Staff

Christin Lotz |  Director

A 19-year veteran of state government, Christin Lotz serves as the director of the Office of Evidence and Impact in the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. Her previous state government roles include working as the Department of Revenue’s research director and in the Policy Office for former Governor Bill Haslam. Throughout her career, Christin has been heavily involved in public policy-making and implementation, legislative affairs, and analytical research. She also previously served as an appointee to the federal Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building.

In her current role, Christin is focused on using data and evidence to inform decision makers across the executive branch to ensure the state invests in programs that work for Tennesseans.

Christin has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Nashville School of Law.

Kaitlin Reynolds | Deputy Director

Kaitlin Reynolds has served as the deputy director of OEI since July 2022. She joined OEI as an evidence coordinator in 2019. In her current role, Kaitlin is responsible for supporting the director in achieving OEI’s mission to foster a culture of data and evidence-based policymaking and budgeting that pursues the best outcomes for Tennesseans. She oversees the implementation of the work of OEI, focusing especially on program inventory and evidence-based budgeting.

Before joining OEI, Kaitlin served in multiple roles at the Tennessee Department of Education and the Achievement School District. She has a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in public policy, both from Vanderbilt University, where she helped the women's bowling team win the university's first NCAA championship in any team sport.

Jonathon Attridge, Ph.D. | Chief Evaluation Officer

Jonathon Attridge, Ph.D., serves as Tennessee’s first Chief Evaluation Officer for the Office of Evidence and Impact. His work centers on developing and facilitating the use of evidence across state government to inform policies and practices that improve the lives of Tennesseans. In his role, Dr. Attridge leads Tennessee’s enterprise data analytics effort, TN DATA (Data Analytics for Transparency and Accountability), which seeks to generate outcome-focused analytics for our state’s challenges. He also supports agencies by funding, designing, and conducting rigorous research of state programs and policies. This work aims to produce evidence and actionable insights for program leaders and policymakers.

Before joining OEI, Dr. Attridge worked in municipal government, K-12 schools, and most recently at the Tennessee Department of Education, studying a wide range of education policy and workforce development areas.

Dr. Attridge received his bachelor’s degree in History from Amherst College and his Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University, focusing on Quantitative Methods.

Adam Bohanan | Data Privacy Counsel

Adam Bohanan serves as Data Privacy Counsel for the Office of Evidence and Impact. In this role, he provides guidance to OEI, the Department of Finance and Administration, and other state agencies on legal issues related to data privacy. This includes ensuring that any use of state data complies with state and federal law.

Prior to joining OEI, Adam advised a diverse range of clients on privacy risk and compliance as part of the Data Protection and Privacy practice of Ernst & Young, LLP. His previous public service experience includes legal internships with the Maine Office of the Attorney General and the Maine Public Utilities Commission and a prior career as a public librarian.

Adam received his law degree and a certificate in information privacy law from the University of Maine School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Tennessee and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional. Adam also holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Dominican University and a bachelor’s degree in classics from Vanderbilt University.

Ashton McNeese | Executive Administrative Assistant

Ashton McNeese is an Executive Administrative Assistant for the Office of Evidence and Impact. She supports the offices Director and staff with scheduling and day-to-day administrative operational functions.

Prior to joining OEI, Ashton worked in the Department of Environment and Conservation for 9 years. After 2 years in TDEC Human Resources Ashton moved into the Commissioners office as an Executive Administrative Assistant and served in that role for 7 years. Ashton comes with expertise in customer relations, document solutions, office programs, A/V technology, and meeting/event coordination. Ashton is a Certified Administrative Professional with the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Amanda Armstrong | Evidence Coordinator

Amanda Armstrong is an Evidence Coordinator for the Office of Evidence and Impact. She partners with agencies to develop and maintain the program inventory and supports the evidence-based budgeting process.

Prior to joining OEI, Amanda served the Tennessee Department of Education in multiple roles, including Deputy Chief of Staff to the commissioner and Director of Communications and Operations for the division supporting teachers and leaders. She also has experience in HR and talent IT systems, educational non-profits, and public and private middle schools. Amanda holds a certificate in Public Administration Executive Leadership from Tennessee State University, an M.Ed. in Learning and Instruction from Vanderbilt University, and a B.A. in Philosophy and Communication Studies from Furman University.

Victoria Cooper | Evidence Coordinator

Victoria Cooper is an Evidence Coordinator for the Office of Evidence and Impact. She partners with agencies to develop and maintain the program inventory and supports the evidence-based budgeting process.

Before joining OEI, Victoria served in the United States Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer and Information Professional, serving on ships in Norfolk, VA and Mayport, FL. She served as a project manager and Officer recruiter New Orleans. She now serves in the Navy Select Reserve program. Victoria has a bachelor’s degree in history from Tulane University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of New Orleans. 

Deependra Bhatta | Enterprise Data Scientist

Deependra Bhatta works for the Office of Evidence and Impact (OEI) as an Enterprise Data Scientist, bringing knowledge from multiple domains and expertise in organizing data into usable formats, developing processes for data modeling, algorithms, and predictive analytics and recommending solutions to difficult business problems.

Before joining OEI, Deependra worked for DXC Technology as a Technical Business Analyst, where his responsibilities included identifying and resolving data quality concerns, using advanced SQL queries to verify data validation rules, and constructing and maintaining business rules. Then, in 2020, he began working as a statistical research specialist at the Department of Human Services, where he used statistical tools to increase the efficiency, accuracy, and utility of internal data processing.

Deependra holds his undergraduate studies in agricultural science and has completed a first-level master’s degree in this field. He has a second master’s degree in Information Systems with a Business Intelligence and Analytics concentration from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).

Sutapa Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D. | Enterprise Data Scientist

Sutapa Mukhopadhyay works as an Enterprise Data Scientist for the Office of Evidence and Impact. Before joining OEI, Sutapa dedicated 13 years to the Tennessee Department of Health, serving as an Epidemiologist for both the Drug Overdose Surveillance Program and the Environmental Epidemiology Program. In these roles, she managed comprehensive overdose surveillance projects encompassing grant writing and data management, analysis, and dissemination.

Prior to her work in public health, she was with Meharry Medical College, focusing her research on cell and molecular biology, with an emphasis on cancer biology.

Sutapa holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics, a master’s degree in Biophysics, and a Ph.D. in Biophysics, Molecular Biology, and Genetics from the University of Calcutta, India. 

Allison Sierocki | Data Analyst

Allison Sierocki serves as a Data Analyst for the Office of Evidence and Impact. She works in coordinated efforts with OEI’s Enterprise Data Scientists and Evidence Coordinators around state data sharing, analytics, and program inventory.

Before joining OEI, Allison served the Tennessee Department of Health as an Epidemiologist for multiple programs providing expertise on communicable diseases, non-fatal drug overdose, and in multiple pandemic response positions. Prior to moving to Tennessee, Allison spent four years as an Epidemiologist at county and state level health departments in Texas. She holds an MPH in Epidemiology from Saint Louis University, and a B.A. in Psychology and Criminology from Drury University.