Richard J. Vondruska
115 N. Kaspar Ave.
Arlington Heights, IL60005
Phone 847 392-7232
- Specialization: Models of Language and Cognition
- Specialization: Human learning and memory
- Graduated from Honors Program, cum laude
Professional experience / 2002-Current East-WestUniversity Chicago, IL
Adjunct Instructor
- Teaching upper-level undergraduate psychology/sociology
Adjunct Instructor
- Taught graduate and undergraduate educational psychology
Adjunct Instructor
- Taught undergraduate psychology, consumer behavior, sociology, math concepts, business math, quantitative literacy, philosophy, and critical thinking
Adjunct Instructor
- Taught undergraduate psychology
Adjunct Instructor
- Taught undergraduate statistics
Principal/Founder
- Created a consulting company with emphasis on research design
Visiting Instructor
- Taught four graduate psychology courses per semester
Vice President, Client Services
- Provided statistical consulting for major quantitative studies
Director of Research and Consulting
- Developed research architecture for quantitative studies
Partner
- Responsible for design execution and analysis of quantitative studies
Associate Vice President
- Managed computer-based data operations for marketing systems
Post-doctoral Fellow
- Managed lab for National Science Foundation grant
Research Assistant
- Implemented computer based system for psychology experiments
Teaching Assistant
- Taught lab sections for social and experimental psychology
Selected presentations and publications / Chess Humor – and other oxymora, Chess Life, Vol. 53, no. 10 (Oct. 1998)
“The Future of Meta-Marketing on the World Wide Web.” Panelist: Advertising and Consumer Psychology Conference, Bloomfield Hills, MI. May 1996
Special Consultant, AMA Price Sensitivity Workshop, Chicago, IL June 1995
The fine art of data reduction. Quirk’s Marketing Research Review, Vol. 9, no. 4. (April 1995) Invited article.
Feature interview in “Trade Talk” column, Quirk’s Marketing Research Review. May 1994
Efficiency in Marketing Research, Panelist, AMA Attitude & Behavioral Research Conference, Phoenix, AZ 1993
Secrets of Effective Data Use. Quirk’s Marketing Research Review, Vol. 6, no. 5. (April 1992) Invited article
Invited Lecturer, Statistical Techniques Seminar, AMA Chicago Chapter, 1989
Salience, Similes and the Asymmetry of Similarity, Journal of Memory and Language, Vol. 24 (1985) Co-author with Andrew Ortony et al.
Affect: A functional perspective, Mind and Behavior, Vol. 5., no 3 (1984) Co-author with Ali Iran-Nejad, et al.
Affective implications of metaphor and simile in discourse. Center for the Study of Reading Technical Report, no. 301 (1984)
The role of similarity and predication in the comprehension of metaphorical comparisons. Paper presented at the APA annual meeting, WashingtonD.C., 1982
What do teachers really want from reading researchers? Paper presented at the Fourteenth Annual Illinois Reading Council Conference, Springfield, IL, 1982
Finding metaphors for research. Metaphor Research Newsletter Produced at AdelphiUniversity, Long Island, New York. Robert Hoffman, coordinator. 1982
The comprehension of figurative language in children. Paper presented at the meeting Two keys for reading comprehension, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, April 1981
Differences in literal and figurative language. Paper presented at the APA annual conference, Montreal, Canada, 1980
The representation of derivable information in memory: when what might have been left unsaid is said. In Theoretical issues in Natural Language Processing, Vol. 2. (1978) Co-author with Rand Spiro, et al.
Additional professional activities / 1990 Executive Board Member, AMA Chicago Chapter
1989Chairperson, Chicago AMA Summer Classic Event
1983-88 Editorial Board Member, Journal of Metaphor & Symbolic Activity
1986 Certificate in Marketing Research, The WhartonSchool,
University of Pennsylvania
Awards received / Biography in Marquis Who’s Who in the World (12th Edition)
Two AMA Service Awards
Phi Delta Kappa Honorary in Education
Phi Sigma Tau Honorary in Philosophy
IllinoisState and Loyola Scholarship
References / Dr. Andrew Ortony
Professor
School of Education and Social Policy
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL60208
(847) 491-5258, fax -5258
Dr. Thomas Thieman
Professor
College of St. Catherine
2004 Randolph Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
(612) 690-6000, fax -6024
Dr. Ralph Reynolds
Chair
Educational Psychology
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV 89154
(702) 895-3787, fax -1658
Dr. Farid Muhammad
Director --Behavioral Science Department
East-WestUniversity
816 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL60605
(312) 939-0111, ext. 2315
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
"The data compiled for the American Fleet Market Survey proved most useful in helping our Corporate Fleet Department assess the strengths and needs for our vehicles and services versus competition. More importantly, we gained valuable insight about customer perceptions, policies and practices that, in most instances, we could not have elicited by ourselves. In summary, Rich's work provided a sound basis for business decisions that have served Toyota and its customers well. I am pleased to say that Rich's presentations were always concise, yet thorough, and refreshingly interesting even to those with years of experience. Perhaps that's why at the end of his major presentation, we applauded him in a fitting testimonial for a job well done!"
B. J. McNabb, National Lease & Rental Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Torrance, California
"Rich Vondruska is a highly qualified marketing researcher who has demonstrated his competence to us on several occasions. His Research Mentors undertaking fills a need for education in research methods as well as first-class implementation."
Timothy C. Miller, Market Research Project Manager
Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois
"I've had the pleasure of working with Rich Vondruska on numerous projects of varying types. Without exception, Rich has demonstrated the singular skill of sorting through a myriad of opinions, beliefs, conjecture and assumptions about the market. He then forms testable hypotheses that research staff, product management and executives can both agree upon and feel confident meets their needs. He is diligent about collecting high quality data and analyzing it thoroughly. Rich is adept at following through with key findings to identify appropriate actions and responses. Beyond his outstanding research skills, Rich is an exceptional communicator. His presentations are clear, straight-forward and thoroughly enjoyable."
Michael J. Walsdorf, Senior Market Analyst
(Formerly Research Director of the AmericanHospital Association)
"Rich Vondruska's customized tutorial on cluster analysis provided us with the type of individual instruction that cannot be garnered from traditional research workshops. His training approach and personalized attention enabled us to better understand how, and when, to use this multivariate form of analysis. Furthermore, the convenience of having training on-site also allowed us the flexibility to schedule the tutorial around our agenda and execute clustering techniques with our own data set and computer software."
Robert Bean, Market Studies Analyst
Northern Illinois Gas Company, Naperville, Illinois
"On one occasion, we brought Rich in to provide background and training on some of the more advanced statistical procedures. He was able to take a complicated process and break it down into very understandable terms. As a result, we were able to provide our marketing staff with more actionable research results."
Valerie Bess, Marketing Research Manager
Motorola, Schaumburg, Illinois