Who We Are
DRC’s full legal name is Data Recognition Corporation. DRC was founded in 1978 as a privately held, Minnesota-based service firm specializing in test and survey administration and processing. We were later incorporated in Minnesota in 1995. Over the past 44 years, DRC has evolved into a full-service assessment company with a staff of 755 full-time employees and over 3,000 seasonal and temporary employees in 13 locations around the country.
We are a full-service assessment vendor, serving millions of examinees in the licensure and certification, pre-K–12, and adult education markets across the U.S. and internationally. Our customers include licensure and certification boards and associations; state and national government agencies; public, private, and charter schools and districts; community colleges; workforce centers; and other educational organizations.
Our Qualifications
In 2019, DRC launched a new Licensure and Certification Testing business, building on our strengths in item and exam development, psychometric analysis, and secure test administration. To support our new business unit, in 2020, DRC made the strategic decision to acquire an outside licensure and certification company–Measurement Research Associates (MRA), previously a division of Measurement Incorporated. MRA has been serving dental and medical boards for over 35 years, providing end-to-end test development processes and psychometric services. Now as part of DRC, we help licensure and certification professionals show their Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) by passing a fair, reliable, and psychometrically sound exam.
Our Leadership
Holly Saraullo
Executive Vice President
Licensure and Certification
Holly has more than 29 years of experience in the assessment, licensure, and certification industry. This experience includes work across business development, account management, test development, operations, and finance. She has built strong client relationships over the years throughout the testing community and is a trusted advisor. Holly is a people leader and team builder known for leading cross-functional teams with direct and indirect functional accountability focused solely on her clients’ success. She has a proven track record of delivering results, improving operational efficiencies, and guaranteeing customer satisfaction to help ensure her clients meet their goals.
Holly is responsible for providing leadership and executive oversight for DRC’s solutions and services in the licensure and certification market. She plays an integral role in pairing clients with the right test developer and psychometrician to deliver customized solutions in line with the client’s goals. Holly is an active member of the Association of Test Publishers (ATP), Institute of Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.), the IT Certification Council (ITCC), American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) Program Committee and the Certification Networking Group (CNG).
Jessica Anderson
Director
ICE-CCP
Test Development Director, Licensure and Certification
Jessica has focused her 18-year career in measurement and assessment to help organizations and individuals in the licensure and certification industry to better understand the people side of their businesses, industries, and workplaces. Her experience working with a wide range of credentialing programs makes her well-versed in various test development methods.
Jessica has extensive experience partnering with high-stakes medical and dental licensure and certification programs to develop, maintain, and validate assessments that accurately measure the knowledge, skills, and competencies required for safe and effective professional practice. Her background includes working closely with organizations responsible for health record accuracy and medical billing and coding credentials, providing her with a deep understanding of the complex practice environments that credentialing examinations are designed to assess. She has also supported credentialing and assessment programs across numerous healthcare specialties, including radiology, nursing, surgery, and other clinical disciplines, providing a broad perspective on healthcare workforce competency and assessment. At DRC, Jessica is responsible for overseeing the design and development of large-scale licensure and certification assessments, which includes the coordination of all phases of the assessment development process.
Samantha Sappington
Vice President
Licensure and Certification
Samantha has more than 28 years of experience in account management with over 20 years of that time serving the assessment industry. This experience includes client relationship management, large-scale implementations, and leading multiple teams in support of client service and sales. At DRC, she is responsible for bringing successful business leadership experience with the right mix of strategy, new business and product development, marketing and sales expertise, building customer relationships, demonstrating industry presence, as well as research and analysis skills. Samantha is an active member of the Association of Test Publishers (ATP) and currently serves as the Program Vice-Chair for the 2027 ATP Conference Planning efforts. She is a member of the Certification Networking Group (CNG) and is also a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.).
Sarah Hughes
Test Development Director
Licensure and Certification
Sarah is an experienced measurement and assessment professional with more than 10 years of experience and a proven track record of staying ahead of industry trends to advance programs. With a focus on collaboration and innovation, she has successfully led multinational organizations in organizing and facilitating successful and engaging test development activities, both in person and remotely. Sarah brings a wealth of experience designing custom test development activities, including developing unique facilitation tools, and leveraging innovative technologies such as crowd-sourced item development and AI for Job Task Analyses.
Vicky Vander Woude
MAM
ICE-CCP
Director, Licensure and Certification
Vicky has more than 15 years of experience in the assessment and certification industry. Prior to joining DRC, she was an Account Director at Prometric, working with enterprise clients in the financial sector to deliver successful, end-to-end credentialing programs both in-center and on-demand. This experience includes client relationship management across test development, test delivery, candidate support, and test security.
Vicky also has extensive experience in credentialing exam preparation at Holmes Corporation, where she led a Global Business Development team to develop global supply chain and logistics certifications from inception to certification designees in over 90 countries. She holds an M.A. in Management and recently completed a Certificate in Conflict Resolution from the Dispute Resolution Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Vicky is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.) and the IT Certification Council (ITCC) and also sits on the Chicago Planning Committee for the Certification Networking Group (CNG).
Our Certifications
DRC proudly holds rigorous certifications from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Quality Management (ISO 9001) and Information Security (ISO 27001:2013). These certifications allow us to blend our information security and quality standards, strengthening DRC’s business processes.