Lou Nadeau
Vice President
The world of data collection and analysis revolves around the idea of extracting information from noise. Poorly designed surveys or statistical analyses only increase that noise. My goal in each project is to apply appropriate methods to extract information efficiently. Well-designed surveys should balance meeting a client’s information needs with the need to ensure that respondents understand what is being asked and can then provide that information. While we have an array of complex methods at our fingertips that can readily extract information from large amounts of data, ultimately, we need to explain what’s being done in plain language. I work to clearly communicate complex statistical analysis or survey designs to ensure better understanding of what was done and increase confidence in the results.
Dr. Lou Nadeau, an ERG senior economist and vice president, is an expert in econometrics, economic valuation, statistical analysis, survey design and implementation, and program evaluation. During his 28+ year career at ERG, he has focused on using state-of-the-art statistical analysis tools and data collection approaches to ensure that clients get actionable and informative products and, in many cases, he has also designed and implemented survey data collection efforts to collect the necessary data. Lou also has expertise in designing complex instruments such as choice experiments and in designing complex implementation modes such as in-person random selection techniques.
Over his 28+ year career at ERG, Lou has designed and implemented more than 60 large- and small-scale surveys ranging from online panels to in-person data collection efforts. In designing questionnaires, he balances the client’s information needs with the realities of collecting data from those who will be completing the survey. Lou is hands-on in the projects he manages, leading interviews and conducting statistical analyses. He is an expert at designing complex surveys that test out new ideas to inform decisions and in developing sampling plans to ensure survey data will provide valid and reliable information for decision-making.
Lou is also an experienced program evaluation expert and has led evaluations using complex statistical designs such as difference-in-difference approaches and propensity score matching techniques, as well qualitative approaches where findings and recommendations are drawn from interviews and focus groups. Government agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Commission for Environmental Cooperation have used Lou’s services to learn where their programs are making impacts, discover ways to improve program effectiveness, and provide a data-based foundation for enhanced management decision-making.
Lou has a B.A. in economics from Assumption College and a Ph.D. and M.A. in economics from Clark University.