KUDZU operates as a collaborative, and utilizes freelance talent whenever needed. We frequently use specialty recruiters, category experts, videographers and local moderators for in-language discussions abroad. Our research solutions are customized, comprehensive and creative.













Lee
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    LEE POLYCHRON, FOUNDING PARTNER

    Lee Polychron, Founding Partner of KUDZU, has made it her mission to create breakthrough research methodologies that reveal the deep drivers of behavior, and the messaging required to inspire action. The research games and activities she has developed in the last 15 years now reside on KUDZU’s the KOLONY™, an easy-to-use, online dashboard that progresses Respondents through the steps of a single research project. From Blogs to live discussion to quant confirmation, it is a strategist’s dream. Before KUDZU, Lee worked at top U.S. advertising agencies as an Account Director and SVP of Strategic Planning at J. Walter Thompson, Lowe & Partners, Euro RSCG and TBWA/Chiat/Day. Lee has experience across a range of target audiences and brands, in the food, soft drinks, personal care, pharmaceutical. automotive, alcoholic beverages, luxury, beauty, technology, entertainment, and financial services categories.
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    MERIDITH JAMIN, PARTNER

    Meridith Jamin, Partner, has made it her mission to make qualitative research fun and meaningful. She jokes that “people tell me things” and she uses book plots, TV shows and plain old empathy to encourage people to open up to her. This sensibility permeates her online and offline research practices. Prior to KUDZU, Meridith held executive level strategic positions at creative and media agencies in New York. Meridith loved the windy city and Northwestern University so much, she went there twice, first, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Economics, then again three years later as Salutatorian with a MA in Integrated Marketing Communications. Her experience spans food, cars, household products, technology, entertainment and pharmaceuticals.

Mer
Neri
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    NERI DE KRAMER SENIOR ETHNOGRAPHER

    Neri de Kramer, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist. Driven to make sense of human behavior, she has 18 years of experience designing, implementing, managing and interpreting the qualitative research that answers her and her client’s questions. Neri is particularly passionate about the power of immersive ethnography to get to the root of people’s motivations and is trained to situate her ethnographic findings in broader cultural contexts. She has conducted research in both Europe and the United States and her experience includes food, packaging, hospitality, pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

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    LINDA POVEY, INNOVATION & STRATEGY

    Linda is widely recognized for her ability to transform market research into insight and creative opportunities for her clients. In addition to KUDZU, Linda has worked with Brand Alchemy, an innovation consultancy, the Natural Marketing Institute as VP of Strategy, and IKEA where, as Marketing Director, she was instrumental in transforming IKEA from a European up-start to one of the most successful retailers in the country. Today, Linda shares her passion and expertise as a Communications Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, teaching courses in brand strategy. She is also Trustee and Chairman of External Affairs for Unity College, a liberal arts college in Maine dedicated to educating the next generation of environmental leaders. As a marketing strategist and brand creator for the past twenty-five years, Linda Povey has developed enduring brands from concept through creative execution for a wide range of leadership organizations, including Coca Cola, GSK, Canyon Ranch, Nestlé, World Wildlife Fund and IKEA.


Linda

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    MEREDITH SADIN, PHD, QUANTITATIVE LEAD

    Dr. Meredith Sadin received her Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2014 and since then, has designed, implemented, managed, and analyzed hundreds of large-scale quantitative explorations in order to understand both attitudes and behavior. Her experience spans technology (social media, fintech, mobile apps, payment software), travel and leisure, pharmaceuticals, entertainment, financial services, and public policy. She currently serves as a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley and has been invited to speak about her research at universities around the world. Her work has been cited in The New York Times, The New Republic and The Washington Post.

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    CHIARA HERLIHY, PROJECT MANAGER

    Chiara Herlihy studied at the University of Rhode Island where she received a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in political science. Before joining KUDZU, she held client and consumer-facing roles in retail, e-commerce and real estate and focused on account management, technology optimization, and process improvement.
Isabel
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    ISABEL GRUENBERG, ASSISTANT PM/VIDEOGRAPHER

    Isabel Gruenberg is a current student at Temple University, studying anthropology, psychology, and creative writing. She is a people person. She thrives on making connections with others because she feels that her relationships better inform her understanding of the world. Isabel has worked in restaurants and coffee shops for over ten years, but is eager to break out of the customer service world and into advertising.
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    SERENA BERRA, Strategy & Insights | Brand, Creative, Innovation

    Serena is fascinated by people, and what they’ll reveal when they’re least expecting it. A seasoned Brand Strategist & Moderator, she honed her craft at NY’s top ad agencies & qualitative research consultancies on some of the world’s top brands like Diageo, New Balance, P&G, Panasonic, Playtex & Sony to name a few. During her 20+ year career, she helped her client partners recognize the value of using innovative research techniques for fresh & actionable insights. Curious, creative & collaborative, she prides herself on her ability to play well with others to help brands and integrated teams activate insight-driven ideas that fuel growth. She has taken that passion to teaching strategy in her spare time at The Miami Ad School, The Cairo Ad School & The Carriage House program at Brand Center VCU.
Serena
Trudi
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    TRUDI DIXON, CONTROLLER

    Trudi Dixon is responsible for managing all of our billing at KUDZU. Her organizational skills are unparalleled and ensure that our finances are in order and our money is safe.
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    AJAY REWARI, DIGITAL DEVELOPER

    Ajay Rewari is a principal/co-founder at Scream Media Inc., which provides web development, design, and IT support solutions to KUDZU. Ajay sits on the Board of Directors for Youth Service Inc.(YSI) and is a media and marketing advisor to several other non-profit organizations. He received a B.A. in Economics and post-baccalaureate in Entrepreneurship from Bucknell University and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. 
Ajay
Jake
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    JAKE ZANGRILLI, WEB DEVELOPER

    Jake Zangrilli is a principal/co-founder at Scream Media Inc., which provides web development, design, and IT support solutions to KUDZU. Jake received a B.S. in Information Technology from The Rochester Institute of Technology.