Amelia Ayoob is our Data Manager with a human-centered, multi-disciplinary approach to project design and problem solving.  

Amelia earned her Masters degree in Geography from the University of South Carolina, a BA in Political Science from Cal Poly Humboldt, and has completed coursework with the Parson’s School of Design. Amelia has seven years of experience in project administration and business operations in the non-profit sector. 

Amelia is passionate about information design and visualization.  She combines her social science background with her proficient data skills to tackle complex issues for Inciter’s clients. Her tool list includes Tableau, Power BI, Excel, Adobe Illustrator, and Airtable. 

Her hobbies include trying all the coffee shops and bakeries within a reasonable walking distance of her apartment, cooking, and playing Arabic music. Originally from Northern California, she now lives in Washington DC with her husband and a cat named Larry.

‍What brought Amelia to Inciter:

Amelia was excited about the opportunity to draw on all of her favorite experiences from past roles (the data wrangling and planning parts) to help make data easier for nonprofits. She also appreciates Inciter’s growth-minded culture and the ability to learn not only new skills, but about new subject areas since Inciter works with clients in a variety of sectors.

Komani Lundquist-Cedano is our passionate and forward-thinking CEO and Co-Owner of Via Evaluation, Inc. and Inciter. She brings a hands-on, multi-faceted approach to leadership and organizational development.

Komani manages client accounts, human resources, finances, company strategy, and marketing. She also leads the executive committee in advancing company initiatives, facilitating training, and strategic planning processes.

Komani holds certifications as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and a Behavioral Analyst for the DISC behavioral profiling system. She serves as Treasurer of the Western New York and Finger Lakes Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association and is a member of the SUNY Erie Business Advisory Board.

In 2021, Komani launched Building Your Consulting Business, a virtual roundtable supporting entrepreneurs in growing their businesses.

Outside of work, Komani enjoys hitting the slopes, spending time with her children and friends, and building a strong work-life balance.

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Taj Carson is the founder and CEO of Inciter, known for being strategically innovative, candidly responsive, and empathetically results-oriented. 

Since 2003, Inciter has been making complicated and labor-intensive data challenges more manageable for nonprofits and public agencies. Dr. Carson has more than 20 years’ experience working with nonprofits to help them better understand their data and reporting challenges and to identify the best solution given their resources. She has a Masters degree in Information Visualization from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2015), a certificate in technology entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (2010), and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Delaware (2000).  

With all this, it may not seem like Taj has much free time, but when she can, she makes time for the things she enjoys, like cycling, rowing and practicing her Spanish (preferably in foreign countries). And sometimes for fun, Taj swims with sharks, and people she wishes would get eaten by sharks. 

Why Taj founded Inciter: 

Having spent the early years of her career conducting evaluations of nonprofits, Taj decided it would be more exciting to make it easier for nonprofits to have the data they wanted, to answer the questions that are important to them, and to help them make meaning out of that information using data visualization. And she was right.

Jessica Weitzel is President, Co-owner, and Director of Evaluation of Via Evaluation, Inc. and Inciter, bringing 20 years of experience in research and evaluation across education, social work, public health, and related fields.

Jessica oversees all projects and evaluation staff at VIA while leading strategic company initiatives. Her extensive experience includes managing federally and state-funded projects, as well as working with foundations, school districts, and community-based organizations. Through this, she recognizes that while evaluation methods can be broadly applied, each client and project has unique strengths, needs, and contexts that shape the evaluation process.

Jessica is driven to deliver meaningful, honest, and timely information that influences perspectives and drives action. She serves as Program Co-Chair of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) Use and Influence of Evaluation group and is a past Co-Chair of AEA’s Data Visualization and Reporting group. She also sits on the United Way ALICE Research Advisory Committee and shares her expertise through volunteer roles and presentations at national and local conferences on evaluation, grants, and data use.

As a mother of daughters and a Girl Scout leader, she is passionate about empowering the next generation of socially responsible entrepreneurs. Outside of work, Jessica enjoys collaborating with people in real-world settings, helping them use data to provide high-quality services.

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Claire Fontaine is our Director of Research, bringing expertise in mixed methods and a wide range of qualitative techniques to Inciter’s evaluation and evaluation-adjacent projects. 

Dr. Claire Fontaine holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (2015), a Master of Science in Teaching from Pace University (2005), and a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University (2002). Claire has been a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania (2018-2021), a researcher at Data & Society Research Institute (2015-2018), and a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and professor of pre- and in-service teachers in the New York City public school system (2003-2015). She has published in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods and Social Media & Society, and has expertise in traditional and emerging qualitative and mixed methods as well as the impact of technology on society.

Outside of work, Claire enjoys perfecting her kombucha recipe, running (slowly…!), reading darkly comic novels, and continually developing her yoga practice, informed by a decade of study of ashtanga and recent introduction to the critical alignment system. Claire loves spicy food, early bedtimes, and engaging with abolitionist, feminist, antiracist, liberatory theory.

What brought Claire to Inciter: 

The chance to work with all different types of clients and help answer their questions and solve their data and reporting problems! Claire began working with Inciter on a flexible basis while planning her escape from academia, but her responsibilities have increased considerably since then.

Adam Sulier is our Senior Data Consultant, bringing his expertise in data engineering and data transformation to Inciter projects.  

Adam’s skill set and expertise center on data transformation, loading, automation, and management. Before coming to Inciter, Adam worked as an in-house data engineer for one of the largest video game retailers in the world. However, much of Adam’s career has been spent in consulting, working previously with smaller tech companies, medium professional services firms, and one of the Big Four. He also has experience teaching, having served as an instructional assistant for a part-time data engineering and visualization course offered by Johns Hopkins University. Adam received his Bachelor of Science from The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Washington D.C.

Outside of work, Adam enjoys rock climbing, exploring D.C. on his bicycle, caring for his dozens of houseplants, watching scary movies with his friends, and playing video games.               

What brought Adam to Inciter:  

Adam was excited to continue his career and grow his skills with Inciter, and believes that Inciter’s unique focus on helping our mission driven clientele is a rewarding way to put his skill set to use.