Meet the Clarion Team

Diane Traiger – President & CEO

Diane has over 32 years of research experience on the supplier side, and founded Clarion Research in 1995. A quantitative research specialist, Diane is the senior officer in charge of all of Clarion’s quantitative work. However, over the years she has conducted a considerable amount of qualitative research as well, conducting focus groups on projects which have both quantitative and qualitative components.  

Diane started her career at Oxtoby-Smith. She was responsible for project design, implementation and analysis on several major accounts including TWA (On Board Surveys),  ITT Continental Baking (Copy testing), American Motors-Jeep Division (ongoing customer satisfaction tracking, car clinics for new models and ad-hoc projects), and Block Drug (customer satisfaction, new product development, copy testing and ad-hoc projects.)  Diane was one of the first to note the potential for Jeeps, traditionally viewed as truck-like utility vehicles, to greatly expand their potential market by moving to a sports-recreational positioning. 

She then moved to Directions for Decisions (Vice President, 1982-83), where she supervised a group of project directors and was responsible for researching several new product issues for General Foods, Pepsi and American Express.  Most notably, she did considerable work helping Pepsi to introduce the new Slice line of beverages, and helping American Express better understand how to create a card line targeted at college students. 

Diane next moved to Decisions Center-Research International (1984-1991). She started as Group Head, with a staff of 4.  She was later promoted to Division Head, with a Staff of 12.  Her group worked predominantly on Lever Brothers, AT&T, Range Rover and Mennen accounts.  She pioneered the development of an extensive copy testing program for AT&T, and conducted the first research on the introduction to the US of Range Rover’s Discovery model.  Over her tenure at Decision Center-Research International She successfully grew the group to over five times its initial volume. 

She then moved to WAC Research (1992-1995), where she was brought in to assist this largely qualitative company to develop their quantitative research business.  She won new business for the company from several key clients including AT&T, Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, AC&R Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, and London Fog. 

Diane is a member of AMA and ESOMAR.   

Diane graduated in 1976 with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 

Steve Crane – Executive Vice President 

Steve has over 23 years of market research experience. At Clarion, Steve is the senior officer in-charge of managing Clarion’s qualitative research services.  A well-seasoned focus group moderator and executive interviewer, Steve has conducted hundreds of focus group sessions of various topics from packaged goods to technology to pharmaceuticals.  Steve is responsible for the “hands-on” leadership of Clarion’s research services for major clients – including client counseling, study design, questionnaire development, sample management, operations supervision, data collection management, data analysis, report writing and results presentation. 

Steve began his career at AT&T, where he served in several marketing research capacities for their Business Communications Systems division. Steve also served time in AT&T’s Consumer Advertising group, and as AT&T’s Public Relations Market Research manager for Asia-Pacific & China, providing valuable insights into Eastern research capabilities and resources. 

Selected by AT&T executive management to create and lead the Global Communications Research organization for Lucent Technologies, a $23 Billion spin-off company of AT&T, Steve was promoted to a multi-functional position, accountable for multiple aspects of Lucent’s marketing communications, website, advertising, brand strategy/positioning and measurements.   

Steve has been a frequent speaker at Marketing and Research conferences.  He has spoken before the American Marketing Association, The Conference Board, The Lawrence Ragan Communications Group, the Advanced Learning Institute, The International Quality and Performance Center, and the Advertising Research Foundation.

Steve graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science/Mathematics from Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ. 

Randy Zeese – Executive Vice President 

Randy has over 25 years of market research industry client side experience, and has recently joined the Clarion Research team as Executive Vice President.

During Randy’s extensive career at AT&T, he served as Executive Director of Market Research, which included leadership roles managing Consumer Research, Enterprise Research, and Brand Research. Prior to leaving AT&T in 2011, Randy managed large teams of market research professionals conducting ongoing qualitative and quantitative research initiatives to address strategic business issues. Most recently, Randy’s research responsibilities at AT&T included research leadership for enterprise mobility and applications services, as well as the development of an online business research community.

Randy’s research background also included the development and management of large scale research platforms, including Customer Value Added (CVA) research, comprehensive Customer Experience research, and management of conjoint statistical analysis and predictive modeling capabilities to address strategic business issues.

While at AT&T, Randy also participated in the successful efforts to win a David Ogilvy Award for Research Excellence, and the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award.

Randy’s educational background includes executive education programs at Kellogg Business School, Stanford Executive Education, as well as programs at Southern Illinois University.

Randy has spoken at a number of research industry conferences, including the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), the American Marketing Association (AMA), and the 2002 ESOMAR World Research Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Randy has also served as a member of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Research Committee.

Beverly Escario – Vice President

Beverly has been with Clarion Research since 2003 when she joined the company as an Assistant Project Director.  Having successfully managed several large-scale domestic and international studies across various industries, Beverly was promoted and is now a Vice President reporting directly to the President of the company. Beverly’s main focus at Clarion is managing projects that are quantitative in nature - including online, telephone and mixed methodologies, from project launch to report writing and presentation.  

In addition to her expertise in quantitative work, she has considerable experience managing and implementing qualitative studies as well.  Beverly responsibilities include recruitment strategy and supervision, moderating focus groups/bulletin boards and conducting in-depth interviews.  

Beverly joined Clarion Research shortly after graduating from New York University with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Economics.  

Jamie Stenziano – Director, Customer Insights 

Jamie has been with Clarion Research full-time since June, 2007. Jamie’s primary involvement is on the qualitative side, where he moderates focus groups, conducts IDI’s, and manages day-to-day aspects of Clarion’s qualitative research projects. While focusing on qualitative studies, Jamie often works on quantitative projects as well – designing questionnaires, monitoring fieldwork, processing data, and contributing to final reports.

Jamie’s research specialties include teenage/young adult respondents, Social Networking, Healthcare IT, and Higher Education.

Jamie is a Burke Institute trained Focus Group Moderator, and a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association.

Before joining the Clarion Research team full-time, Jamie completed a college internship at Clarion during the summer of 2006, before being hired full-time after graduation.

Jamie graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Communication from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where he was a member of the Communications Honors Society.

Brittany Dutchman – Assistant Project Director 

Brittany joined the Clarion team in April 2011. Her primary involvement is on the quantitative side, where she supports the day to day management of various studies - from project launch, questionnaire design, management of fieldwork, data analysis, and report preparation.

Before joining the Clarion team, Brittany worked as a Project Manager at Abt SRBI Inc., managing online, telephone, and in-person quantitative studies. Brittany’s main area of expertise was in customer experience research, particularly in the transportation industry, where she supported accounts for the NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NJ Transit, and the Long Island Rail Road.

Brittany has a Master’s of Science in Social Research from Hunter College, and graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology.

Christina Oswald – Assistant Project Director 

Christina joined Clarion Research as an Assistant Project Director in June, 2011. Christina primarily supports quantitative research projects, including the design and writing of questionnaires, fieldwork management and supervision, and data analysis.

Christina graduated Cum Laude from the State University of New York at Geneseo in May 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and History, where she was a member of the History Honors Society. She concentrated on Marketing History, including consumer behavior and research methodologies.

Prior to joining the Clarion team, Christina worked as a Marketing Intern and later as a contractor at Tickets.ie in Dublin, Ireland, where she was involved in developing the company’s marketing plan, primarily focusing on the implementation of a Social Media Marketing campaign.