As Vice President of Qualitative Research, Stacey is an expert in distilling data down to its core insights, and translating those insights into powerful strategic recommendations. As a social psychologist, she is passionate about diagnosing each client’s needs and developing an individualized research approach to solve business challenges. Her creative research methods have provided unique psychological, behavioral, and social-dynamic insights for diverse clients such as Pfizer, Target, and Harley-Davidson.
Prior to Kelton, a Material Company, Stacey worked as Director of Research Analysis at PortiCo Research, where she led ethnographic analyses for clients in a wide range of industries, including online education, health and wellness, automotive, and consumer packaged goods.
In her other life as a psychology professor, Stacey has taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in psychological theory and research methods, at universities including New York University, Columbia, and Princeton. Stacey received an Advanced Bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy from Occidental College. She went on to earn both a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in social psychology, with a concentration in developmental psychology, from NYU.
She is originally from California, and had childhood aspirations of becoming a nun, but decided instead to move to New York to join the cult of Murray’s Cheese. She lives in the West Village, has no cats, is an ardent fan of New York arts and culture, and wears a lot of red lipstick.
What Makes a Story a Story
You’ve probably noticed a recent surge of attention to the topic of storytelling in the business world. We all know, though, that some stories are better than others – some convince and inspire us, and some make us want a nap. We don’t just want to tell stories; we want to tell good stories – ones that engage and persuade our audience and incite them to action.
A lesson in empowerment from the punk movement
While it can’t compete with the lines for the Rain Room at MoMA or the blockbuster James Turrell show at the Guggenheim, the Met’s Punk: Chaos to Couture has been one of the big art exhibitions of summer 2013 in Manhattan, drawing 285,000 visitors in its first month alone. The show got me wondering about why the aesthetic, and the ethos, of punk are so lingering and pervasive. Thinking objectively, you might not place a bet on punk’s lasting cultural influence; its origins in mid-70’s New York are pretty marginal. So why are we still looking at punk, listening to it, wearing it, talking about it nearly 40 years after its birth and proclaimed death? My suspicion is that it’s about empowerment.