Brad C. Phillips

My journey for caring about how human beings interact with data was the result of a conversation I had with a college counselor in 1990 when I was a newly minted researcher in higher education. I was walking to a meeting to present data about student outcomes with my friend (the college counselor) and she asked me where I was headed. I said I am going to the same meeting you are. She then admonished me and said "you're not going to present a bunch of data again that we don't understand, are you?" I was devastated. But, this simple, brief conversation changed my life - at least around data. From that point on, I have been. along with my co-author and friend, Jordan E. Horowitz, researching, developing and implementing practices to help people better use data to inform their decision making. We have borrowed theories and practices from Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavioral Economics.

I earned my Ph.D. in Psychology (Social) with an emphasis in research methods and statistics from Claremont Graduate University (CGU). Before coming to CGU, I worked as a therapist in a crisis residential treatment center where I learned I was a lousy therapist but had the good fortune to meet my future wife (of 28 years). She was a brilliant therapist and together we raised our two adult daughters. We now just raise our two dogs.

I am honored to be the president of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change based in southern California. We focus on improving education by helping educators use data; connect curriculum across the educational segments and to the world of work; and help institutions improve their student outcomes. I am also the founder of the California Partnership for Student Success (Cal-PASS), and proudly serve as a Leap of Reason Ambassador.

Feel free to email me anytime at Bphillips@iebcnow.org