To serve the Charlotte community by providing a high-quality, online survey research platform and regular opportunities for interaction to allow civic organizations, community stakeholders, academics, and policy-makers to learn vital information about perceptions of key issues in the Charlotte area.
The Charlotte Community Survey Panel, YourVoiceCLT, is a joint effort between the Urban Institute, the Public Policy program, the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and the Policy Opinion, Learning and Sentiment Lab at UNC Charlotte.
The Co-Founders of YourVoiceCLT are both members of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and subscribe to their code of ethics and best practice guidelines.
Working under UNC Charlotte ensures high-quality survey research while protecting your personal data. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UNC Charlotte ensures that no harm is done to any individuals. Your non-identifying information like zip code, age, sex, educational background, and other demographic details generally asked in the census, is the only information used to deliver results benefiting the Charlotte community.
Diane Gavarkavich has been in Charlotte since graduating college and with the Urban Institute since 2013. For the Urban Institute, she manages research services, primarily surveys and program evaluations. Her research interests include data-informed decision-making, social capital, and the social determinants of health. Prior to graduate school, she was an algebra teacher in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She still works in schools, currently leading a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) club for girls at McClintock Middle School through McClintock Partners In Education (McPIE).
This work is also supported by Public Policy Doctoral Students:
Tim Gibbons
Titiksha Fernandes
Cherie Maestas (Marshall A. Rauch Distinguished Professor in Political Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte) is the Director of the Public Policy PhD Program and the Public Opinion Learning and Sentiment Lab (POLS-Lab), a research laboratory that conducts experimental research to understand factors that influence public opinions on a range of issues. Her research and teaching interests include political psychology, public opinion, survey research methodology, and legislative representation. She recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how individuals regulate their emotions in response to partisan polarization in government and society. Her co-authored book, Catastrophic Politics: How Extraordinary Events Redefine Perceptions of Government (Cambridge University Press) examines public attitudes toward government response to natural disasters. Her research appears in leading journals including Journal of Politics, American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science and Political Analysis. She completed her PhD at the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2000 and joined the faculty at UNC Charlotte in 2014.
The Community Advisory Board share their unique insight and expertise to the staff of YourVoiceCLT on issues from recruitment to retention to survey topics to methodology. They are community champions who support efforts for an inclusive community panel.
Carol is Assistant Director of the Robinson Center for Civic Leadership at Foundation For The Carolinas. In this role, she helps connect the philanthropy side of the Foundation to community needs and issues. In her previous roles, Carol has served as a self-employed community planning consultant providing needs assessments, research and strategic planning assistance on such community issues as homelessness, domestic violence, workforce development and the plight of returning veterans. She has also been a city planner for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, serving as Coordinator of Long Range and Neighborhood Planning, Design Planner for the Village of Schaumberg Illinois. She currently serves on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Workforce Development Board and the Board of the UNC Charlotte Institute of Social Capital.
Dawson, Ph.D, serves as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his 23 years of service at UNC Charlotte, he has engaged in extensive research, written numerous journal articles, book chapters, and books, and taught graduate courses in Educational Research Methods, Assessment and Evaluation Methods, Program Evaluation Methods, Survey Research Methods, Qualitative Research Methods, and Advanced Statistics. Dr. Hancock also has extensive experience working in North Carolina schools and non-profit organizations, primarily as an evaluator of programs designed to enhance student learning and the preparation and retention of high quality teachers and administrators.
In her current role, Dianne has guided the development of innovative programs that provide strategic assistance to individuals, organizations and institutions in addressing issues of race, ethnicity and other dimensions of diversity and has partnered with numerous community organizations and leaders in collaborative civic efforts. Prior to this, she has served at Mecklenburg Ministries, Center for International Understanding, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Charlotte Outward Bound, Florence Crittenton Services, Historic West End Partners and the Urban Ministry Center. Dianne has received several awards for her advocacy efforts, including Mecklenburg Ministries’ 25th Anniversary Legacy Award (2012) and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Award of Excellence (2012). IV.
Jordan is the Associate Director of Community Relations at UNC Charlotte and has been with the university for over five years. Her job entails connecting UNC Charlotte to the community and the community to UNC Charlotte by building and maintaining mutually beneficial partnerships within the nonprofit sector, planning and managing several key community engagement programs and projects, and doing her part to bring awareness to the many ways UNC Charlotte displays good citizenship. Currently, Jordan is working on developing an intentional, dynamic, and sustainable employee volunteer program that empowers employees to start or continue engaging with our community.
LaRita currently leads a team of professionals responsible for the development of short and long range plans to advance the organization’s strategic direction, ensuring the best use of data and analytics to inform organizational decision-making, development and implementation of community engagement and fund development strategies, and all organizational marketing, communication, and advocacy related activities. A native Charlottean, LaRita has served on a number of community boards. She is currently active as a member of Johnson C. Smith University Board of Visitors, Wells Fargo Champions for Education Board of Directors, and Women Executives.
Mark is the Founding Director, UNC Charlotte, Academy for Research on Community Health, Engagement, and Services (ARCHES), dedicated to bridging community well-being and health promotion research activities through community partnerships to promote healthier outcomes for individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities. While at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas he founded the Divisions of Community Medicine and Community Health Science, the Community Health Fellowship Program (CHFP), and the Community Action Research Track (CART). Dr. DeHaven is a recipient of the President’s Award, North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG), the Dallas Academy of Medicine Philanthropy Award and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Professional of The Year Award.
Rebecca leads the City of Charlotte’s Office of Data & Analytics, an initiative to drive excellence citywide through collaborative problem-solving based on data, information, and evidence. Her office works to increase access to relevant, high-quality data and build capacity and skills for using those data to improve services, inform decisions, and solve problems. Working with City staff, nonprofits, community partners, and neighborhood leaders, she makes data and information easier to find, easier to understand, and easier to use. Her office maintains the Quality of Life Explorer, a tool that tracks neighborhood-level indicators of community character and well-being. Rebecca is actively involved in Charlotte’s membership with the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, the National Neighborhood Indicators Project, and the Community Indicators Consortium.
Suzanne is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. She teaches for the Phd in Public Policy specializing in Research Design, Qualitative Methods and State and Local Policy and the Master of Public Administration Program. Her research is in the area of urban policy and intergovernmental relations and she has published in journals such as Public Administration Review, Public Administration, Journal of Urban Affairs and Urban Affairs Review. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Kansas.
Veronica is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic diversity at Aldersgate. Prior to joining the Aldersgate family she had the privilege to work for Carolinas Healthcare Systems and Wells Fargo, both organizations helped her sharpen her leadership skills and allowed her to fully understand the meaning of establishing lasting relationships and building strong partnerships. Veronic moved to the Queen City from Ecuador in 1999, and now considers herself to be a true Charlottean. Veronica enjoys sports, traveling, the outdoors and is a foodie, and always on the lookout for the next best dish in town. A true Panther fan, eagerly waiting for a Super Bowl trophy.
Victoria, PhD, MBA is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a community psychologist. With a focus on implementation and improvement science, her research uses interdisciplinary approaches to build the capacity of healthcare systems and community organizations.. Dr. Scott is a recipient of the Society for Community Research and Action Early Career Award and the Don Klein Publication Award to Advance Community Psychology Practice. Recently, Dr. Scott and her evaluation colleagues received the 2017 American Evaluation Association Outstanding Evaluation Award for their evaluation of SCALE, a national capacity building initiative led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Warren is the Director of Outreach and Community Affairs for the North Carolina Turnpike Authority. A native of Roxboro, North Carolina, and a former Raleigh resident, Warren graduated from Davidson College with a degree in history. He moved from Raleigh to Charlotte in 1995. In addition to working in the private sector for First Union/Wachovia/Wells Fargo, Warren has served on the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, and the Charlotte City Council.
