Deschutes Research, Inc.

Meet our DRI staff members and associated staff

Herb Severson, Ph.D. is the founder of Deschutes Research, Inc. He is a research scientist and research psychologist. Herb has been in the research field for 25 years and has over 100 professional publications to his credit. His interests include fine wines, running and snowskiing.

Vanita Miller has been the Office Manager for Deschutes Research. Inc. since 1999, and has been involved in the research field since 1984. She is a past member of the Human Subjects Review Board at Oregon Research Institute (ORI), and from 2010 – 2011 was a member of ORI’s Board of Directors.   Her interests include motor sports, dancing, agility competition with her Malamute-mix dog, hiking, cross-country skiing, and gardening.  When not at DRI, Vanita enjoys relaxing on her 9-acre property in Eugene.

Elisabeth Maxwell is a Research Assistant II for the Web-Based Alcohol Service Training for College Social Hosts project (aka RUSH, Phase II). Elisabeth worked for 10 years as a social worker with families affected by domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, and mental health. In 2004, Elisabeth returned to school in Public Health—Occupational Safety and Environmental Health Management. She earned her M.S. and PhD degrees from Oregon State University. Her research interests are occupational safety management and workplace violence prevention. In her free time, Elisabeth enjoys spending time with her family, especially on the blustery Oregon coast. She also enjoys needlework, knitting, reading, and playing with her dog and 2 cats.

Chris Widdop, M.S. is a Research Assistant and Data Analyst for DRI. He holds a Masters degree from the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Oregon. When not at DRI, Chris enjoys hanging out with his baby boy, mountaineering, snowboarding, and cycling.

Carley Cantwell,  M.S.W. holds a Masters degree  in Social Work from Portland State University. She has a clinical background in behavior analysis, wilderness therapy and residential treatment for adolescents. From her experience, she has developed a personal fondness for working with at-risk teens.  She enjoys spending her free time hiking, running and enjoying quality time with her family.

Amanda Fixsen, M.S. is a Research Assistant for DRI.  She holds a Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with emphasis on Organizational Behavior Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.  She plans to complete her Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Research at Portland State University in Spring 2012.  When not at work she enjoys baking cakes, cooking with friends, going on road trips, hiking, practicing hot yoga, and gardening.

Sherry Dow, is the Administrative Assistant, Web and IT support for DRI.

Associated Staff

In addition to all of their dedicated permanent employees, Deschutes Research, Inc. is also privileged to work with the following individuals on various grants and projects.