Maria C. Lytell

Maria C. Lytell
Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist
Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Overview

Maria Lytell is a senior behavioral and social scientist at the RAND Corporation. Her work focuses on military personnel topics with recent examples including diversity, equity, and inclusion in the military, digital talent needs for the Department of Air Force, and staffing requirements for select Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security workforces. She previously served as Associate Director of the Personnel, Training, and Health Program in the RAND Arroyo Center and as a member on The National Academies of Sciences' Committee on the Consideration of Generational Issues in Workforce Management and Employment Practices. Before coming to RAND, her research and consulting experiences focused on topics such as sexual harassment, workplace mistreatment, organizational climate, and personnel selection. She received her master's degree and Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Previous Positions

Associate Director, RAND Arroyo Center Personnel, Training, and Health Program

Selected Publications

Keller, Kirsten M., Maria C. Lytell, and Shreyas Bharadwaj, Personnel Needs for Department of the Air Force Digital Talent: A Case Study of Software Factories, RAND Corporation (RR-A550-1), 2022

Keller, Kirsten M., Maria C. Lytell, David Schulker, Kimberly Curry Hall, Louis T. Mariano, John S. Crown, Miriam Matthews, Brandon Crosby, Lisa Saum-Manning, Douglas Yeung, Leslie Adrienne Payne, Felix Knutson, and Leann Caudill, Advancement and Retention Barriers in the U.S. Air Force Civilian White Collar Workforce: Implications for Demographic Diversity, RAND Corporation (RR-2643-AF), 2020

Lytell, Maria C., Kimberly Curry Hall, and Nelson Lim, Improving U.S. Military Accession Medical Screening Systems, RAND Corporation (RR-2780-OSD), 2019

Wenger, Jennie W., Maria C. Lytell, Kimberly Curry Hall, and Michael L. Hansen, Balancing Quality of Life with Mission Requirements: An Analysis of Personnel Tempo on U.S. Coast Guard Major Cutters, RAND Corporation (RR-2731-DHS), 2019

Lytell, Maria C., Sean Robson, David Schulker, Tracy C. Krueger, Miriam Matthews, Louis T. Mariano, and Albert A. Robbert, Training Success for U.S. Air Force Special Operations and Combat Support Specialties: An Analysis of Recruiting, Screening, and Development Processes, RAND Corporation (RR-2002-AF), 2018

Lytell, Maria C., Susan G. Straus, Chad C. Serena, Geoffrey E. Grimm, James L. Doty III, Jennie W. Wenger, Andrea M. Abler, Andrew M. Naber, Clifford A. Grammich, and Eric S. Fowler, Assessing Competencies and Proficiency of Army Intelligence Analysts Across the Career Life Cycle, RAND Corporation (RR-1851-A), 2017

Lytell, Maria C., Kirsten M. Keller, Beth Katz, Jefferson P. Marquis, and Jerry M. Sollinger, Diversity Leadership in the U.S. Department of Defense: Analysis of the Key Roles, Responsibilities, and Attributes of Diversity Leaders, RAND Corporation (RR-1148-OSD), 2016

Lytell, Maria C., Kenneth Kuhn, Abigail Haddad, Jefferson P. Marquis, Nelson Lim, Kimberly Curry Hall, Robert Stewart, and Jennie W. Wenger, Force Drawdowns and Demographic Diversity: Investigating the Impact of Force Reductions on the Demographic Diversity of the U.S. Military, RAND Corporation (RR-1008-OSD), 2015

Honors & Awards

  • Best-in-Track Award (Research) at the 10th Annual Blended Learning Conference and Workshop, Sloan Consortium
  • Member, Committee on the Consideration of Generational Issues in Workforce Management and Employment Practices, The National Academies of Sciences

Publications