Team Members Magnolia Consulting

Our Leadership Team

Stephanie B. Wilkerson

Stephanie B. Wilkerson, Ph.D.
President

Lisa Shannon

Lisa Shannon, Ph.D.
Vice President of Research and Evaluation

Our Team

Holland Banse, Ph.D.
Senior Researcher and Evaluator

Beverly Bunch

Beverly Bunch
Executive Assistant

Emily Evans

Emily Evans, Ph.D.
Researcher and Evaluator

Jen Gruber

Jen Gruber, Ph.D.
Researcher and Evaluator

Catherine Pearson, B.S.
Budget and Contracts Manager

Elizabeth Peery

Holly Matruski, M.S.
Research Assistant

Our Interns

Click for Bio

Casey is a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia in 2019. She went on to obtain an M.Ed. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education in the spring of 2020. Later that year she joined Virginia Commonwealth University’s doctoral program in Developmental Psychology, and in 2022 earned her M.S. Her research focuses on parent-child interactions, intergenerational patterns, and social-emotional development in the context of child maltreatment. Broadly, she hopes to bolster positive development following traumatic experiences and inform best-practices in preventing maltreatment from a multigenerational lens. Through her internship at Magnolia Consulting, LLC she is acquiring skills in industry research and hopes to gain experience in evaluation and data visualization. In her free time, she enjoys baking bread, doing embroidery and cross-stitch, and playing with her dog.

Kelvin T. Afolabi, a doctoral student in his third year of research, statistics, and evaluation at the University of Virginia’s Department of Education Leadership, Foundations and Policy, has a research interest in advancing the methodology and application of structural equation modelling, item response theory, and Bayesian Statistics. His work addresses substantive research questions such as cross-cultural validity issues, school climate, and school threat assessment. Through his internship at Magnolia Consulting, LLC, Afolabi is applying his skills in research, program evaluation, and data management while gaining real-world experience in client relations and developing robust reports based on client needs. In his leisure time, Afolabi enjoys working out at the gym, running, and reading self-help books.

Our Network of Consultants

Click for Bio

Lily has more than two decades of experience leading technology, education, media, and professional services organizations through transformative change while preserving a strong culture and a sense of mission. Lily is licensed to practice law in Colorado, DC, and Virginia, and she is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. She is a resident of Nelson County, Virginia, where she shares a cottage in the woods with her husband, two boys, three rescue cats, and a Morkie-Poo. Lily consults with Magnolia as a human resource advisor.
Valerie Haff is an editor and project manager with two decades of editorial experience in educational content development and research. She specializes in educational publishing—curriculum, assessment, research, academic journals, and educational technology. She has extensive experience in content development management and editorial project management. In addition to serving as an editor and proof handler for various academic journals, she currently serves as managing editor for The American Biology Teacher. She supports a broad range of clients, including independent authors, educational publishers, and nonprofit organizations and has provided editing services to Magnolia on a wide variety of studies.
Ms. Josette Haddad is a freelance copyeditor who has collaborated with Magnolia Consulting since 2017. Her editorial services help ensure that reports are clear, consistent, and error-free. She holds a B.A. in English literature from Cornell University and has 30 years of experience as a copyeditor for businesses, nonprofit organizations, publishers, and independent authors. When not editing, Josette enjoys taking walks with her family and tending the plants inside and outside her home in New Mexico. Josette serves as an editor for Magnolia Consulting products and deliverables.