Dave brings more than 40 years of market research experience, including nearly three decades on the client side at global consumer products and financial services companies. Along the way, he held roles in business strategy, product management, and key account management, and he built and led an enterprise-wide research team for a major tax and financial services brand. As True North’s Chief Methodologist, he turns data into meaningful insights that deliver ROI for clients.
About Us
Founded in 2010, True North Market Insights helps mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies, as well as government agencies, drive strategy through custom quantitative and qualitative research. Because we’ve sat on the client side of the table, we know firsthand what it’s like to get research that’s interesting yet unhelpful in determining what to do next. From segmentation and brand positioning to pricing, product innovation, and customer loyalty, we deliver insights that aren’t just shelf-ready, but decision-ready.
Dave Santee
Chief Methodologist
(785)-218-7832
[email protected]
Steve Gándola
President
(916)-759-3417
[email protected]
After a start in Fortune 100 market research, Steve spent two decades in marketing management roles across multiple industries, including CPG, insurance, retail, and health care. Before taking the helm at True North, he served as Chief Marketing Officer at a fast-growing retailer. Across these roles, he relied heavily on consumer insights to drive strategic and tactical decisions. Having sat in the client’s chair, Steve makes sure every True North study starts with the decision it needs to inform.
Christine Coleman
Senior Research Manager
(785)-371-1103
[email protected]
Christine brings more than 30 years of supplier-side market research experience, starting as a phone-room supervisor and rising through CATI management to Director of Project Management. Her deep knowledge of sampling and fieldwork helps her deliver excellence on every project. Today, she supports teams at all levels, from study design and questionnaire development to tabulation, analysis, and reporting.
Susan Cross
Market Research Assistant
(417)-291-3238
[email protected]
Susan brings more than 15 years of market research experience from two global CPG companies, where she shaped brand strategy, guided new products from concept through launch, and tracked brand equity and advertising performance. She has since applied that playbook to start-ups and nonprofits. She loves connecting the dots across data sources to find the story behind the numbers, and her sharp eye for detail keeps insights on solid ground.
Alejandra (Ale) Cortes
Senior Project Manager
(913)-406-0669
[email protected]
Alejandra brings more than 20 years of market research experience on both the supplier and client sides, including a consumer insights role at a national restaurant company. She has managed long-term customer and employee satisfaction trackers, led concept and sensory testing, and moderated focus groups and in-depth interviews. Bilingual in English and Spanish, she has presented CX findings to C-level executives across Latin America and leads True North’s Hispanic market research.
Rachael Snider
Project Manager
(785)-262-3064
[email protected]
Rachael brings more than 10 years of experience designing, administering, and analyzing surveys for local governments and community organizations. She has served as project manager or senior researcher on more than 50 local government studies, including customer satisfaction, employee, and parks and recreation surveys. Rachael holds an MPA and focuses on True North’s government research, turning complex data into clear findings that stakeholders can act on.
Sara Leach
Field Coordinator
(417)-291-3238
[email protected]
Sara has been part of the True North team since 2019. She brings a background in HR administration and executive assistance, which shows in how smoothly True North projects run. She supports a wide range of initiatives, including participant recruiting, project coordination, and project administration. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence keep True North’s qualitative research running at its best.