About DHM Research

Michelle Neiss, Ph.D., is President at DHM Research, where she leads the company’s strategic vision, oversees operations and fiscal planning, and provides mentorship across the team. She also manages key client relationships and brings methodological leadership to complex research initiatives. Her interests span healthcare, transportation, aging, and quality of life—areas where data can drive meaningful, people-centered change.

With over twenty years of experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research, Michelle specializes in complex research design and multivariate statistical analysis to inform strategic planning and communications. Her work provides a deeper understanding around subgroups and how attitudes and behavior change over time.

She has a doctorate and master’s degrees from the University of Arizona in family studies and human development, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in social psychology at the University of Southampton. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stanford University. A bit nomadic at heart, Michelle finds grounding in gardening, reading, and long walks whenever she’s home.

Some Clients You May Know:
Oregon Forest Resources Institute, The Eastern Transportation Coalition, Clean Water Services, City of Bend, and Oregon Health Association

Selected Presentations:
Michelle presents regularly to public officials, boards of directors, and at regional and national conferences, including Portland Metro Chamber, Healthcare Communicators Northwest, IBTTA Communications Summit, IBTTA Finance Summit, and Oregon Community College Association.

John Horvick is Senior Vice President at DHM Research, where he leads complex public opinion projects focused on Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. With more than two decades of experience, he has conducted over 500 focus groups and regularly surveys residents to understand their values, priorities, and aspirations for their communities.

John is a trusted political analyst whose insights are frequently featured in regional media including OPB, The Oregonian, Willamette Week, and as the political analyst for FOX 12. His work helps decision-makers and community leaders understand public opinion and respond with policies that reflect people’s concerns and priorities.

He holds a degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota and serves as board chair for Healthy Democracy, a nonprofit dedicated to inclusive public engagement.

Devin Bales is the Director of Research at DHM Research. In his role here, Devin oversees research product quality, leads DHM’s research and business development across Washington State, and presents research findings to clients, community groups, and media. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Portland State University and a bachelor’s degree from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

He has dedicated his professional life to exploring policy issues central to the region’s future; trying to figure out which policies work, which do not, and what communities are most impacted by policy choices. Prior to joining DHM, Devin managed legislatively mandated research projects at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy in Olympia, taught econometrics and forecasting at Willamette University, organized surveys and data for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and built housing and job forecast models at the Northwest Economic Research Center.

Devin has spent the last five years conducting non-partisan public policy research to help inform decision makers in the Pacific Northwest. While he has worked for and with organizations across the region, his focus is on his home state of Washington. Devin combines broad regional policy knowledge with research design and data analysis experience to lead rigorous research projects that provide unique insights and value for clients. His areas of interest include: the economy, regional public policy and politics, housing, child welfare, healthcare, education, taxation, transportation, the environment, and energy.

Outside of work, Devin enjoys hiking, hanging out with his dog Oscar, and hoping the Mariners make the playoffs.

Tony Iaccarino, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Manager at DHM Research. He works with clients to understand their goals, designs qualitative and quantitative research to meet their needs, and provides rigorous analysis to support informed decision-making.  

With his extensive policy knowledge, research skill, and community engagement experience, Tony works to identify solutions to vexing policy and governance challenges. He has managed research projects for a range of clients, including state and local governments, transportation agencies, utilities, and healthcare organizations. He believes deeply in the ideal of informed citizenship to enhance the public good, having administered a nationally recognized public deliberation program for the evaluation of Oregon ballot measures, while also spearheading efforts to identify measurable civic engagement indicators for the Portland metro region. 

Tony has a B.A. in History from U.C. Berkeley and a Ph.D. in History from U.C.L.A. He taught American political history at Reed College, managed the research program for the City Club of Portland, and served as Policy & Projects Director for Healthy Democracy. He enjoys hiking and foraging for mushrooms, coaching youth soccer and basketball, reading historical fiction, and keeping his family’s Italian culinary tradition alive. 

Some Clients You May Know: City of Bend, City of Portland, City of Salem, Consor, League of Oregon Cities, Oregon Business & Industry, Oregon Department of Transportation, Seattle City Light, and St. Charles Health System. 

Hannah Borenstein is a Research Manager at DHM Research. She is responsible for design and execution of quantitative and qualitative projects, ensuring quality and client satisfaction at every step. She is particularly passionate about data visualization, story-driven analysis, making space for marginalized voices, and letting the data speak—which she strives to bring to each project she works on.

Hannah came to DHM with previous research experience from academia through her undergraduate studies, market research, and political polling. She has worked on projects with a wide variety of clients and industries—from motor development and how children learn to play with novel toys; to tech and social media, health and fitness, insurance, apparel, and radio; to ballot initiatives, economic messaging and communication, and workplace sentiments and policies; to local government issues, women’s reproductive health, and much more. She loves to constantly continue learning, which is reflected in the care and attention she puts into her work. As a half Latina and half Jewish woman, it is important to her to participate in and lead diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and programs in all her professional experiences.

Hannah has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a double major in Art History and minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies from New York University. In her free time, she enjoys music and concerts, running, drinking copious amounts of coffee, comedy shows, and spending time with friends, family, and her pandemic turtle Bean. She is a Los Angeles native, making her way up to DHM’s Seattle office in summer 2023.

Some Clients You May Know:
Ulysses PAC, Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, Thesis, KMM Strategies, Coastline PR

Kara Krnacik is a Research Manager at DHM Research. She is responsible for working with clients to identify their goals, designing qualitative and quantitative research that meets their needs, and providing rigorous analysis resulting in actionable strategic insights. Kara utilizes her experience in public policy research and skills in statistical analysis to identify practical and equitable solutions for clients. She has worked across a wide range of policy areas and is extremely passionate about the importance of practical, nonpartisan research.

Prior to joining DHM, Kara worked for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy in Olympia doing public policy research at the discretion of the State Legislature. There she worked on a multitude of topic areas including public health, early education, K-12 education, and commerce and labor. The nature of her work ranged from causal inference to benefit-cost analyses to technical reviews. Being raised in the Pacific Northwest, Kara cares deeply about policy issues that impact the lives of people in this region and is passionate about using data-driven analysis to understand the root of and solutions to these issues.

Kara has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Oregon and a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in global health from the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon. She is particularly passionate about public health policy and the impact of these policies on people’s ability to live healthy and happy lives. Outside of work, Kara enjoys trying new restaurants, going to comedy shows, and spending time with her friends and family.

Phoebe Wagner is a Research Manager at DHM Research. In her role, she communicates with clients to identify their goals, designs qualitative and quantitative research that meets their needs, and provides rigorous analysis for strategic action. Phoebe has a master’s degree in global development and Indigenous studies from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history from Willamette University.

Phoebe came to DHM with previous research and project management experience in academic, nonprofit, and bipartisan policy settings. Her research has focused on Indigenous education, immigration social services in Oregon, sustainable agriculture, the benefits of community gardening, and the social and ecological knowledge of sacred sites. In graduate school, Phoebe was part of a policy research lab that addressed the impacts of climate change in Indigenous communities.

Phoebe is particularly passionate about finding the story within the data and working with clients on innovative solutions. Her areas of interest include regional public policy, the environment, immigration, and education. Outside of work, Phoebe enjoys paddle boarding in PNW rivers, cooking and sharing meals, and practicing yoga.

David is a Research Analyst (I) at DHM Research. Some of the core responsibilities of his role include preparing client deliverables, providing quality assurance at all stages of research, coordinating fielding of research, analyzing results, and communicating with co-workers, vendors, and clients to ensure smooth collaboration and execution of research.

David’s career goals are rooted in public health research, particularly in subjects related to barriers experienced by Asian Pacific Islanders and other communities of color. As a previous Research Assistant at Oregon Health & Science University, David supported and enhanced the research and communication efforts of a behavioral intervention program for children and teens with a variety of health conditions experiencing psychosocial stressors. His time in a public administration role at Multnomah County, which helped broaden his research interests and opportunities for new learning, paved the way to his current role at DHM.

Hailing from the island of Saipan, David possesses strong family values and proudly embraces his Filipino and Vietnamese heritage. A creative hobbyist at heart, he enjoys filming videos, creating digital illustrations, and practicing photography in his spare time.

As a Research Associate at DHM Research, Lane is responsible for project coordination and overall operational support. Lane’s keen eye and passion for data integrity helps to ensure quality data processing and visualization for client deliverables and statistical analyses. Lane brings over 3 years of research experience and over 5 years of operations/project management experience.

Lane holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in conflict resolution from Portland State University. He married these two interests through his thesis where he used the conflicting narrative approach to assess the effectiveness of current DEI practices. In undergrad, Lane took specialized research statistic courses and has since worked in two I/O Psychology research labs, assisting in meta-analyses focused on incivility and emotional contagion in the workplace. Transitioning to his role at DHM, he is excited to use his psychology background to better understand community opinions and help inform public policy initiatives.

As a transgender individual, equity is very close to his heart. He speaks publicly about the trans experience and strives to bring an equity-focused lens to all his work. Outside of work, Lane can be found exploring the local food scene, reading a good mystery novel, and attempting to flee from escape rooms.

Anna Feldman is a Research Associate at DHM Research. She creates and conducts quality assurance on various client deliverables for qualitative and quantitative research projects. Anna is passionate about uplifting people’s opinions and ideas, as well as expanding her own knowledge on various topics and producing non-biased research.

Anna holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her academic background provided her with a unique perspective that allows her to bridge the gap between technical knowledge and accessible communication. During her studies, she worked as an undergraduate research assistant at two scientific laboratories researching psychology and agroecology topics and as a communications assistant at Farm 2 Facts, a non-profit organization which creates data metrics for farmers markets. Through these experiences, she honed her research and project management skills.

Although Anna is originally from Wisconsin, her family is Ukrainian-Jewish, and her first language was Russian. After graduating university, she taught English at a French public high school for a year and traveled around Europe. In her free time, Anna loves to spend time outside, cook, and try to pick up various other hobbies (recently line dancing, crocheting, and playing guitar). As a recent Seattleite, she has been enjoying exploring all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

In their role as a Research Associate for DHM Research, Naama Friedman gets to explore a variety of topics through assisting on both quantitative and qualitative projects. Their passion for detailed work and organization is applied to processing data and assuring that deliverables are of the highest quality.

Naama holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Reed College, where they wrote a thesis on the interstate compacts formed in 2020 to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their interests lie in exploring how people engage with the world around them, whether politically, economically, or simply with their own opinions. How can we create a better world that can respond to what people are engaging with? This is what drew Naama to the world of research, and they hope to continue this work throughout their career.

Born in Chicago, Naama spent time in eastern Tennessee as a child and in Evanston, Illinois as a teenager. Their family’s eclectic mix of Cuban, Eastern European, and Jewish heritage meant that they grew up with an amazing collection of different recipes and a passion for keeping their loved ones fed—which they now share with their roommates in Portland. Naama has always placed a strong emphasis on creating community wherever they go, whether through food, music, or collaborative work. In their free time, Naama enjoys singing in a local Portland choir, going on long walks, and spending quality time with friends.

As Office Administrator at DHM, Tommy George is responsible for the firm’s accounting functions, financial and tax reporting, payroll, and benefit administration. With an extensive background in Financial Services and Tax, Tommy specializes in accounting. While he is an expert in and passionate about “attention to detail,” his collective experience brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to the team.

Tommy holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting from Linfield College. Born and raised in Oregon, Tommy loves all things PNW. Outside of the office, he enjoys spending quality time with his family and rescue dog. He also loves to fish, crab, clam, eat, and repeat. When not enjoying outdoor activities, he studies music history and plays guitar.