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Lance M. Kruse, Ph.D.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

HUMANA

Associate Director, Enterprise Insights & Market Research (2025 - Present)

Market Research Lead (2024 - 2025)


  • Lead team of five researchers responsible for developing and implementing agile, cost-effective market research projects to inform key business decisions across the insurance, retail, primary care, agent, and business strategy lines of business. 
  • Established and maintained five internally developed consumer panels of over 17,000 consumers and prospects across all lines of business (i.e., insurance, primary care, agent).
  • Completed or consulted on over 75 market research projects through internal consumer panels across two quarters, resulting in $2.5M+ in research savings as compared to custom research project costs.
  • Established CEO Member Advisory Council by recruiting and conducting member focus groups for monthly in person sessions with the CEO; facilitated member discussion alongside the CEO.
  • Designed and implemented in-person member focus groups for Executive Leadership Team and the Board of Directors for in-person strategy sessions; facilitated member focus groups.
  • Directed and executed self-serve research projects through developing, programming, fielding, and analyzing survey research to identify cost-effective changes to improve member experience.
  • Presented business implications and research recommendations to stakeholders, including SVPs and their teams. 
  • Managed $2M+ annual budget for Customer Listening & Enterprise Insights team.
  • Created and implemented research policies and procedures to align with research best practices and legal and compliance requirements.
  • Relationship manager for partner vendors supporting agile research projects for the Market Research Department.

RELIAS

Senior Market Research Manager (2024 - 2024)

Market Research Manager (2019 - 2023)


  • Lead and oversee market research efforts to provide actionable insights for product development, sales strategies, and client care initiatives.
  • Spearhead Relias' survey strategy, designing and executing recurring and standalone survey research projects.
  • Analyze and deliver comprehensive market research findings to executive and departmental leadership to guide strategic decision-making.
  • Present Voice of Customer research outcomes, identifying opportunities for service improvement and enhanced customer satisfaction.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams on strategic initiatives, research projects, and thought leadership opportunities.
  • Demonstrated leadership by serving as Interim Team Lead during manager's Family Medical Leave in Q1 2023.


INVONTICS, LLC

Chief Executive Officer (2021 - Present)

  • Provide program evaluation, instrument design, and statistical and psychometric analysis for education, healthcare, and nonprofit clients.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Research Scholar, STEM Education (2019 - 2021)

  • Assistant Director, AEOP Evaluation 
    • Provide research and evaluation support for Army Educational Outreach Program; 
    • Lead the management and administration of program databases for AEOP; 
    • Conduct survey development and administration, interviews, site visits, and observations for AEOP evaluations; o Compose annual evaluation reports. 
  • Research Analyst, Purdue Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program 
    • Compose reporting documentation for program partners; 
    • Aggregate program data from partners into comprehensive reporting database. 
  • Research Analyst, Friday Institute Professional Learning Online Modules 
    • Conduct quantitative statistical analysis for survey, assessment, and course activity data for course evaluation; 
    • Implement A/B testing protocol to evaluate program design and effectiveness; o Conduct interviews for participating students related to program effectiveness. 
  • Research Analyst, NCSU Artificial Intelligence Academy 
    • Lead the management and administration of applicant and participant data; o Compose reporting documentation for program partners; 
    • Aggregate program data into comprehensive reporting database. 
  • Research Analyst, Indiana GEAR UP Program 
    • Aggregate student performance data into comprehensive SPSS database; 
    • Evaluate program performance across student performance indicators;
    • Compose technical evaluation report for district, school, and program performance.

METRIKS AMERIQUE

AEOP Alumni Management Team Member (2017 - 2019)

  • Manage the Army Education Outreach Program (AEOP) Alumni database, which houses participant information from the 11 national AEOPs; 
  • Annually collect, clean, and upload new participant information into the existing database; 
  • Perform complex database searches to support programmatic efforts; 
  • Assist in writing evaluation reports for the AEOP Alumni Management Team. 


Psychometric Consultant (2017 - 2019)

  • Lead meeting with medical board members responsible for test development; 
  • Conduct and review psychometric analysis of previous test results to guide test revision and new item development; 
  • Apply psychometric principles to high-stakes test development.

CLARITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

Psychometric Consultant Internship (2016 - 2017)    

  • Intern to Clarity Assessment Systems, a national provider of high-stakes test development services, primarily to medical organizations; 
  • Assisted in conducting meeting with medical board members for test development; 
  • Conducted and reviewed psychometric analysis of previous test results to guide test revision and new item development; 
  • Application of psychometric principles to medical high-stakes test development.