About the ICN
The Insights Career Network (ICN) is a community of market, consumer, user, and business research professionals who volunteer their tools, experience, and networks to help each other develop their careers.
The ICN was created in 2022 by a group of six volunteer research and insights experts who recognized how challenging it is to go through career transitions without a trusted, relevant support network that expects nothing in return.
Together, we help colleagues – fledgling and experienced, alike – find jobs, learn new job search skills, grow their professional networks, improve their job applications, and step forward with confidence.
Follow us on LinkedIn to learn about research and insights jobs, and upcoming events and join us to be invited to them!
ICN Team Composite courtesy of Austin’s own
Bridgette Bloomquist Photography.
Meet the 2025 ICN Leadership Team
Member Services
Vice President Melissa Barrow, Fort Worth, Texas
Director Chelsey Popejoy, Denver, Colorado
Director Gabe McElwaine, NYC, New York
Research on Research
Vice President Kahren Kersten, Cary, North Carolina
Director Tracy Bills, Austin, Texas
Director Randy Adis, Newtown, Connecticut
Director Lori Walker | Los Angeles, California
Education & Events
Vice President Melanie Solka, San Francisco Bay Area
Director Sarah E. Weber, Austin, Texas
Director Karen Krishfield, Los Angeles, California
Marketing
Vice President Kelvin Claveria, Vancouver, B.C.
Director Melissa Paluch, Falls Church, Virginia
Senior Executive Directors & Co-Founders
Brian Fowler, Alameda, California
Justin T. Hawkins, Chicago, Illinois
Doug Keith, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Senior Executive Advisors & Co-Founders
Stephen Griffiths, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jacci Weber, Franklin, Tennessee
Maya Kantak, Los Angeles, California
ICN Leadership Bios
Member Services
Join the Insights Career Network
Vice President Melissa Barrow | Ft. Worth, Texas
Melissa’s passion for building the next generation of insights professionals stems from her diverse experience across supplier, vendor, and client roles. Witnessing layoffs, transitions, and corporate transformations firsthand allows her to connect with our members’ unique challenges. Driven by a desire to make a difference, Melissa began in social research, focusing on youth, educators, and undocumented populations.
This experience honed her methodological skills and instilled a curiosity that translates to her market research work with companies like Texas Instruments, Game Stop and 7-Eleven where she excelled in storytelling, relationship building, and championing integrity and respect. Melissa is energized by ICN’s potential and eager to give back.
Director Chelsey Popejoy | Denver, Colorado
Many people in market research end up there by chance, in contrast, Chelsey attended Penn State with the intent of a career in consumer behavior and research. What she didn’t expect was making the jump from Analyst to Sales and how well that would suit her career progression. In 11 years, her career has spanned roles on the vendor side focusing on pharma, insurance, CPG, financial services, and tech industries – with an emphasis on CPG in her current role at Buzzback. Chelsey specializes in consultative solution selling and client service, with the research and data analysis chops to not be “just the salesperson” for her clients. Her goal is to have a true partnership and add value for all parties.
Director Gabe McElwaine
New York City, New York
After a decade in the music business, Gabe took the logical next step into the market research industry. For the past 18 years, Gabe has progressively moved from large data aggregators to focus more on the newer research technology platforms, where he has worked to build the go-to-market, sales, and client management functions & teams for some of the more innovative restech startups in the market. Currently, Gabe leverages his sales and client development skills in consulting for a variety of market research platforms and agencies.
Research on Research
Vice President Kahren Kersten | Cary, North Carolina
With a BA in Business Management (University of Leeds, UK), Kahren’s career began in London in 2007 as a market researcher in NPD, advertising, and CX. She sought opportunities to learn and apply an array of quantitative and qualitative tools and techniques, innovating on research methods as she progressed to leadership roles, winning new business in turn. During her time in the UK, Kahren worked at BrainJuicer (now System1 Group), denstu’s Vizeum UK, GfK NOP, and MarketCast, among others.
In 2017, Kahren moved back to the US to pursue an MA in Industrial and Product Design (NCSU) where she blended existing career knowledge with newfound design skills. In her final year, she worked full-time in Electrolux’s design team. After graduating in 2020, Kahren founded Experience Insights, a consultancy using mixed-methods research, journey maps, workshops, collaborative techniques, and wireframes/service mapping to holistically inform business strategy and design new customer experiences.
Director Randy Adis | Newtown, Connecticut
Randy will be spearheading another one of our upcoming research initiatives to understand the state of hiring in 2024. This work will build on a 2023 ICN study advancing our understanding of the hiring process and current conditions; things have changed some since Q1 2023. We are fortunate to have Randy’s astute and strategic thinking on this one! He brings over 25 years of experience in consumer insights and market research. With expertise that spans a wide array of qualitative and quantitative methods, he has held leadership roles at Unilever and PepsiCo on the client side, and more recently at Olson Zaltman and Product Ventures on the agency side. He’s passionate about staying ahead of the curve and using his expertise to design effective research roadmaps and deliver compelling results.
Director Tracy Bills | Austin, Texas
Tracy Bills’ journey through the insights practice has been long (20+ years), with a meandering path through vendor and client-side consultancy. She uses her BA in Marketing and passion for numbers to elevate traditional user experiences through innovative product and marketing research.
As a mixed-method researcher, Tracy loves translating complex data into compelling narratives that spur actionable change. She leverages her comprehensive research toolkit to deliver insights that resonate with stakeholders and guide product decisions. Her expertise spans B2B, technology, user experience, product development, brand equity, and competitive analysis. She has served in leadership roles at AppFolio and ServiceNow, as well as multiple research agencies (e.g., Millward Brown).
Director Lori Walker | Los Angeles, California
Ms. Walker is a passionate advocate for inclusion in the research process and is dedicated to ensuring all voices are heard. She has committed and contributed to change by designing training for inclusive research, mentoring at WIRe, and volunteering with the ICN. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from Capella University, her capstone research focuses on psychological safety in diverse teams.
With expertise in measuring the customer experience, generating marketplace intelligence, and new product development, she excels in both quantitative and qualitative methods, and consumer and B2B research. She thrives on conducting interviews, moderating focus groups, and facilitating discussions. Ms. Walker holds a Master of Marketing Research from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and is a RIVA-certified Master Moderator.
Education & Events
Vice President Melanie Solka | San Francisco Bay Area
Melanie is a marketing and insights executive with a robust background in driving growth across diverse industries. With a blend of Fortune #1 to startup experience across client, agency and supplier companies, she brings a wealth of expertise in global marketing, market research, consumer insights, product innovation, and digital marketing.
She has established and led insights functions, translating research into impactful strategies, products, and services, and has spearheaded numerous multi-million-dollar initiatives: Go-to-market launches of Sam’s Club’s digital ad products; retail strategy initiatives at Nintendo; leading insights teams at Circana, Ipsos, and Nielsen for CPG, technology, and media clients.
Director Sarah E. Weber | Austin, Texas
Sarah discovered her passion for research and building insights programs while working in the Austin, Texas, tech start-up scene, following a decade-plus career as an award-winning journalist. She started volunteering for the Insights Career Network in October 2023 while earning her Master’s in Marketing Research & Analytics at Michigan State University. She’s now a familiar face at ICN meetups, where she showcases career development and networking opportunities for job seekers and insights allies. In spring 2024, she joined uShip as a Sr. Marketing Research Analyst. When she’s not immersed in research or volunteering to support the insights community, you can find Sarah walking her mischievous rescue pup, Kiwi, enjoying Austin’s many parks and patios, and planning her next travel adventure.
Director Karen Krishfield | Los Angeles, California
Karen Krishfield is a versatile and creative consumer insights leader with both supplier- and brand-side experience across several categories, yet entertainment has always been a common thread. She enjoys using research as a problem-solving tool to drive strategy and generate business impact while championing best practices and innovation. Formerly with Hulu, Karen is currently seeking her next client-side role. Based in Los Angeles, she holds a BA in Psychology from UCLA and was recognized as an Insights Association Laureate in 2023. She is passionate about giving back by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and can often be found pursuing her interests in travel, photography, and attending live events.
Marketing
Vice President Kelvin Claveria | Vancouver, British Columbia
Kelvin’s research tech industry journey began in 2013 with a social media marketing role at Vision Critical (now @Alida). Learning from research leaders like Dr. Alexandra Samuel and Ray Poynter, he built their social media presence and established their blog as a valuable resource.
Promoted to Content Marketing Manager in 2015, Kelvin collaborated with executives and customers to elevate Vision Critical’s thought leadership. In 2018, he joined Rival Technologies and Reach3 Insights, founded by Andrew Reid, to help the industry move to conversational, mobile research. Now, he drives demand for both companies through integrated marketing programs, increasing brand awareness and revenue.
Impressed by the talent and dedication of researchers, Kelvin volunteers with ICN to contribute to the industry and its community.
Director Melissa Paluch | Falls Church, Virginia
Melissa Paluch, based in the Washington, DC area, serves as the volunteer Marketing Director for the Insights Career Network. She is a skilled market researcher known for her ability to design and execute research projects, delivering actionable insights. With experience as a Market Research Analyst at Virginia Tech, Melissa has a strong analytical acumen and expertise in assessing market demand and competition. She holds a Master’s degree in Sociology from George Mason University, graduating cum laude in 2018, and a Graduate Certificate in Survey Design and Data Analysis from George Washington University in 2015. Melissa is also a RIVA-trained focus group moderator.
Currently, Melissa is employed as a Survey Research and Data Analyst contractor through MBO Partners on behalf of Price Waterhouse Coopers. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys biking, boating, and traveling.
Senior Executive Directors & Co-Founders
Brian Fowler | Strategy Consultant, Brain Flower Services
Brian’s career began with a decade as a full-service research practitioner and progressed into business intelligence and market/ing research for brands, research agencies, and multimode platforms. The data, people, and process skills learned in that foundation prepared him to lead one of the original multimode survey software platforms, CFMC/Survox, through a decade of intense innovation and dramatic change for the company and the industry.
For 25+ years, concurrent with his corporate and consulting careers, he has served as a volunteer elected officer with more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, including chapters of the AMA, IA/MRA, and AAPOR. He has mentored dozens of fellow insights and marketing professionals, co-produced more than 200 networking and educational events, and garnered several awards. His clients, often entrepreneurs, startups, and nonprofits, rely on his services to get to market, stay competitive, and build effective marketing, research, and business operations.
Brain Flower Services
The ICN is one of the most accessible and effective career support groups because of our incredibly supportive community. Researchers are naturally and professionally curious, empathetic, and supportive and that’s a significant reason for this career community’s effectiveness. Many of us have faced hurdles in entering or advancing our careers and some of us have benefited from mentors who steered us in little ways that made big differences. It can be devastatingly lonely when you are fighting for your life. Don’t go through it alone – the ICN community will help.
— Brian Fowler
Justin Hawkins | Marketing Research Leader, Kimberly Clark
Justin is a highly collaborative and empathetic consumer insights business partner who thrives in ambiguity. He is trained in moderating, facilitating, storytelling, and design thinking, and has experience leveraging jobs to be done to ensure consumer relevance. Justin has been involved in developing at least 3 new brands from opportunity identification/selection to launch and has a proven track of influencing senior leadership teams with actionable insights rooted in qualitative and quantitative consumer learning.
Having managed research across multiple continents and living abroad for several years, Justin truly has a heart for influencing across markets. Justin currently works at Kimberly-Clark where he leads US front-end innovation research for the company’s adult and feminine care businesses.
Doug Keith | President, Future Research Services
Doug Keith has more than 25 years of experience in the research industry, doing both qualitative and quantitative work. Doug trained as a focus group moderator at the Burke Research Institute in Cincinnati, OH, and has conducted qualitative and quantitative research for a variety of clients across industries, with a focus on technology and media & entertainment. Prior to moving into consulting, Doug served as a Vice President/Account Executive in the Media & Entertainment Group at TNS, where he worked at the highest level with clients in the fields of media, telecommunications and IT.
Doug has been a panelist and speaker at the IAB Audio Agency day, a featured speaker at the ARF Re:Think Conference, and the Giant Screen Theater Association worldwide conferences. He completed a degree in Journalism at the University of South Carolina and obtained his MA in mass media and communication from Temple University. He is currently a member of IA and QRCA.
Senior Executive Advisors and Co-Founders
Maya Kantak | Lead Consumer UX Research, Rocket Companies
Maya is an award-winning consumer insights leader leveraging the power of the consumer voice to drive revenue and profit growth for industry leaders and beloved brands, including Honda, Del Taco, Disney Parks, ZipRecruiter, and now, Rocket Companies. During her 8+ years in the industry, and 3+ years in senior leadership roles, she has successfully spearheaded actionable, custom research projects to drive commercial strategy, brand building, product launches, and more.
As a passionate insights leader, Maya uses her platform to support, encourage, and educate other researchers trying to navigate the space. Recently, Maya has dedicated time to helping create opportunities for insights professionals through her co-founding of EPIC Insights, and her advisory roles for Michigan State University and Insights in Color.
As a second-generation researcher, I know firsthand the impact early guidance can have on a career. I learned advanced analytics at a very young age and met folk in the industry I still look up to today. It’s not always easy to first facilitate these connections though, especially in our newly digital-first world. I hope the Insights Career Network will bridge that gap, and provide access to this wonderful MRX community for all to benefit.
– Maya Kantak
Jacci Weber | Senior Pet Parent Insights Manager, Mars Petcare
Jacci is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary marketing leader who strives to put the consumer at the forefront of all decision-making. While Jacci initially discovered the Marketing Research industry by accident via Google search, she’s enjoyed dedicating the last 10 years to helping client-side firms launch new products, optimize customer experiences, deploy consumer learnings, and drive financial results.
Jacci currently works at Mars Petcare leading US consumer research for the IAMS brand. Prior to joining Mars, Jacci led consumer insights and brand licensing teams at The Wendy’s Company. Jacci is a proud graduate of the Masters of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program at Michigan State University and has served as an advisory board member for that program since 2013.
Her passion for insights – particularly in mentoring early-stage professionals – has led to speaking engagements with national conferences, universities (including Michigan State University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Iowa), and podcasts.
Stephen Griffiths | Research Director, Post Cereal
Stephen is fascinated by helping organizations use customer understanding to unlock growth. Stephen unwittingly began his insights career as a mall interviewer in high school and has been in consumer insights for 10+ years with Nielsen, P&G, General Mills, and UnitedHealth Group. His passion led him to co-found Epic Insights, a networking organization for client-side insights professionals. Stephen can be found interviewing insights professionals on Digging For Insights, the leading client-side insights podcast founded in 2019.
Research Director,
Post Cereal
I remember fighting with self-doubt as I struggled to get a job as a new college graduate in the Great Recession. It wasn’t until years later as an MBA student and hiring interviewer that I learned how to present oneself as a job candidate and really leverage career connections. I’m hoping the Insights Career Network can provide the resources and community that I wish had been there for me 12 years ago.
— Stephen Griffiths
2023-2024
ICN INSIGHTS ADVISORY COUNCIL
Michelle Auguste, National Basketball Association
Kristin Branch, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dan Quirk, Quirk’s Media
Debby Schlesinger-Hellman, Art and Science of Joy
Karen Lynch, Greenbook
Matt O’Mara, Cranbrook Associates
Lisa Gudding, IPSOS
Zontziry Johnson, IPSOS
Giselle Restrepo, Round Peg
Giustina Parisi, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Insights Industry Partners
Our Insights Industry Partners help bring awareness to Insights Career Network programming and job seeker resources.
Thank you for your support!
