About Us

Richard Abelson

M.S., President

Richard Abelson, President of Statistics & Data Corporation (SDC), founded the company in November of 2005. Prior to SDC's inception, Richard served on the Board of Directors of Ora, Inc. for over 10 years giving him a strong background in clinical research. Richard holds a Master of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University, and is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Dale Kennedy

Ph.D., Vice President & General Manager

Dr. Kennedy is Vice President & General Manager of Statistics & Data Corporation (SDC), providing data management and biostatistics analysis services in support of clinical studies. Prior to his position with SDC, Dr. Kennedy worked in a variety of engineering, scientific analysis, and management positions in the U.S. Air Force, at Simula, Inc. (now BAE Systems), and at Orbital Sciences Corporation. He is also an adjunct professor with Arizona State University (ASU) and teaches Probability and Statistics for Engineering Problem Solving. His Ph.D. is in Industrial Engineering with a focus on applied statistics, quality and reliability engineering. He holds Master's degrees in Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), in Systems Management from the University of Southern California (USC), and in Business Management from Central Michigan University. His Bachelor's degree is in Aeronautical Engineering Technology from ASU. Dr. Kennedy is a Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) and a Certified Professional Logistician (CPL). He is a member of DIA, ARVO, INFORMS, and ASQ.

Dale Usner, Ph.D.

Vice President of Biostatistics

Dr. Usner joined SDC in September 2011 as the Vice President of Biostatistics. Prior to his position with SDC, he worked at AVI BioPharma and ZymoGenetics as the head of statistics and data management, at Bausch & Lomb, Inc as the global head of statistics and data management, and at PPD, Inc. He maintains an array of therapeutic area expertise, including anti-viral/anti-infective, oncology, ophthalmic device, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, and gastrointestinal. Dr. Usner also has a breadth of regulatory body meeting experience with the FDA, PMDA, and EMA, including involvement in advisory committee meetings. Dr. Usner holds a Ph.D. in Statistics from Oregon State University, an MS in Statistics from Carnegie Mellon University, and a BS in Mathematics from Dickson College.

Lawrence Florin, MBA

Vice President of Business Development

Lawrence Florin is the Vice President, Business Development. Prior to SDC, Mr. Florin served in senior global leadership roles in clinical operations, clinical project management, business development and outsourcing for CROs, SMOs and pharmaceutical organizations. Complementing this diverse background is Mr. Florin’s strategic partnership and corporate development experience.

Mr. Florin earned a BS in Biology (with a minor in Economics) from Ursinus College and a Master of Business Administration from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

Kathryn Kennedy

M.S., Director of Biostatistics

Ms. Kennedy is the Director of Biostatistics and a founding member of Statistics & Data Corporation (SDC), providing data management and biostatistics analysis services in support of clinical studies. She has been involved with the statistical analysis for over 80 clinical trials, and has served on several Data Safety Monitoring Boards for industry-sponsored trials. Prior to SDC's inception, she worked at Orbital Sciences Corporation as a Quality Engineer and has taught Probability and Statistics for Engineering Problem Solving as a Graduate Associate at Arizona State University (ASU). Ms. Kennedy holds a Master of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Industrial Engineering from ASU, and is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt. She is a member of the American Statistical Association, DIA, and ARVO.

Beverly A. Mersing

Director of Data Management

Ms. Mersing is the Director of Data Management at Statistics & Data Corporation (SDC), providing clinical data management (CDM) services in support of clinical studies. She has been involved with the clinical data management of clinical trials for many therapeutic areas, including ophthalmology, cardiology, arthritis, oncology, and pain control. Prior to joining SDC, she worked at Kendle, Int. for over 13 years, in multiple roles within clinical data management, including Sr. Clinical Data Manager and Associate Director of CDM. Ms. Mersing holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University at Long Beach. She is a member of the Society for Clinical Data Management (SCDM).