OIR Staff Members

Amber Stitziel Pareja, PhD

Executive Director, Office of Institutional Research
aspareja@imsa.edu
630.907.5069

Amber Stitziel Pareja joined the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) as the Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) in September of 2016. Dr. Pareja earned her B.A. in sociology from Wesleyan University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in human development and social policy from Northwestern University. Prior to joining IMSA, Dr. Pareja was a Senior Research Analyst at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research and previously was a bilingual (Spanish-English) third grade teacher in Compton, California as part of Teach for America. Her research interests include STEM and gifted education, data-informed decision-making in educational organizations, school leadership, and principal preparation.

Professional Memberships:
  • American Educational Research Association
  • American Evaluation Association
  • Association for Institutional Research
  • National Association for Gifted Children
Clifton Strengths:
STRATEGIC  |  RELATOR  |  IDEATION  |  MAXIMIZER  |  LEARNER

Byungsuk Lee (Lee)

Data Analyst
blee@imsa.edu
630.907.5064

Byungsuk Lee joined the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in September 2022 as a data analyst. He earned a Master of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017. He has worked as a researcher and data analyst in various capacities before joining IMSA, most recently at the Independent Evaluation Unit of the Green Climate Fund. He is skilled in data analysis and visualization with various tools, and his professional interests lie in data-informed decision-making, institutional research, and organizational evaluation, among others. 

Professional Memberships:
  • Association for Institutional Research
Clifton Strengths:
INTELLECTION |  DELIBERATIVE | LEARNER | CONSISTENCY | ADAPTABILITY

Andrew Salyer

Administrative Assistant
asalyer@imsa.edu
630.907.5678

Andrew Salyer joined the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in September 2023 as an administrative assistant. Andrew earned a Master of Music in Musicology degree from Rice University in 2017. Prior to coming to IMSA, he worked as an organist and music director, most recently at the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, in Houston, Texas. He is skilled in streamlining administrative processes, and his professional interests lie in systematic organization and institutional inquiry. 

Clifton Strengths:

CONTEXT | LEARNER | FUTURISTIC | DISCIPLINE | HARMONY