Candace Turitto, Ph.D.
Program Director // Student Advisor
Email: turitto [at] umd.edu
In her time in the political field, Candace managed dozens of legislative races in several states and served on staff for a presidential campaign in Iowa. She has also held a number of consulting positions, advising hundreds of political clients in their commission of polling and production of television/radio advertising, and was the lead data scientist at a startup political data and modeling firm in the DC area.
Candace came to academia to better understand and remedy what separates political science research from application in actual political operations in the United States. In 2018, Candace received her MA and Ph.D. in American Politics and Political Methodology from the University of Maryland, College Park. In her dissertation research, she studied the political consequences of high volumes of political information on persuasion, finding that areas more saturated with political advertisements significantly limit down-ballot candidates' ability to persuade voters. Recently, she has also been studying the fallout of flip-flopping on political issues and the nature of outcomes for elected officials who publicly lie. Candace has articles published in Electoral Studies and the Journal of Politics.
Other than political data and spreadsheets, what’s something (activity/hobby/etc.) that makes you really happy?
TAP DANCE!!! Been at it since I was 4, and these days I teach, choreograph, judge dance competitions, you name it! I’m also on the Board of Directors for a fantastic percussion-only studio in DC called Knock On Wood Tap Studio.
Richard Engstrom, Ph.D.
APAN Instructor // Student Advisor
Email: rengstro [at] umd.edu
Rich Engstrom grew up in New Orleans, where he developed an early interest in politics and local government. He finished his political science education with a Ph.D. from Rice University in Houston and served on political science faculties at universities in Wyoming and Georgia. While at Kennesaw State University, he became Director of the A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research, where he led a team of researchers who engaged in applied policy projects for local government, nonprofit, state agencies, and foundation clients. While at the Burruss Institute, Rich oversaw projects covering topics such as drug use prevention, teen driver safety, election administration, sexual violence, and regional economic development. Rich then left the U.S. to spend two years helping a start-up university get off the ground, Nazarbayev University in the Republic of Kazakhstan, serving as Associate Dean for Research in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. He then moved to Maryland and has been at the University of Maryland since 2016. He has conducted applied analyses for various government and nonprofit clients in Maryland and teaches state and local government classes. Recent projects in Maryland include work on gun violence prevention programs, auto insurance affordability, and the impact of arts and recreation programming by state agencies.
Other than political data and spreadsheets, what’s something (activity/hobby/etc.) that makes you really happy?
I live in the Annapolis area and enjoy being near and on the water. I can often be found boating on the Chesapeake Bay or kayaking on the Patuxent River. I do not, however, understand the appeal of fishing.
Neil Lund, M.A.
APAN Instructor // Student Advisor
Email: nlund [at] umd.edu
Neil Lund received his MA in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland in 2023, focusing on comparative politics and methodology. Before joining APAN, he was an analyst for the University Of Maryland Global Campus, providing data visualization, predictive modeling, and other research services for both the academic and business departments. He also works as a data science consultant, and offers tutoring services for professionals who need crash courses in statistics and programming. His interests include text analysis, machine learning, and causal inference.
Other than political data and spreadsheets, what’s something (activity/hobby/etc.) that makes you really happy?
When I'm not hunched over a computer, you might find me hiking, gardening, playing music, or possibly making biscuits.
Some of our past and current students!
Michael Dunphy is a Master's student in the Applied Political Analytics program at the University of Maryland. He is from Calvert, Maryland, and graduated from the University of Maryland in 2021 with a dual degree in Government & Politics and Computer Science with a specialization in Data Science. He is currently a Data Visualization Consultant at the National Democratic Training Committee and does freelance work as a Data Analyst through his company, VizKid Analytics, with past clients, including Greenpeace International and DataKind. His research interests include studying the effects of campaign activity on elections and how social media and media segmentation affects political discourse. His favorite part of APAN is learning from political professionals through workshops and connecting with individuals passionate about data and politics. He plans to continue his career as a data analyst to help elect candidates and cultivate data-driven decision-making in political organizations.
Riley Shatz is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Maryland studying in the Government and Politics Honors Program. Riley worked under Congressman Jerrold Nadler as a legislative intern where she briefed senior staffers on upcoming policies and initiatives, as well as writing constitute response letters and proposals. At UMD, Riley has served as a teaching assistant for the Department of Government and Politics and taught her own coding sections. She is currently writing her honors thesis on voter psychology and political communication on social media.
Riley loves to listen to music, read, and is so happy to be apart of APAN; She hopes to work as a data analytics consultant for political campaigns after graduating!
Alexander (Alex) Burt has a bachelors degree in Political Science from Rowan University and an associates degree in Intelligence Operations Studies from Cochise College. Alex served in the United States Army as an Intelligence Sergeant for U.S. Army Pacific where he led a team which analyzed and produced intelligence products for the Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific and lead intelligence organizations. Alex also briefed and worked with high ranking officials from foreign nations in bilateral intelligence exchanges.
He is now a U.S. Army Reservist here in Maryland. Alex loves hockey and is a huge New York Rangers fan. Alex is excited to be apart of APAN and hopes to work as a Foreign Service Officer in the future.
Abigail (Abby) Audlin is a senior at the University of Maryland studying in the Government and Politics department. Over the summers Abby works at Firm Advice, Inc, which consults and contracts out independent contractors to law firms and corporations in the DMV area. There she works directly under the owner, Mary Winter, as an intern where she has had the opportunity to further her interest and knowledge of law while researching and publishing articles.
Abby loves to unwind and hangout with her friends while she’s not working or in school and is so happy to be apart of APAN - A program that has given her an incredible cohort she is proud to call her friends. She hopes to attend law school after graduating from the APAN program, and is confident that the knowledge gained during her two years will help her immensely during her applications as well as in the legal field.
Joe Hoskisson is interested in public opinion and conflict resolution research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He currently helps maintain UMD’s Middle East Scholar Barometer website. He has worked in software for several years. He developed a deep interest in the MENA region after teaching coding in Beirut, Lebanon for V School in 2016 and 2017. That experience led him to study Arabic—testing at the advanced-mid speaking level on the ACTFL scale in 2019. Concurrent to the APAN program he works part-time as a software engineer for MX, a financial technology company with a mission to empower the world to be financially strong. The company has venture capital backing from large firms like TPG and CapitalG (Alphabet). He studied chemical engineering at BYU and graduated in 2011.
Joe loves his work, music, volunteering and is also an aspiring writer in his spare time. He speaks fluent Spanish and is experienced in Arabic. He loves his APAN family and is super excited to continue his future helping people is this field.
Born in the little town of Stanfordville in Upstate New York, Niall Johnson is a graduate of Plattsburgh State University (SUNY Plattsburgh) with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science and a Minor in History. Before starting his MS in APAN at the University of Maryland, Niall worked on a few political campaigns which sparked his interest in the importance of data in politics. He has worked on various voter outreach campaigns for Biden 2020, Ossoff and Warnock for the Georgia Senate, Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates, Environment America and the SEIU. He currently serves as the Field and Finance Director for Andrew Friedson for Montgomery County Councilman here in Maryland. He is also the Social Media Manager for APAN!
Niall is a huge theater nerd and has been in 40+ musicals - both on stage and back stage (lighting, sound and costumes are equally as important!) He also takes part in Civil War Reenactments and playing instruments as his side hobbies. He is a strong advocate for philanthropy and the environment. Niall couldn’t be happier with his APAN family, and is sure that coming to APAN was one of the best decisions in his life.
Jay Westreich is a data analyst in the Washington Metro Area. Originally from New Jersey, he is currently a Performance Analyst at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C., and working towards a Master of Science in Applied Political Analysis at the University of Maryland, College Park. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics with minors in Survey Methodology and History. He has experience working at private consulting firms, large corporations, research universities, and the federal government on quantitative projects. He is most interested in quantitative political research, survey research, and using data to tell stories.
Quentin Hoglund is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland studying Government and Politics. Quentin works on-campus as a Resident Assistant, Facilities Supervisor for the Eppley Recreation Center, and Peer Research Mentor for the First-Year Innovation and Research Experience. He is also the Vice President of the Residence Hall Association, where he advocates on behalf of thousands of residential students for improved living conditions. Outside of the university, Quentin has volunteered for various campaigns including John King for Governor, Steny Hoyer for Congress, and Denise Mitchell for Mayor. Quentin joined APAN because he hopes to pursue a career in campaign analytics, using research to inspire outreach strategies. In his free time, Quentin enjoys playing basketball, attending Washington Wizards games, and thrift shopping.
Rohin is a Master's Student in the Applied Political Analytics plus-one program. Currently, he is an intern at Lake Research Partners, specializing in polling and progressive strategy, as well as the opinion editor of the Diamondback. Previously, he has held positions at Greylock McKkinnon Associates, the Maryland General Assembly, and on-campus with RecWell and ResLife. He graduated from the University of Maryland with majors in Government & Politics and Economics in 2024.
Briana Garcia is from Calvert County, Maryland and an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park studying Government and Politics. She is also an incoming Master's student in the Applied Political Analytics Program. Briana, with the mentoring of Dr. Ernesto Calvo produced a research paper through the Summer Research Initiative at the University of Maryland, College Park: “Don’t Be Angry, Please: The Response to Anger by Vulnerable Voters.” She has interned for Maryland Senator, Michael A. Jackson; Served as government relations intern and contributed with mobilization of political campaigns within the State of Maryland. She is currently teaching two sections for GVPT 201: Scopes and Methods for Political Science Research. Her research interests include political identity, participation, voting behavior, and religious politics. Briana enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music in foreign languages, and spending time outside running, walking, hiking, and playing tennis.
