Westat
| Company type | Employee-owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional services, Research |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | Edward C. Bryant, James Daley, Donald King |
| Headquarters | Rockville , United States |
Key people | Scott Royal (CEO and president), Renee F. Slobasky (Board chair) |
| Products | Research services in behavioral health, health policy, clinical trials, education, public health, epidemiology, social policy, economics, transportation |
Westat is a professional services organization owned by its employees and based in Rockville, Maryland. The firm concentrates on conducting research for governmental bodies and commercial enterprises, with expertise spanning behavioral health, health policy, clinical trials, education, public health, epidemiology, social policy, economics, and transportation sectors.
History
Established in 1961 as a partnership by Edward C. Bryant—then a statistics professor at University of Wyoming—alongside former pupils James Daley and Donald King, Westat became incorporated in 1963. Bryant held the position of president until 1978, when Joseph Hunt assumed leadership for the following 32 years.
The company introduced an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 1978, which facilitated employee ownership. In 1981, Westat moved its headquarters to the current location in Rockville.
James E. Smith was appointed president and CEO in 2011 and later became board chair in 2019, taking over from Graham Kalton. Scott Royal took on the roles of CEO and president in March 2020. In June 2023, Renee F. Slobasky replaced Smith as board chair.
Acquisitions
Westat broadened its market footprint through targeted acquisitions such as Geostats in 2012; Edvance Research and the IT solutions company Fenestra in 2015; and JEN Associates, a healthcare data analytics firm, in 2018. These transactions expanded Westat’s expertise in educational research, technology services, and healthcare analytics. In June 2022, Insight Policy Research was acquired and now operates as the fully owned subsidiary 'Westat Insight,' further enhancing the company’s research capabilities.
Research activities
Westat conducts extensive research across diverse fields including respondent knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, program evaluation, mental and physical health, educational outcomes, early childhood longitudinal studies, child abuse and neglect investigations, medical treatment assessments, exposure evaluations, and information management systems. The firm supports key software tools like WesVar for variance estimation and Blaise for survey processing to maintain its technological leadership.
The life sciences division offers clinical trial support and research services focused on vaccines, pediatric studies, rare diseases, oncology, and infectious diseases within the biopharmaceutical sector. Westat has been actively involved in COVID-19 related research and vaccine trials. Moreover, it partnered with the Governors Highway Safety Association in 2022 to analyze pedestrian fatality data.
These research endeavors align with Westat’s strategic objective to deliver data-driven insights and technological solutions across health care, education, and social sciences markets to foster ongoing growth and competitive positioning.
Recognition and claims
Westat earned the Policy Impact Award from the American Association for Public Opinion Research twice—in 2011 and again in 2014—for survey projects that influenced the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 and for its role as a contractor contributing to the National Prison Rape Statistics Program under the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
In 2014, an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs determined that Westat had systematically denied equal employment opportunities to women and minority candidates between October 2008 and September 2009. The resolution involved a $1.5 million payment covering back wages and interest, issuance of 113 job offers to affected individuals, correction of record-keeping deficiencies, and implementation of internal compliance audits. This settlement underscored shortcomings within Westat’s corporate compliance and human resources operations.