Rob Paral and Associates
Rob Paral
Rob Paral is a writer, analyst and communicator with many years of experience working in community development, human services, and immigrant integration. Rob is principal of Rob Paral and Associates, a consulting firm that helps philanthropic foundations, service organizations and government agencies understand the communities they serve through applied research methods.
Prior to establishing Rob Paral and Associates in 1998, Rob was Research Director at the Latino Institute in Chicago, and was the Senior Research Associate of the Washington, DC office of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. He has held research fellowships at the American Immigration Law Foundation, the Institute for Latino Studies at Notre Dame University, and Roosevelt University in Chicago. He has also been a visiting scholar at DePaul University.
Michael Norkewicz
Michael Norkewicz is a data analyst and computer programmer with three decades of experience. His previous employers include municipal government, a federally-funded agency, a large university, and a minority research organization. He enjoys working with large data sets including the federal census, current population surveys and supplements, immigration data, and health data.
Madura Wijewardena
Madura Wijewardena holds postgraduate qualifications in public policy from the University of Chicago. Madura is currently a Research Analyst with Rob Paral and Associates. He undertakes statistical analysis and uses that to create targeted output on disability, immigration and voting in the U.S. He also holds qualifications in Law and Economics from Australia. He practiced as an Attorney for 7 years in Australia and Asia, specializing in corporate transactions, anti-trust and governance reform.
Christina Diaz
Christina Diaz is a Master’s Degree candidate in sociology at DePaul University, where she also received a B.A. in sociology and minored in Women's and Gender Studies. She has previously worked as a research assistant at Egan Urban Center, DePaul University where she has participated in various community development and research projects.