About the Author

Pilar de Haro is a data analyst and researcher specializing in statistical modeling, geospatial analysis, and data-driven storytelling across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She currently serves as a Graduate Researcher with the SDSU Metabolism of Cities Living Lab, where she analyzes multi-source regional datasets using Python, SPSS, and SQL to uncover social and environmental patterns across border-region communities.

Previously, Pilar worked as a Marketing Analyst at Planet Art, where she developed GA4, BigQuery, and Tableau dashboards to monitor digital performance metrics and conducted A/B tests that optimized customer journeys and strengthened acquisition strategies. Her background also includes extensive experience as a Support Engineer with the Tiny News Collective, where she guided more than 20 early-stage news organizations in understanding behavioral analytics, improving user engagement, and managing CMS migrations through API-driven workflows.

Earlier in her career, Pilar served as a Business Analyst at Sony Pictures Entertainment, supporting enterprise-tool implementations, compliance tracking, and cross-department reporting for initiatives tied to Adobe Sign, iManage, and CCPA/GDPR readiness. She also gained experience in data journalism through internships with the Motion Picture Industry and Inewsource, where she built SQL-based reporting pipelines and visualizations examining trends in content performance and wage-theft enforcement.

Pilar holds a Master of Science in Big Data Analytics from San Diego State University, where her graduate work included machine-learning projects using Elastic Net, Random Forest, and XGBoost to forecast Yelp restaurant ratings. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a minor in Spanish-language Journalism from California State University, Northridge.

She is also a STEM Advantage mentor and a Tier 1 Awardee in the SANS BootUp Capture-the-Flag competition, recognized for excellence in hands-on cybersecurity and threat-analysis training.