Bios
Oliana Alikaj-Fierro, Ph.D.
Serves as the Assistant Vice President for Planning at The University of Texas at El Paso, where she leads the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP). She oversees strategic planning, data governance, and analytics, and works closely with university leadership to advance evidence-informed decision-making.
With more than 15 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Alikaj-Fierro brings extensive expertise in institutional research, planning, accreditation, and assessment. Before joining UTEP, she held several leadership roles at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. She currently serves as President of the Texas Association for Higher Education Assessment (TxAHEA). A proud UTEP alumna, she holds a Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Culture and an MBA.
Denise Carrejo, Ph.D.
Is the Interim Director of the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP) at The University of Texas at El Paso. She leads the Institutional Research team, overseeing state and federal reporting, institutional surveys, and data request processes. Since joining CIERP in 2005, she has held multiple leadership roles, with work focused on student success research, program evaluation, and data analytics.
An El Paso native, Dr. Carrejo earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Yale University. She values CIERP’s collaborative environment and its mission-driven support of the university community.
Elsa B. Martin, Ph.D.
Is the Assistant Director of the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP) at The University of Texas at El Paso. She has previously served as a Research Associate with the Center for Metrics-Based Planning and as team lead for CIERP’s Research and Communications group. Dr. Martin holds a doctorate in rhetoric from UTEP, and her research focuses on how planning documents shape institutional effectiveness.
Jennifer Schmidt
Xiaojing Wang, Ph.D.
Is a Senior Operations Research Analyst at the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP). She supports institutional research and analysis by completing data requests, developing and maintaining data tools, and contributing to data management and reporting processes. Dr. Wang holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UTEP.
Myoung Yee Kim, M.C.S
Is a Senior Operations Research Analyst at the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP) at UTEP. As the lead for state and federal reporting, she manages data collection, validation, and submission for required reports. She also develops and maintains the databases and web applications that power CIERP’s data tools. Myoung holds a master’s degree in computer science and completed doctoral coursework at UTEP.
J. Maribel Herrera, M.S.
Is a Research Statistician at the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP). Since joining the center in 2013, she has led the research methods team, validating methodologies, designing predictive and inferential models, and supporting analytical projects across campus. She holds a master’s degree in Statistics from UTEP and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Data Science. Prior to CIERP, she worked as a manufacturing engineer for six years.
Angelica B. Perez, M.C.S
Is an Operations Research Analyst at the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP). She serves as a full-stack developer supporting data tools, reporting processes, and analytical requests. Before joining CIERP in 2023, she worked as a software engineering consultant in Juarez and El Paso. Angelica earned her master’s degree in computer science from UTEP.
Angelina Gleichauf, M.S.
Is an Operations Research Analyst at the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP). She leads institutional survey administration and analysis and contributes to large-scale data compilation for institutional research projects. She holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Oregon.
Patricia Rios, M.S.
Is a Doctoral Research Associate at the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP) at The University of Texas at El Paso. She supports the research methods team by developing statistical models, conducting data analyses, and contributing to projects that advance student success and institutional effectiveness. Patricia holds a master’s degree in Statistics and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Data Science at UTEP, where her research focuses on synthetic data applications in cancer clinical trials.
Ethan Gibeaut, M.Phil.
Is a Doctoral Research Assistant at the Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research, and Planning (CIERP). As part of the research methods team, he contributes to data analysis and research reports for academic and administrative units. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M–Corpus Christi and a Master of Psychological Research from Texas State University. Ethan is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Health Psychology at UTEP.