Staff Bios
- Leslie Altizer
- Laurie Choi
- Paula Desio
- Kalima Drga-Abreu
- Patricia Harned
- Kevin Caffrey
- Moira McGinty Klos
- Katie Lang
- Skip Lowney
- Rachel Schwartz
- Philip Smith
- Lena Thomson
Leslie Altizer
Senior Director of Benchmarking Services571-480-4408
E-mail Leslie Altizer
Leslie manages ERC's benchmarking services department, which helps guide the strategic thinking of senior ethics professionals by providing them with cutting-edge analytics and data related to the ethics field.
Benchmarking Services' core competency is survey design, administration and analysis, along with other for-fee research services. The work focuses on the role of strong cultures and well-implemented ethics and compliance programs in reducing an organization's ethics risk.
Leslie was named Senior Director of Benchmarking Services in 2008. He had worked at ERC since 2007 and also has worked outside ERC as a consultant in the field of human capital.
Leslie holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in philosophy from Emory & Henry College and a Master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Radford University.
Laurie Choi
Senior Program Manager
571-480-4409
E-mail Laurie Choi
Laurie manages ERC's international programs, which advance high global standards in ethics & compliance program evaluation, corporate responsibility, and ethical leadership.
In the era of globalization, public and private organizations must work to develop ethics programs that are applicable to diverse cultures and to both internal and external stakeholders. ERC studies ways to accurately measure program effectiveness and ethical culture in complex global organizations. This work consists of collecting employee survey data, working with international partner ethics institutions, and supporting ethical leadership development through the Global Integrity Alliance (GIA).
Laurie first joined ERC as an intern, then became Survey Manager and Data Analyst in 2004. She became Senior Program Manager of ERC's international programs in 2006 and also is involved with client program assessment.
Prior to joining ERC, Laurie collected and analyzed training data as a consultant for the World Bank Institute Evaluation Group. She also was an Executive Program Assistant for FINCA International, a microfinance development non-profit organization headquartered in
Laurie holds a Master's degree in Public Policy focusing on International Development from
Paula J. Desio
ERC Chair for Ethics Policy
571-480-4420
E-mail Paula Desio
Paula is the first holder of the Ethics Resource Center Chair for Ethics Policy, which was created in June 2007. She works with policy makers to promote the use of ERC's substantial empirical research into the development of laws and regulations that promote higher ethical standards and practices in the workplace. Her work involves frequent interaction with local, state and federal officials to make them aware of ERC's work and analysis.
Paula also cultivates ERC's partnerships with other organizations, both national and international, that share a commitment to improving standards and awareness of ethical practices. As in her earlier career in the private and public sectors, Paula is a frequent speaker and author on these issues.
Before assuming the ERC chair, Paula served for 10 years as Deputy General Counsel to the United States Sentencing Commission in Washington DC. There, she was responsible for policy analysis related to corporate and economic crimes, and for the 2004 amendments to the organizational sentencing guidelines for business compliance and ethics programs. She coauthored an article on the congruence of these guidelines with the OECD corporate governance principles.
Prior to her service on the Sentencing Commission, Paula was Of Counsel to the Washington law firm of Crowell & Moring, where she spent 10 years specializing in internal investigations and the defense of businesses involved in federal criminal and agency enforcement proceedings and congressional hearings.
Earlier, Paula prosecuted civil fraud cases on behalf of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and from 1980 to 1982 was a public defender in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has served on the Adjust Faculty at American University Washington School of Law and School for Public Affairs.
Paula holds a bachelor's degree in History from Bucknell University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She holds Master's Degrees in Latin American Literature and Latin American Studies from the University Wisconsin-Madison; received a Ford Foundation Fellowship to Inter-American Commission of the Organization of American States, and a J.D. Degree from Marquette University Law School She has been an active member of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court in Washington since the chapter's formation in 1988.
Kalima Drga-Abreu
Office Manager
571-480-4426
E-mail Kalima Drga-Abreu
Kalima Drga-Abreu came to the ERC as Coordinator for Programs in October 2003. She works primarily with the consulting and programs staff on a variety of projects. Ms. Drga-Abreu received her B.A. in International Relations from The College of Wooster in 1998. After college Ms. Drga-Abreu served as a volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps and lived in a remote region of the Dominican Republic. She spent the previous three years as Coordinator of Grants and Foundations for the National Mental Health Association. Ms. Drga-Abreu is a world traveler and is fluent in Spanish.
Patricia Harned
President
571-480-4422
E-mail Patricia Harned
Dr. Harned co-authored the 2007 National Business Ethics Survey, ERC's benchmark measure of the effectiveness of ethics and compliance programs – and its companion, the 2007 National Government Ethics Survey, which spurred public discussion of the need for stronger ethics programs in the public sector. In 2002, she was an advisor in the crafting of federal legislation to prioritize character education research. She spearheaded ERC's review of proposed federal regulations for management reports on internal control of financial reporting, and of the Security and Exchange Commission's proposed rules for codes of conduct at publicly traded companies. Dr. Harned supported the Federal Sentencing Commission's Advisory Group formulation of recommendations for Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations. She has testified before several congressional committees, as well as the Federal Sentencing Commission.
Dr. Harned is a regular columnist for Compliance Week and a consultant to the Securities Industry/Regulatory Council on Continuing Education, co-authoring the ethics module for the Regulatory Element delivered to all registered broker/dealers in the United States. Her published writings include Creating a Workable Company Code and Common Sense & Everyday Ethics, as well as chapters on character development in middle school textbooks published by Harcourt, Brace & Co. Her published articles include Leading the Effort to Teach Character in Schools (NASSP Bulletin, 83(609)), Partnering Character Education and Conflict Resolution (Kappa Delta Pi Record, 35(3)), and Creating a Culture of Development for the New Professional (New Directions for Student Services, Jossey-Bass Pub.).
She is also an accomplished speaker on ethics issues and serves on the editorial board of the referred journal Public Integrity.
After initially joining ERC in 1999 as Director of Character Development, she went on to serve as Director of Research, Managing Director of Programs, and Vice President and Acting President before being appointed President.
Before coming to ERC, Dr. Harned was a Teaching Fellow and Director of Research at the Heartwood Institute, a character education curriculum development organization in Pittsburgh, PA. She also served as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Comparative Analysis in Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Harned began her career as an Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs at Carnegie Mellon University. She holds a doctorate in the Philosophy of Education from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Education degree from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Elizabethtown College.
Kevin Caffrey, Ph.D.
Fellows Program Researcher and Project Manager
571-480-4404
E-mail Kevin Caffrey
Kevin Caffrey conducts research and manages the many ongoing projects of the ERC Fellows Program. The Fellows are a select group of senior corporate, government, nonprofit and academic ethics and compliance officers and experts who work together to identify, examine and further understand the critical organizational ethics questions challenging organizations today.
Prior to joining ERC in 2008, Kevin advised students and taught graduate courses in the social sciences at the University of Chicago, with an emphasis in anthropology and politics. He has extensive ethnological research experience in China and Taiwan, where as a Fulbright scholar he investigated topics such as culture, ethnic politics, religious motivation, and conflict. Before that, he was a Trade Consultant for Taiwan Transportation Machinery Corp., a boutique firm involved in power generation and military projects supporting Taiwan's infrastructural development.
Kevin earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Chicago focusing on Chinese politics, conflict, and ethno-religious minorities. He earned a Bachelor's degree in East Asian / Military History, Psychology, and Chinese Studies from the University of Kansas.
Moira McGinty Klos
Vice President and Corporate Secretary
571-480-4401
E-mail Moira McGinty Klos
Moira McGinty Klos joined the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) in October 1995, serving first as its Director of Advisory Services and more recently as the Director of Operations.
As Director of Administration, Ms. Klos ensures that the ERC offers custom, quality services to each and every client. In addition, she oversees the Financial Management, Strategic Planning, Technology Infrastructure, and Human Resources functions. With her long-standing history with the ERC, Ms. Klos is often called in to manage additional areas that currently include, Development, Board Relations and Communications.
Before joining the ERC, Ms. Klos was employed by Ethics, Inc., the ethics consulting firm founded by former ERC President, Michael Daigneault. Ethics, Inc. provided ethics training and consulting to the business, legal, association and government communities. Ms. Klos served as the Operations Manager and Senior Consultant, as well as being a shareholder in the company.
As Operations Manager and Senior Consultant in a two-person office, Ms. Klos was responsible for all aspects of company business from financial management and logistics planning to the creation of materials and client services. She also assisted the organization in the preparation and execution of all written materials, often co-authoring articles with Mr. Daigneault, in addition to contributing her skills as an editor. As a Senior Consultant, Klos was the primary point of contact for all Ethics, Inc. clients including: United Way of America, American Hospital Association and the Environmental Industry Associations among others.
Prior to that time, Ms. Klos had a successful career in hotel and retail management. She began her career, after graduating from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1983 with a double major in Business Administration and Dramatic Arts, as the Front Office Manager of the Old Town Holiday Inn in Alexandria, Virginia. Most recent to her position with Ethics, Inc., Ms. Klos operated a sole proprietorship while earning her Masters in Public Administration with a sole concentration in policy analysis (1992) from George Mason University.
Katie Lang
Managing Director of Programs571-480-4415
E-mail Katie Lang
Katie provides leadership and senior oversight to all ERC programmatic areas, including fee-for-service surveys and related research and reporting, ERC and sponsored research projects including the National Business Ethics Survey (NBES), character development initiatives, and some international work.
Katie is serving her second turn at ERC, having rejoined the staff in early 2007 after a stint as assistant director of a university research center dedicated to promoting character development through ethical-community building. She originally was at ERC from 2001-2005, starting out as a consultant in the character development department and rising to manage that department. She was involved in business ethics client engagements and facilitated several ethics training sessions for professionals.
Now, Katie is a member of the senior management team, working with programs area staff to ensure that all projects are managed to client and ERC satisfaction and that ERC activities uphold our guiding principles of values of honesty, trust, respect and excellence. She represents ERC through conference presentations, training sessions, and other public forums that promote ERC.
Her other work experiences include teaching high school in Louisiana and serving as department chair at a high school in Virginia.
Katie holds a Bachelor's degree, with a double major in Anthropology and Theology, from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Portland.
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Skip Lowney
Senior Project Manager
571-480-4403
E-mail Skip Lowney
Skip develops survey instruments and conducts surveys of organizations to measure the effectiveness of ethics and compliance programs, and develops follow up presentations and reports based on the findings. He also works to refine data collection and analysis techniques and investigates areas for further inquiry – including developing white papers on special topics, and he presents research findings at conferences. His efforts are focused on practical application of research findings.
Skip joined the ERC as a consultant in 2005, studying corporate fraud prevention programs and providing support on other projects. He became a full-time ERC staff member in 2006, with expanded research responsibilities.
Prior to joining ERC, Skip worked as a registered architect, and as a city planner. With others, he developed and administered a design and building program for the United States Postal Service. He is versed in numerous software programs, including SPSS.
Skip earned a Master's of City Planning degree from the University of California, Berkeley, with a concentration in design. He performed specialized study in social theory and research and analysis on numerous topics. He holds two undergraduate degrees; a Bachelor of Architecture, and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, both from the University of Maryland.
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Rachel Schwartz
Benchmarking Services Coordinator
571-480-4413
E-mail Rachel Schwartz
Rachel Schwartz joined ERC's Benchmarking Services team in 2008. In addition to coordinating the efforts of team members, she programs client surveys and provides helpdesk assistance to survey takers.
Before coming to ERC, Rachel lived in Scotland and studied at the Center of Development Studies, a postgraduate division of the Department of Economics at the University of Glasgow. This program allowed her to focus on the intersection between positive environmental practices and poverty reduction.
Rachel holds a Master's in Economic Development from the University of Glasgow and a Bachelor's degree Economics from San Jose State University.
Philip A. Smith
Vice President/Communications
571-480-4419
E-mail Phil Smith
Phil oversees ERC's internal and external communications strategy and execution, as well as marketing and branding of the Center's activities and services. He is ERC's main contact with the media and serves as editor of Ethics Today, the online newsletter.
Prior to joining ERC in April 2008, Phil was an independent communications consultant, advising clients on strategy and media relations. For eight months in 2007, he traveled weekly to Ohio to advise a nonprofit healthcare company on workforce communications, labor issues and community outreach. His clients also included Kearsarge Global Advisors, a Virginia-based public affairs firm doing business in the U.S., Europe and South America.
From 2001 to 2006, Phil was executive vice president of Policy Impact Communications, Inc. in Washington, D.C. Clients included American Indians in class action litigation against the federal government; a regional leader in the former Soviet republic of Georgia; Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and others.
His previous experience includes almost 20 years as a reporter and editor at The Washington Post. He also served for four years as press secretary for U.S. Senator John Warner of Virginia, and for two years as senior vice president for communications at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
A native of northern New York State, Phil earned a bachelors degree in history from Yale University and a masters from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Lena Thomson
Project Manager, Research and Character Development
571-480-4410
E-mail Lena Thomson
Lena manages a diverse range of projects for ERC. Within Character Development, she heads the College and University Student Ethics Office pilot program, which helps postsecondary institutions establish student-led offices that promote core values and mission statements as a framework for ethical decision-making among school community members.
For research projects, Lena oversees the logistics of conducting surveys for external clients and internal research initiatives. This includes developing communication materials, building surveys and ensuring their functionality, and processing the resulting data. Additionally, Lena participates in data synthesis and report writing for many projects.
Lena joined ERC in April 2006 as the Character Development Associate and Survey Coordinator. Previously, she was a high school teacher, athletic program coordinator and coach, and AmeriCorps volunteer.
Lena Thomson holds a Bachelor's degree, with a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish Language and Literature, from James Madison University. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in International Education from George Mason University.
