Our Team - Relational Coordination Collaborative

Jody Hoffer Gittell

Faculty Director

Jody Hoffer Gittell is a Professor of Management at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy & Management, Faculty Director of the Relational Coordination Collaborative, and Co-Founder and Board Member of Relational Coordination Analytics. Gittell developed Relational Coordination Theory, proposing that highly interdependent work is most effectively coordinated through networks of shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect, supported by frequent, timely, accurate, problem-solving communication. The Relational Model of Change shows how structural, relational and work process interventions can strengthen those networks. Gittell has published dozens of scientific articles and multiple books including The Southwest Airlines Way; High Performance Healthcare; Sociology of Organizations; Transforming Relationships for High Performance; and Relational Analytics: Guidelines for Analysis and Action, and she helps organizations with performance improvement.

jgittell@brandeis.edu 603-498-1305

Casey Heely (on leave until 1/24)

Events Planning and Implementation

Casey Heely, MHS, RN, BSN, is a Ph.D. in Social Policy student with a concentration in Health Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy & Management. She received a Master of Health Science degree from Clark University with a concentration in Health Equity. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and a minor in English Journalism from Fairfield University. Following her undergraduate studies, she became a Registered Nurse and worked in Pediatric Intensive Care Units until transitioning to work for a telehealth start-up focused on diagnostic testing in the home. Her research interests include the healthcare workforce, health equity, social determinants of health, and evaluating access to primary and preventative care, especially for underserved populations, within the framework of healthcare and health policy in the United States.

caseyheely@brandeis.edu

Benedict Owusu

Strategic Communications

Trained as a Journalist and a Public Relations expert, Benedict Owusu has been working as a Sports Journalist for over 13 years and is also passionate about helping the poor in the community and the general development of society. He has covered major international sporting events including FIFA World Cups and contributed to global networks like the BBC, Aljazeera, etc, and won awards for producing compelling documentaries. He has successfully combined his work as a journalist and a social worker since 2019 when he worked with the National Health Insurance Authority, a pro-poor health system designed by the Ghana government to take care of the health needs of Ghanaians as their Digital Media Manager. Benedict is now pursuing a Master’s in Sustainable International Development at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy & Management, while serving as Director of Communications for the Relational Coordination Collaborative.

benedictowusu@brandeis.edu

Roman Terekhin

Community Engagement

Roman Terekhin has studied and worked throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, and has been involved with institutions such as Singapore Management University and Harvard Business School. After more than twenty years as a manager, entrepreneur, and researcher in corporate and non-profit sectors, Roman launched his career in academia, focusing his research on peer growth groups, and peer coaching groups (PCG) for business leaders, in particular.

As a researcher, Roman aims to maximize the value of employees’ and business leaders’ peer coaching experiences, thus facilitating prosperity both for the organizations and their employees. Roman’s recent study, presented at EURAM, ARNOVA, and AoM conferences, included in-depth critical incidents interviews with high–ranking participants of peer coaching groups, entrepreneurs, and employees with the aim to understand the factors that enable PCG to be effective for different goals.

rxt335@case.edu

Kartik Trivedi

Operations

Kartik Trivedi, MPA, is a policy researcher and PhD candidate at the Heller School of Social Policy & Management at Brandeis University. Trivedi's work focuses on algorithmic fairness and inclusion of people with disabilities. Broadly, he is interested in understanding the role algorithms and humans play in building fairer institutions. He presented his research about the human-algorithm relationship at the Academy of Management 2023, and has received an award from the Society of Human Resource Management for his work.

kartiktrivedi@brandeis.edu

Hannah Watson

Events Planning and Implementation

Hannah Watson is a second-year Master of Public Policy candidate at the Heller School for Social Policy & Management. She is interested in understanding US Immigration policies and utilizing the theology of John Gaventa's Dimensions of Power to research and build sustainable systems and policies that create equitable economic opportunities for US immigrants. Previously, she worked in multicultural and diversity-inclusive organizations, where she developed and coordinated programs and events that created an impactful, sustainable, and inclusive learning environment for college students.

hwatson@brandeis.edu