Our Team
Pamela Ferguson, Ph.D.
Director of External Client Services
Dr. Ferguson is an accomplished social researcher with over 30 years of expertise in mixed-method research design and implementation, quantitative and qualitative data analytics, and findings interpretation and dissemination. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University and a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Houston. Dr. Ferguson serves as the primary investigator for the Bureau's research portfolio, leading diverse research initiatives in education, healthcare, public health, and social and community services. Her research interests include primary, secondary, and post-secondary education enrichment initiatives, in addition to family functioning, children's mental health, and mental health and public health service provision.
Anthony Shreffler, M.Ed.
Director of College Client Services
Mr. Shreffler is a social science researcher with over 10 years of experience in program evaluation, quantitative and qualitative research design and implementation, data analysis, statistical interpretation and reporting, survey research methods, and database management. Mr. Shreffler holds an M.Ed. in Evaluation and Measurement from Kent State University and coordinates the Bureau's services for EHHS faculty and graduate students.
Deborah Shama-Davis, Ph.D.
Special Researcher
A retired Bureau director, Dr. Shama-Davis has worked in the field of statistics, research, and evaluation since 1980, both at the Bureau and at Academic Computer Services at Kent State University. Her doctorate, earned in 1984, includes two majors: Evaluation and Measurement and Special Education. She taught special education in public school for five years and has taught research, special education, and child development classes at Kent State at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Shama-Davis retired from Kent State in 2018, returning to work part-time at the Bureau in 2022. Her professional passion is conducting program evaluations, analyzing quantitative data, and consulting with clients regarding their research and projects. She has received accolades from the National Science Foundation and the Ohio Department of Education for her work.