Authors of the IDA
Matthew DeMichele, Ph.D.
Dr. DeMichele was a Senior Research Sociologist in RTI International’s Applied Justice Research Division during the development of the IDA. He served as the Director of the Center for Courts and Corrections Research and has over 20 years of experience in criminal justice research. His focus areas include correctional population trends, community corrections, risk prediction, terrorism/extremism prevention, and program evaluation. Dr. DeMichele has conducted research for local, federal, and foundation partners, assessing criminal justice reforms, judicial decision-making, and disengagement from extremist organizations. His work has been published in Crime & Delinquency, American Sociological Review, and Criminology & Public Policy.
Nathan Lowe, Ph.D.
In 2011, when the IDA research began, Dr. Lowe was the Program Director of Grants and Research at the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). He oversaw staff working on various grant-funded projects, providing training, technical assistance, and research/evaluation for the community supervision field. Dr. Lowe also managed and contributed to APPA’s journal, Perspectives. As a former practitioner, his research interests focused on improving community supervision practices. Dr. Lowe has extensive experience conducting research on justice-involved populations using mixed-methods and statistical techniques. His work has been published in scholarly journals, professional journals, and technical reports. Dr. Lowe earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Kentucky.
Kenneth W. Wanberg, Th.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Wanberg, a licensed psychologist, was the Director of the Center for Addictions Research and Evaluation (CARE) in Arvada, Colorado, and a consultant/trainer with numerous criminal justice agencies during the IDA’s development. With over 45 years of experience in private practice and institutional settings, his clinical expertise includes general practice, substance abuse, and corrections. Dr. Wanberg’s research focuses on criminal conduct and substance abuse, particularly multivariate studies of substance use patterns in adolescent and adult clinical and offender populations. His work has led to the development of reliable and valid instruments for assessing substance abuse and addictive behaviors. Dr. Wanberg is the author or co-author of numerous research articles and 13 books on the treatment of juvenile and adult substance-abusing offenders.
David S. Timken, Ph.D.
At the time of the IDA’s development, Dr. Timken was the Director and Principal Research Scientist at the Center for Impaired Driving Research and Evaluation in Boulder, Colorado. He previously served as Research Scientist and Clinical Director at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Colorado Department of Human Services. Dr. Timken is internationally recognized for his work in the diagnosis and treatment of substance-abusing drivers, with over 54 years of experience. He developed the assessment, education, and treatment system for alcohol/drug-related traffic offenders in Colorado and has published numerous technical manuals in the field. Dr. Timken has conducted research with DUI offenders and developed screening and differential assessment tools for other substance-abusing populations. He has also provided clinical consultation in this area and served a five-year term on the Boulder Beverage Licensing Authority, where he held the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair. Dr. Timken has received numerous awards, including the Dr. Robert Weltzer Award for Outstanding Dedication to Traffic Safety.