We are driven by curiosity,
empowered by truth.

A one-stop shop, turning insights into action.

We are social scientists, analysts, creative and strategic thinkers.

Founded by John Della Volpe and Jonathan Chavez in 2007, our collective experience spans decades and traverses dozens of political and public affairs campaigns, social and government initiatives, brand positionings, and product launches. We partner with our “smart tribe” of subject-matter experts to bring our clients the most efficient and effective research methodologies, statistical tools, and strategies. We remain at the forefront of technological advancements in the field, to render results in a clear, compelling, and actionable manner.

John Della Volpe

Founder & CEO

John Della Volpe is the Founder and CEO of SocialSphere, recognized by the Washington Post as one of the world’s foremost authorities on youth in politics. He has advised heads of state, Fortune 100 CEOs, military generals, athletes, and entertainers. In 2020, he served as a pollster and advisor to President Biden.

For two decades, John has been the Director of Polling at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, leading the most comprehensive study of youth attitudes toward politics and public affairs in the United States. His best-selling book, Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Passion and Fear to Save America, has been acclaimed as "the definitive account of America's next great generation" and "a great read with a tremendous amount of learning for anyone engaging with the most exciting generation in decades."

In 2008, John received an Eisenhower Fellowship, which included extensive travel throughout Asia and a supervised day in North Korea. He has also served on the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission on Media (2011), was named a “Future Legend of Marketing” by the Ad Club of Boston (2013), received the Author E. Hughes Award for Career Achievement from the University of San Diego (2018), was appointed an SNF Ithaca Fellow at the Biden School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware (2022), and received NextGen’s Trailblazer award in 2024 alongside Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Pramila Jayapal. In 2023, John was the commencement speaker at Stonehill College, where he also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree.

John is a contributor to NBC and MSNBC, regularly appearing on Morning Joe and The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle. His essays are published in the New York Times, Washington Post, and JDV on Gen Z+ on Substack.

Our Research Team

Chad Arthur

Chad Arthur is a Senior Research Associate at SocialSphere. For more than ten years in opinion research, Chad has led quantitative and qualitative research and strategy for clients across politics, advocacy, corporate reputation, and more.

Prior to joining SocialSphere, he conducted polling at GQR for clients including Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and the DSCC IE in Georgia. Chad was the Managing Director of Democracy Corps for the 2020 election cycle where his work supported registration and turnout efforts targeting 1.5 million members of the New American Majority (young people, people of color, and unmarried women). During the 2018, 2016, and 2014 cycles, he worked as an Analyst at the Feldman Group, conducting polling for dozens of federal, state, and local campaigns as well as for other progressive issue groups and civil rights organizations.

Chad lives in the Washington DC area with his wife and dog.

Senior Research Associate

Richard Berkowitz

Richard Berkowitz, a trained journalist, earned his degrees from Boston College and the Columbia Journalism School. With nearly three decades of experience in public opinion research and policy consulting, Richard is a highly skilled qualitative researcher. He excels in moderating town halls, focus groups, and in-depth interviews on various topics. As a senior member of the SocialSphere team, he mentors new associates and delivers insights to a diverse clientele, including the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Command, the Joyce Foundation, Murmuration, and the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign.

An avid Boston sports fan, Richard divides his time between Boston and Martha’s Vineyard.

Senior Analyst & Strategist

Jade Carey

Jade Carey is a Research Assistant at SocialSphere, where she specializes in both quantitative and qualitative research for various clients. Jade works on various aspects of polling projects, including questionnaire development, analysis, and reporting.

Jade graduated from the University of Delaware in 2023, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Data Analytics and Spanish.

She joined the SocialSphere team in 2023 as a summer intern. Jade is based in Wilmington, Delaware, and in her free time enjoys crocheting, playing The Sims, and reading.

Research Assistant

Jonathan Chavez

Jonathan is SocialSphere's Co-Founder and Chief Analytics Officer. Jonathan’s expertise and methodological focus range from various forms of analytics to public opinion research methodologies. In bringing these disciplines together, Jonathan has produced numerous innovative research techniques and products to give clients an analytics edge. He is experienced in qualitative and quantitative research and has led SocialSphere’s work on behalf of the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Command for the past decade.

Additionally, he works closely with numerous private and public sector enterprises in the lottery and gaming industries. Jonathan is a graduate of Harvard College, with a degree in Social Studies. His work focused on statistical methods, survey research methods, and econometrics.

Co-Founder and Chief Analytics Officer

Andrew Della Volpe

After graduating from Colby College with a BA in Government, Andrew joined SocialSphere as an Analyst, specializing in both qualitative and quantitative research projects. While in college, Andrew was Co-Captain of the baseball team, interned for Governor Deval Patrick (MA), but most notably, he spent a January term working with Sacha Baron Cohen and his production company.

Outside of SocialSphere, Andrew is a writer and comedian. He performs regularly in Boston and New York City, and has opened for numerous national acts. Currently, he’s on a national tour with comedian Bob Marley.

Analyst

Divya Desai

Divya Desai, Research Analyst, assists the SocialSphere team with quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. Prior to joining SocialSphere, Divya worked at GQR where she worked on competitive Senate races including Senator Mark Kelly’s reelection campaign and work for the DSCC IE in Georgia. She also has worked on several House campaigns and with progressive organizations including National Women’s Law Center (NWLC).

Divya’s background is in Health Sciences, with a particular interest in progressive policies in the health space. Originally from New Jersey, she grew up in the Tampa Bay region, where she graduated from the University of South Florida.

Research Analyst

Josh Ferno

Josh joined SocialSphere in 2024 as a Research Director after four years at Morning Consult, where he advised industry trade associations, major nonprofits, government agencies, universities, and corporate public affairs teams as a strategic research partner. Before that, Josh was a member of the Pew Research Center’s survey methodology team, where he was responsible for co-managing the organization’s probability-based respondent panel.

Josh has designed and executed over 300 custom research studies in his career, including work with major players in the energy, technology, travel and hospitality, healthcare and human services, intelligence, and education spaces among others. Josh attended Elon University, where he served as a Senior Associate with the Elon Poll and conducted independent, grant-funded survey research as a Sociology and Policy Studies double major.

He is a native of Mooresville, North Carolina and currently lives in Savannah, Georgia. He’s also a Carolina Panthers fan, bulldog owner, movie lover, and musician.

Research Director

James McClain

James McClain is a seasoned public opinion researcher with extensive experience employing innovative research methodologies across the country. James joined SocialSphere in 2024 as Senior Research Director after spending a decade at EMC Research, where he last served as Principal. James has been a leader in advancing and refining the implementation of new research modes and multimodal methodologies. Throughout his career, James has conducted more than 500 research studies, lending his expertise to everything from startups and Fortune 500 companies to campaigns for president and local offices.

He has advised several government and public agencies on strategic initiatives and public outreach campaigns, including leading the research team for the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to understand attitudes surrounding COVID-19 and inform vaccination outreach efforts. Beyond government agencies, James has helped clients utilize opinion research to achieve their goals, working with over a hundred startup entrepreneurs for Rev1 Ventures, and with large companies like AEP, Boston Children’s Hospital, FirstEnergy, Florida Power & Light, Lyft, MetroHealth, and Uber. James has served as a pollster and strategist for many successful campaigns, including serving as the lead pollster for North Dakota Measure 1 in 2018. His political clients have included Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, the Heartland Research Project, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (FL), U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell, U.S. Congressman Mark Takano, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

James graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Annie and sons Griffey and Geo. James spends his spare time attempting to get his boys to sleep, playing hockey, and scrutinizing the Green Bay Packers’ every move with his Dad.

Senior Research Director

Eric Roberts

Eric is a seasoned research director with a focus on brand and communications research. He has led numerous studies in collaboration with clients in health care, industry, and the military, including CDC, FEMA, Lockheed Martin, Huntington Ingalls, US Army Reserves, and most recently has taken a leading role with SocialSphere's work on behalf of the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

Eric is himself a former Marine and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.