SMS is located in the Business & Community Services building on the University of Northern Iowa's Campus in Cedar Falls, IA. Our staff consists of highly skilled project managers with years of research and industry experience. Additionally, our university affiliation provides access to a deep pool of talented faculty consultants, as well as name recognition and credibility among research participants. Our Director has earned the Marketing Research Association’s prestigious PRC—Professional Researcher Certification—at the Expert Level. The Certification signifies this individual has met a stringent set of criteria and possess the knowledge and practical experience in marketing research necessary to earn this credential.
Christy RykenChristy Ryken has been with Strategic Marketing Services — part of the UNI-affiliated Business and Community Services team — since 1998, becoming director in 2017. She is a passionate, insightful and client-focused professional with more than 20 years of experience leading teams in development, administration and presentation of market research and analysis projects. Ryken is a skilled qualitative interviewer and moderator that easily develops genuine and productive connections with research participants while providing insightful post-interview/session key findings. Additionally, she adeptly translates quantitative data into meaningful intelligence and has excellent communication skills, easily reporting and presenting project results to clients. Christy holds a B.A. degree in Marketing and a Certificate in International Business from the University of Northern Iowa. Christy has also been a member of the Insights Association since 2005 and earned Professional Researcher Certification at the Expert level in October of 2006. |
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Chelsea MorrisonChelsea Morrison is a Program Manager for Strategic Marketing Services. Chelsea’s primary responsibilities include administration of primary and secondary research, analysis and interpretation of data findings, compilation of final reports, and the presentation of results. She brings experience in providing market analysis and business intelligence to small business owners and entrepreneurs through her previous position at the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Business Growth & Innovation. Chelsea holds a B.A. degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Wartburg College. Chelsea has been a member of the Insights Association since 2016 and earned Professional Researcher Certification at the Expert level in August of 2019. |
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