Mihaela “Ina” Cernusca, MBA, is the project director for ND Compass and a research specialist within the Center for Social Research located at North Dakota State University (NDSU). In her role as director, she leads the design and operation of the ND Compass project, in addition, she strives to increase awareness and understanding of ND Compass and ensure the project’s sustainability. With extensive experience in market and social research, she has participated in many projects that involved quantitative and qualitative research, grant writing, project management, and outreach/extension activities. Ina earned her MBA from the University of Missouri Columbia and worked as a marketing research specialist with the Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri.
Chelsey Hukriede, M.A., is a research specialist at the Center. She is the program coordinator for PRAMS and SOARS public health surveyance programs in collaboration with the ND Department of Health. Chelsey supports ND Compass by coordinating social media activities.
Kendra Erickson-Dockter is a research specialist. Currently, Kendra has a part-time appointment with the Center and provides support to various projects. Kendra led North Dakota Compass as the project director, from 2013 to 2019.
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North Dakota Compass employs a number of students on an on-going basis, providing paid internships for undergraduate students and research assistant positions for graduate students. The full-time staff provides mentoring to the students and enjoys contributing to their hands-on learning experience, while simultaneously benefiting from their contributions to the project’s efforts.