as much time as he can on the mountain during the winter.

ZAC MCCRARY

During his more than 12 years at Impact Research, Zac has been integrally involved in the firm’s work at all levels – from the White House and Congress to state houses and city halls. Zac has served as pollster and strategist for Governors, members of Congress, mayors, state legislative caucuses, and public-interest groups. Zac has also polled for county and municipal officials from Las Vegas to Chicago to Charlotte.

Zac is the lead pollster for Governors John Bel Edwards (LA) and Steve Sisolak (NV) and led the firm’s work partnering with Doug Jones campaign and DSCC to help elect the first Democratic Senator from Alabama in a generation.

In addition to his work with candidates, Zac often works closely with the DSCC, DCCC, and DGA to elect Democrats across the country and also partners with labor unions, major corporations, and non-profit organizations to help them achieve their public policy goals. Additionally, Zac has a wealth of experience with environmental and conservation groups, and has partnered with the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Nature Conservancy, among others to impact environmental policy at the national, state, and local level.

Zac is also an experienced focus group moderator, having moderated 100+ focus groups in more than twenty states and in all regions of the country. Zac joined the firm in 2007 after serving as the Communications Director for the Alabama Democratic Party and working in statewide and local campaigns. He has appeared on various television news programs, has been quoted in a variety of national publications, and profiled in Campaigns and Elections magazine.

He holds a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Alabama. He and his wife Barbara, a mechanical engineer, live with their dog Fritz, a well-behaved Italian Greyhound.

Molly Murphy

Molly Murphy specializes in domestic political campaigns and has worked on hundreds of statewide, congressional, and local races all over the country. In addition to her work with candidates, Molly works closely with the DSCC, DCCC, and DGA to elect Democrats across the country and help identify winning progressive messaging. Molly has done extensive research work for progressive issue organizations including the Rockefeller Family Fund, EMILY’s List, SEIU, Human Rights Campaign, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

In 2018, Molly is proud to have helped Kyrsten Sinema navigate a tight race and become the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona. She was also an integral part of the team that helped the North Carolina House Democrats break the Republicans’ supermajority in the chamber that same year. In 2016, Molly was an integral part of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s electoral victory over incumbent Pat McCrory – a significant flip in a state that Donald Trump won at the top of the ticket.

Molly has also overseen numerous victories at the congressional level including the recent victories of Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Donna Shalala (FL-27) in 2018, Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) in 2016, and Pete Aguilar (CA-31) in 2014.

Molly has also done extensive research on how to elevate family economic policies, including equal pay, paid family and medical leave, long term care, and affordable childcare. She was part of the team that helped develop the Fair Shot Campaign in partnership with EMILY’s List, CAP, SEIU, and Planned Parenthood.

In 2019, Molly was recognized as one of the American Association of Political Consultant’s “40 Under 40.”

Molly lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband Sean and their children, Charlie and Maeve.

Oren Savir

Oren Savir is a Senior Associate at Impact’s Chicago office, where he is extensively involved in local and state elections as well as in the wider Midwest. Oren is deeply interested in demography and societal change over time, and enjoys discovering new information about the electorate while helping to elect Democrats around the country.

Prior to joining Impact, Oren worked in disability law and advertising technology, and became involved in politics through organizing with grassroots reform clubs in Brooklyn. He earned his B.A. in History and Economics from Rutgers University and enjoys reading history, studying new languages, and dancing Lindy Hop.

Andrea Screws

Andrea Screws is the Chief Operating Officer for Impact Research.  She manages Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal, Finance and Marketing for all Impact offices.  Andrea has extensive experience in both the corporate and non-profit sector with service companies such as HealthSouth, ARAMARK, KinderCare Learning Centers and the Kiwanis Foundation.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts from Huntingdon College in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Andrea and her husband, Euel, have two children, Emma and Anderson, and live in Montgomery, Alabama.

HEATHER STANDIFER

Heather Standifer is Impact’s Senior Research Analyst & Training Coordinator. She is responsible for client research, aiding in the development of analytical reports, and training and development of our other Research Analysts and projects team. Heather graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s in Anthropology and English. She stayed on at Alabama to finish her master’s in Medical Anthropology in 2011 with research focusing on stress and masculinity in white Southern males.

When she’s not working, Heather enjoys playing guitar, anything craft related including quilting and knitting, and spending time with her husband, Adam, and their children, Levi, Darcy and Rowan in their Montgomery home. Roll Tide!

Brian Stryker

Brian is a Partner at Impact Research and manages the firm’s Chicago office. He has a specialty in Midwestern politics, having polled on successful campaigns for governor (Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan), Senate (Joe Donnelly DSCC IE 2012 in Indiana), and Congress (Haley Stevens in MI-11, Cindy Axne in IA-3, et al). He has also polled for winning ballot measures across the region and the country, and he’s worked for the DCCC to help flip and defend swing seats around the country.

Brian has also done work for labor unions across the country including research on broad union branding, specific contract negotiations, worker safety/training issues, and organizing drives at public universities. This includes ballot-measure campaigns important to unions such as road funding and prevailing wage.

Brian also has led much of the firm’s international work. In 2015 he was the lead advisor for now-President Muhammadu Buhari, who with Brian’s help became the first Nigerian ever to beat an incumbent President. Brian helped Buhari navigate his re-election in 2019. He also has worked in Haiti with the National Democratic Institute to elect more women, Nicaragua to make government more free and fair, and Algeria to train parties and candidates on gathering public opinion.

A Seattle native, Brian lives in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood with his wife, daughter, dog, and two cats.

Tory Waters

Tory started at Impact as an intern in the summer of 2016 during a memorable and fast-paced election cycle. Now in the Senior Research & Strategy Analyst role, she works to create statistical reports and ensure their accuracy.

Tory graduated with a B.A. in Public Policy and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. In her spare time, she enjoys cheering on the UNC basketball team and cooking. Go Heels!

SAM WILLOUGHBY

Sam Willoughby was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, and graduated from Auburn University in 2018 with a B.S. in Economics and a minor in Political Science. While in school, he served as a news editor for the university’s student-run newspaper. At Impact, he helps prepare projects before they enter the field and tracks their progress once there.

In his free time, he enjoys traveling, reading, and is currently honing his cooking and photography skills. He hopes to one day be decent at either.