IRP Staff Bios

Becky Patterson is the Executive Director & Lead Statistician for the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.  She joined UofL in June 2006 and has held the positions of IR Analyst II, Senior IR Analyst, Assistant Director, and Director.  In addition to her role as Executive Director, Becky is the lead analyst for faculty/staff reporting, data visualizations, and senior-level statistical analyses.  Becky holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Spalding University and a Master of Science in Biostatistics and Decision Science from the University of Louisville.  Becky serves with an unrelenting adherence to accuracy and consistency and was awarded Supervisor of the Year in 2019 by the University of Louisville.

Erika Ruffin is the Associate Director & Statistician for the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.  She joined UofL in January 2010 and has held the positions of IR Analyst I, IR Analyst II, and Senior IR Analyst.  In addition to her role as an Associate Director, Erika is the co-lead analyst for faculty/staff reporting and performance funding reporting.  Her other areas of focus include federal reporting, state reporting, statistical analyses and ad-hoc data requests.  Erika holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from James Madison University, a Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences/Statistics from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Education in Research, Statistics and Evaluation from University of Virginia, and a Master of Education in School Counseling from Liberty University.

Lisa Horn is the Associate Director, Strategic Planning & Operations, for the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.  She joined UofL in September 1999 in the Office of Planning and Budget.  In addition to her role as assistant director, Lisa is the lead analyst on benchmark data, strategic planning and performance reporting.  She also serves as the lead on the administration of the university's online catalog system and co-lead on the administration of the university’s course evaluations.  Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Finance and an MBA both earned at the University of Louisville.

Steve Fry is an Assistant Director in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.  He joined UofL in February 2017.  Steve is the lead analyst for enrollment reporting, graduation and retention in addition to servicing a wide range of requests including local and national surveys, federal reporting, state reporting, and ad-hoc requests, and senior-level analyses.  Steve holds a Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from Indiana University, a Bachelor of Science in Informatics from Indiana University, and a diploma in Arabic from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

Shari Barrow is the Projects & Logistics Coordinator for the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.  She joined UofL in August 2000 and later joined the staff of IRP in December of 2007.  She serves as the lead on management of all data requests/project queue for the office.  She is co-lead on the administration of the university’s course evaluations and provides support to the university community on the use of BLUE Survey, the university’s survey assessment software.  Shari is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Learning.

Katie Bixby is a Senior Analyst in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.  She joined UofL in January 2010 and later joined IRP in October 2019.  Katie is the co-lead analyst for land, building, and facilities files. Her other areas of focus include local and national surveys, federal reporting, state reporting, ad-hoc requests, and senior-level analyses.  Katie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services (College Student Personnel) from the University of Louisville.

Linda Hou is a Senior Analyst in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.  She joined UofL in January 2006 as an IR Analyst I.  Linda is the lead analyst for financial aid, retention, NCAA, NSF/NIH Survey and senior-level analyses.  Linda holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Fuzhou University in China and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville.