Our Team

Founded in 2002 by Dr. Timothy McLarney (President) and Richard Sarles (Principal Researcher), the True North team has designed and conducted more than 1,500 research studies for public agencies and companies.

Timothy McLarney, Ph.D.

As President of True North, Dr. McLarney leads the design, analysis, reporting, and presentation tasks for every True North study. He has occupied a lead role in over 1,500 research studies for public agencies in California and across the nation, and brings to each project more than 25 years of experience in research methodology, statistics, data science, public opinion analysis, and providing data-driven strategic advice to public agencies.

Dr. McLarney is a nationally-recognized expert in survey research methodology, sampling theory, weighting, and the use of statistical methods to generalize survey results. His research has been recognized at national and state conferences, has been published in academic journals, and has earned him honors including the title of Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. He has also served as an independent expert witness in survey research methodology for legal cases. Dr. McLarney earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from Cornell University in Government with an emphasis in survey methodology, sampling theory, data science, and public opinion analysis.

Richard Sarles, M.S.

As Principal Researcher and co-founder of True North Research, Mr. Sarles has more than 25 years of expertise in survey research and data science, specializing in database management, sampling methodology, statistical analysis, and results interpretation. Throughout his career, Mr. Sarles has proven to be exceptional in transforming complex data sets into actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making. With experience spanning over 1,500 research studies, he has collaborated with local, state, and federal government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofit organizations, delivering valuable, data-driven guidance across diverse sectors.

Before co-founding True North Research, Mr. Sarles served as the Associate Research Director at another west-coast research firm. A published author, his work has been cited in sociological, psychological, and industry-specific journals. Mr. Sarles holds an M.S. in Experimental Psychology with an emphasis in statistics from Illinois State University, where he graduated magna cum laude, as well as a B.S. in Psychology from the same institution, where he achieved summa cum laude honors.