Our Research Team

Spencer Niles, Ed.D., LPC, NC
Vice President of Research

As vice president of research, Dr. Spencer Niles directs Kuder’s research program and coordinates Kuder’s Research Review Board (KRRB), which is comprised of leading career development and psychometric experts. Niles is a Distinguished Professor and Department Head for Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, and serves as Director of the Center for the Study of Career Development and Public Policy at The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State, he served for 13 years on the faculty at the University of Virginia, during which time he was appointed Professor and Assistant Dean for the Curry School of Education.

As program chair for Counselor Education at Penn State, he directed the program’s first successful effort toward CACREP accreditation and created Penn State’s highly rated doctoral program in Counselor Education.

Dr. Niles is the recipient of the National Career Development Association’s (NCDA) Eminent Career Award, a NCDA Fellow, an American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow, ACA’s David Brooks Distinguished Mentor Award, the ACA Extended Research Award, and the University of British Columbia Noted Scholar Award. He served as President for the National Career Development Association and Editor for The Career Development Quarterly. He is the Editor of the Journal of Counseling & Development and serves on six editorial boards for national and international journals. He has authored or co-authored approximately 120 publications and delivered over 125 presentations on career development theory and practice. He has lectured in over 15 countries and is an Honorary Member of the Japanese Career Development Association, Honorary Member of the Italian Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, and a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Ohio Career Development Association.

Dr. Niles holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania; a master’s degree in counselor education from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; a master’s of divinity studies from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York; and a doctorate in counselor education from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Niles completed postdoctoral studies in management development at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

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JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey, Ed.D.
Executive Vice President of Development

Dr. JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey serves as executive vice president of development for Kuder. Since joining the company in 2005, she has worked extensively with state departments of education and labor in the conceptualization and implementation of education and career planning web sites that serve as a virtual center for students and adults.

In her long and distinguished career in the field of career development and education, she has held the positions of high school counselor; director of guidance; university professor; career counselor; developer of the ACT^® product DISCOVER^® and executive director of the ACT Educational Technology Center; and consultant to the National Institute of Corrections. Dr. Harris-Bowlsbey has also served as a career development consultant for Nippon Manpower Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Harris-Bowlsbey has authored numerous journal articles, books, and career planning curricula, including Take Hold of Your Future, now in its sixth edition. She co-authored Career Interventions in the 21st Century, a textbook for the training of counselors, and led the redevelopment and expansion of Facilitating Career Development, a curriculum for training Career Development Facilitators.

An active member of the professional community, Dr. Harris-Bowlsbey has served on the board of trustees of the American Counseling Association Governing Council and the editorial board of Career Development Quarterly. She served as chair of the American Counseling Association Inter-Professional and International Committee. A past president of the National Career Development Association, she is also a recipient of its Eminent Career Award. Dr. Harris-Bowlsbey is a member of the National Career Development Association and the International Association of Educational and Vocational Guidance.

As a tribute to her landmark achievements, the board of the Career Development Leadership Alliance created the annual JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey Award for Excellence in the Field of Technology in Career Development in 2004.

Dr. Harris-Bowlsbey is a former adjunct professor of counselor education at Loyola College in Maryland. She holds a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College, a master's degree from University of Wisconsin, and a doctorate in counselor education from Northern Illinois University.

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Donald G. Zytowski, Ed.D.
Senior Director of Research

As senior director of research for Kuder, Inc. since 1997, Dr. Donald G. Zytowski has facilitated internal and third party research, including development of new assessment and content for the vast database of career biographies in Kuder^® Career Search.

Dr. Zytowski is a well-established counseling psychologist with numerous publications in the area of vocational psychology, addressing the issue of measurement in career assessment. Continuing from 1990 to this day, Dr. Zytowski is also self-employed as a consultant for counseling and assessment, and has been consulted for projects developed by the U.S. Department of Defense; CTB/McGraw Hill; ACT; Veteran's Administration Hospitals in Iowa; the Bureau of Indian and Northern Affairs; and Science Research Associates. Prior to Kuder, Dr. Zytowski was a counseling psychologist for Iowa State University (1965-1990).

He has experience in education as a psychology instructor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1979), Iowa State University (1965-1990), and University of Alberta (1965). He has acted as director for Student Counseling Services at Washington University (1960-1965) and assistant director of Student Counseling Services at Iowa State University (1969-1974).

Dr. Zytowski earned his doctorate and master's degrees in education at Washington University, and his bachelor's degree in education from Harris Teachers College.

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Jerry Trusty, Ph.D.
Research Associate

Dr. Jerry Trusty is a professor in the Department of Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology and Rehabilitation Services and Coordinator of the Secondary School Counseling Program at The Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Trusty became a counselor educator in 1992 after earning his doctorate from Mississippi State University. He is the editor of Career Development Quarterly.

Dr. Trusty’s research and scholarly work has focused on school dropout prevention, adolescents’ educational and career development, parents’ influences on adolescents’ educational and career development, achievement and opportunity gaps in schools, and quantitative research methods. Much of Dr. Trusty’s research has focused on the career development of students experiencing opportunity gaps.

In his recent published research, Dr. Trusty investigated the effects of students’ experiences and behaviors in high school on college graduation versus non-graduation. These studies highlight the influence of intensive course-taking in high school on postsecondary educational success.

Dr. Trusty currently works with the Pennsylvania Transforming School Counseling Initiative, a project that trains school counselors, teachers, and administrators to lead and advocate for effective school policies and practices.

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Hoi K. Suen, Ed.D.
Research Associate

Dr. Hoi K. Suen is distinguished professor of educational psychology at The Pennsylvania State University. His areas of specialization include psychometrics, educational assessment, and evaluation.

He is the author of two books and approximately 160 book chapters, journal articles and technical reports; and over 100 professional conference presentations on issues related to instrument development, behavioral assessment, performance assessment, educational and psychological testing, early childhood assessment, and evaluation.

He has served or is serving as a psychometric/assessment and analysis consultant to over 50 public and private organizations, including various state departments of education, international and national testing/certification agencies, health organizations, universities, military organizations, and private corporations in the United States, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and China.

Additionally, Dr. Suen has served or is serving as a guest editor, consulting editor, editorial board member or reviewer for about 35 research journals and numerous professional conferences. He has also delivered about 50 invited speeches and colloquia; and has conducted numerous training workshops throughout the U.S. and in several other countries.

Dr. Suen’s current research interests include early childhood assessment, career interest assessments, consequences of high-stakes testing, lessons from the historical civil service exam system of China, validity theories and methods, program evaluation, and psychometric methods for high-stakes testing.

Dr. Suen holds a doctorate degree in Educational Psychology from Northern Illinois University. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in sociology at Eastern Illinois University.

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Jack R. Rayman, Ph.D.
Research Associate

Dr. Jack Rayman is Senior Director Emeritus of Career Services and Affiliate Professor of Counseling Psychology and Education at Penn State University. He received a bachelor’s degree in industrial administration and English from Iowa State University in 1967 and a doctorate degree in counseling psychology and student personnel administration from the University of Iowa in 1974.

Dr. Rayman served on the faculty of Rajang Teachers College as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sarawak, Malaysia from 1967 to 1970 where he taught agriculture and English and designed and built the first 18-hole golf course in the county. His doctoral dissertation, “Sex and the Single Interest Inventory” was a groundbreaking effort to eliminate gender bias in interest measurement. It was the prototype for the Unisex Edition of the ACT Interest Inventory (UniACT) which is now an integral part of the ACT battery.

He was assistant professor for research at Western Maryland College from 1974 to 1978 and during that time was a major architect of DISCOVER, the computerized career guidance system that is now marketed worldwide by the American College Testing Program. From 1978 to 1983 he served as career development officer and affiliate associate professor of counseling psychology at Iowa State University. Dr. Rayman joined the faculty and staff at Penn State in 1983.

He is the author of more than 40 journal articles and book chapters and has authored three important books for Career Services professionals including The Changing Role of Career Services, Jossey-Bass, 1993; Handbook for the College and University Career Center, Greenwood Publishing, 1993 (coauthored with Edwin Herr and Jeff Garis); and The Professional Counselor as Administrator: Perspectives on Leadership and Management of Counseling Services Across Settings, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006 (coauthored with Edwin Herr and Dennis Heitzmann).

Dr. Rayman is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, 1987 (Division of Counseling Psychology), and served on the editorial board of the Career Development Quarterly from 1991-1997. He was elected to Fellowship in the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE) in 2000 and was a member of the NACE Principles for Professional Conduct Committee from 1995-2002.

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