Our Staff

Our highly competent staff has extensive experience and training in economics, market research, survey and interview methods, and financial analysis:

Robert Niehaus, Ph.D.

President and Principal Economist

Robert is widely recognized for his expertise in the economics of military housing, water resources, and environmental quality. He has assisted the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the different military services in developing and evaluating the criteria, methods, and procedures used to project housing requirements for military installations. He has conducted water resource and pricing analyses nation-wide with particular focus on California. His work in the economics of environmental quality encompasses growth impact assessment and planning; non-market valuation of view enhancement and preservation; and the recreational and tourism sectors. He has forecast transportation demand for high-speed train systems, mountain-area cable projects, and auto commuter routes. He has served as principal-in-charge for facilities acquisition, privatization, base realignment and closure, water resources, energy, transportation, and other projects for all of the uniformed services, the U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, and Homeland Security, the State of California, and various local government agencies and private organizations. He has successfully directed completion of hundreds of contract research efforts throughout the United States, Europe, the Pacific, and the Far East. His prior experience includes work in private consulting, the non-profit sector, and as an economist with the Federal government in Washington, D.C. His Ph.D. (U. of Maryland, 1979) is in economics and his B.A. (Oberlin College, 1972) is in government.

E-mail: DrBob@RDNiehaus.com

Jeff Vitucci, M.A.

Senior Economist

Jeff has served as project manager for HMAs at more than 80 locations throughout the United States (including Alaska), Puerto Rico, Guam, Japan, Korea, Germany, and Italy. His areas of expertise are real estate market analysis, feasibility analysis of public/private ventures for acquisition of facilities, life-cycle cost analysis, and fiscal impact analysis. He manages the firm’s programs for the U.S. Army world-wide. His M.A. (U.C. Santa Barbara, 1978) is in economics and his B.A. (San Jose State University, 1974) is in environmental studies.

E-mail: Jeff@RDNiehaus.com

Katherine Cowell, M.A.

Senior Market Analyst

Katherine has served as project manager for more than 50 HMAs throughout the United States (including Hawaii), the U.K., and in Belgium and the Netherlands. Her areas of expertise are housing market analysis, socioeconomic evaluation, demographic analysis, survey and interview research, land use planning, and assessment of environmental impacts of military, industrial, and commercial projects. She directs the firm’s efforts for the U.S. Marine Corps and serves as technical lead for military personnel surveys and demographic studies. Her M.A. (Claremont Graduate University, 1981) is in applied social research and her B.A. (Wellesley College, 1977) is in psychology (minor in economics).

E-mail: Kathy@RDNiehaus.com

Robert McCleary, M.B.A.

Executive Vice President

Robert has extensive experience in consulting, finance, administration, and project management. He has managed corporate and public-sector projects in database development, information technology, land planning, and management systems. As the firm’s representative in Washington, DC, he is available on short notice to meet with military clients and provide rapid and flexible project support. His related experience includes corporate finance and administration for firms ranging in size from $2.0 to $15.0 million in annual sales. His B.S. (U. of Maryland, 1961) is in economics and his master’s degree (Harvard University, 1965) is in business administration.

E-mail: BobM@RDNiehaus.com

Brianna Briggs, Ph.D.

Senior Economist

Brianna has five years of experience in consulting and joined the firm in 2011. She is an expert at quantitative and econometric analysis of labor and housing market relationships, and has been a lead analyst on the firm’s work on the Coast Guard’s nationwide housing assessment and has assisted in preparing numerous housing market analyses for both the Army and the Coast Guard. Dr. Briggs is currently the lead on a retrospective economic impact study on interoperability in the transportation and electronics manufacturing industries under contract with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She has worked as a consultant in employment, transfer pricing, and valuation studies in support of complex litigation processes. Her academic research has addressed public policies related to welfare programs, job training, employee relocation, and drug enforcement. Her Ph.D. (U.C. Santa Barbara, 2008), M.A. (U.C. Davis 2002), and B.A. (C.S.U. Stanislaus, 2001, summa cum laude) are in economics. She is proficient in reading and translating French.

E-mail: Brianna@RDNiehaus.com

Daniel Brown, B.A.

Business Development Coordinator / Economist

Dan joined our firm in 2011 and has conducted on-site data collection, compiled economic data, and prepared economic and housing forecasts for market analyses throughout the continental United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Djibouti. Additionally, he is responsible for coordination of proposal and teaming efforts for RDN business ventures. During his nine years of active duty as a US Marine Corps Officer, he served as an AH-1W Super Cobra pilot, Marine Expeditionary Unit Air Officer, and Force Reconnaissance Forward Air Controller. He deployed twice to Iraq and a third time to various countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa. His B.A. (Dartmouth College, 2003) is in economics. He holds a federal Common Access Card and has an active SECRET clearance.

E-mail: Daniel@RDNiehaus.com

Ichiko Kido, B.A.

Market Analyst

Ichiko has conducted on-site data collection, compiled housing market and military personnel survey data, and prepared market area maps for HMAs and HMA Updates. Her on-site project experience includes HMA work at Camp Zama, Japan and several other military installations in the United States. She has managed and conducted 30 comparative water rate analyses for Golden State Water Company throughout California. She is bilingual, fluent in English and Japanese. Her B.A. (Fukuoka University, 1989) is in law and education.

E-mail: Ichiko@RDNiehaus.com

Cindy Gau, M.S.

Market Analyst

Cindy has conducted comparative water rate analyses, compiled and analyzed primary- and secondary-source data on water rates and financial information for more than 100 purveyors throughout California, and compiled data on military personnel and rental costs in support of housing requirements studies for military installations throughout the United States. Her related experience includes website maintenance, database management, software development, and business administration. She is trilingual, fluent in English, Mandarin, and Taiwanese. Her M.S.(U. of Minnesota, 1989) is in computer science and her B.S. (National Taiwan University, 1984) is in horticulture.

E-mail: Cindy@RDNiehaus.com

Ian Monsma, B.A.

Economist

Ian has prepared economic and demographic projections and reports, analyzed military personnel survey data, and conducted more than a hundred interviews with realtors, property managers, and government housing officials. His onsite project experience includes HMA work for the Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, and Air Force in both domestic and foreign locations. He has additionally contributed to dozens of HMA and survey analyses for locations throughout the United States. His B.A. (Pomona College, 2009) is in Mathematical Economics.

E-mail: Ian@RDNiehaus.com

Miki Hashimoto, B.A.

Market Analyst / Contract Administrator

Miki has collected housing market data, analyzed extensive military personnel survey databases, prepared economic and demographic projections for housing requirements analyses, and prepared local area maps for domestic and international military installations. Her onsite project experience includes over a dozen HMAs for Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard installations domestically and in South Korea.  She provides support for business development, proposal preparation, contract administration, and GIS analysis. She is bilingual, fluent in English and Japanese. Her B.A. (Claremont McKenna College, 2007) is in international relations, Asian studies, and Asian American studies, and she has lived and studied in Japan for more than three years.

E-mail: Miki@RDNiehaus.com

Jennifer Tagliamonte, B.A.

Market Analyst / Administrative Point of Contact

Jennifer has compiled and analyzed economic and housing market data and prepared housing market assessments for Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard installations in the U.S. and Belgium. She has performed telephone interviews, data entry, and quality assurance reviews for military personnel surveys. In addition, she provides administrative support for contract cost management. She is proficient in reading and translating French. Her B.A. is in History of Public Policy (U.C. Santa Barbara, 2011).

E-mail: Jennifer@RDNiehaus.com

Katherine Opoka, M.A.

Market Analyst

Katherine has compiled and analyzed extensive rental housing market databases and prepared area maps for domestic Army, Navy, and Marine Corps installations.  Her academic research has focused on U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, counterinsurgency strategy, and cyber security.  She has completed a M.A. (Tel Aviv University) in Public Policy, a M.A. (King’s College London) in War Studies, and a B.A. (Deakin University) in International Relations.

E-mail: Katherine@RDNiehaus.com

Kristin Klein, B.S., B.A.

Economist

Kristin has compiled and analyzed extensive rental housing market databases and prepared local area maps for domestic Army, Navy, and Marine Corps installations. She has contributed to water rate and revenue projection analysis for purveyors in California. She is bilingual, fluent in English and Spanish with basic German language capabilities. Her B.S. (University of Florida) is in Food and Resource Economics and her B.A. (University of Florida) is in Political Science.

E-mail: Kristin@RDNiehaus.com

Debbie Castanha, B.S.

Market Analyst

Debbie has compiled and analyzed economic and housing market data and prepared housing market assessments for Army, Marine Corps, and Navy installations in the U.S. She has performed telephone interviews and data entry for market assessments, conducted interviews with water purveyors, as well as provided research and analysis of utilities consumption. Debbie  received her B.S. from California Polytechnic State University, S.L.O. in Business.

E-mail: Debbie@RDNiehaus.com

Jessica Solis

Market Analyst

Jessica has collected and analyzed rental housing market data and military personnel survey data for Army, Marine Corps, and Navy installations around the U.S. Her experience includes telephone interviewing, internet data searches, data entry, quality assurance reviews, and project data file maintenance across a broad spectrum of company projects. She is bilingual and fluent in English and Spanish and is currently pursuing her Associates Degree at Santa Barbara City College.

E-mail: Jessica@RDNiehaus.com