About Us

We don't just consult.
We come alongside.​

Founded in 2012, Charter Oak Research provides marketing intelligence and consulting services for clients in niche markets in need of a range of services and support. We partner with our clients through the entire project to ensure recommendations are implemented successfully and delivering results.

Charter Oak Research serves clients who have come to rely on the strong customer service and insights that set Charter Oak Research apart. Charter Oak Research takes great pride in combining innovation with sound methodology to give clients valuable market intelligence.

We seek to develop strong customer relationships and to give outstanding customer service.  When word of mouth is so important for success, it is gratifying to know this is the source of most of our clients.   

  

meet our team

The Faces Behind our Success

Paul Neal

Partner / Chief Research Officer

Paul is Partner and Chief Research Officer and also serves as Sr. VP for Advancement & Communications at Cairn University responsible for oversight of enrollment, development and philanthropy and marketing. At Charter Oak Research, Paul leads, along with partner David Urban, the marketing research and consulting services for private schools, non-profits and business to business clients. He is also Senior Fellow at Center for the Advancement of Christian Education at Dordt College. Paul is a graduate of Eastern University (B.A.) and Villanova University (M.A.) and attended Temple University for further graduate studies. Paul has presented and been published on: the use of normative data in analysis, respondent motives, trends in education and online communities, respondent quality in research, governance and public policy on education.

Previously a principal at several for profit and non-profit enterprises, his responsibilities included: leading research offerings; design and analytics on behalf of clients for  thousands of studies across most marketing research topics; researching markets in education, healthcare, financial, insurance, and technology; qualitative research on political culture and U.S. Public Policy; and training on government reform and service delivery instruction among local government officials both in the US and internationally. Paul has served as an adjunct faculty member at several Philadelphia area universities and consults on appropriate uses of research for marketing research and intelligence needs.

David Urban

Partner / Chief Operating Officer

David is co-founder of Charter Oak Research and Chief Operating Officer. David also leads Charter Oak’s educational practice. David has almost 25 years of experience and expertise in enrollment. Prior to founding Charter Oak, David was Vice President of Client Services and part of the business development and research initiatives teams at Olson Research Group. At Olson Research, David started the company’s educational and enrollment offerings and grew that practice to be the second largest vertical offering of the company within 2 years. Prior to Olson Research, David was Vice President of Enrollment at Eastern University responsible for all areas of recruitment and admissions for the undergraduate, graduate and accelerated programs. David has also served as Chief Advancement Officer at Charlotte Christian School (NC).

Currently, David is President/CEO of Missionary Athletes International and is a Fellow for the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE) and consults regularly in both k-12 and higher education admissions, marketing and development and presents regularly on educational trends and best practices both in the US and internationally. David was the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals (NACCAP) Admissions Officer of the Year in 2010. Dave is a graduate of Eastern University (B.S., M.B.A.).

Béla Franklin

Sr. Analyst / Director of Client Relations

Béla is the Senior Analyst and Director of Client Services at Charter Oak and has been with the company since its founding.  At Charter Oak, Béla develops and executes research plans, deriving actionable insights for clients from fielded data.  With over seven years of experience as a researcher and analyst, Béla has accumulated expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.  Prior to joining Charter Oak, Béla worked with a state-based think tank as Associate Director of Student Relations.  Béla studied Politics at Colorado Christian University.

Presently Béla is enrolled in a pastoral apprenticeship program and is the Director of Community Groups at Midlands Church in Columbia, SC where he lives with his bride and their two daughters.

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