Author: Kelsey Hassevoort

NORDP 2024: What to Know Before You Go

Greetings NORDP 2024 Attendees:

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the 2024 NORDP Conference in Bellevue, WA! Get ready for inspiring keynotes, fantastic presentations, and plentiful opportunities to grow connections with your RD colleagues. We have put together the following guide that we hope will be helpful as you prepare for your arrival in Bellevue.

🙂  NORDP Conference Concierge 

The NORDP Conference Concierge (not to be confused with the Hyatt Concierge desk!) is located in the 2nd level of the Conference Space, outside the Grand Ballroom. It’s more than just a location! It will be staffed by event management professionals and our wonderful NORDP member volunteers. It’s a place to go when you have a question or problem to be solved, are unsure, or just need a break. For those of you who are new(er) to NORDP, the NORDP Concierge Desk is a great place to learn about NORDP as an organization (e.g., what committees are available to join? Who is on the Board? How can I get involved?). 

Stop by the NORDP Conference Concierge Desk anytime during these hours: 

  • Sunday, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Monday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

In addition to the NORDP Concierge Desk, you can use the Whova App to directly message Conference Organizers. Find this feature under Community → Ask Organizers Anything.

🚙  Shuttle & Parking

NORDP Shuttle

  • We are offering a shuttle bus to and from the conference venue and the Seattle/Tacoma International Airport on Sunday and Wednesday for any interested attendees. 
  • You can learn more about this option and register for a seat on the shuttle here. The cost per person for a one way trip is $25. Please note that there are limited public transportation options to the conference venue.
  • To take the shuttle: The shuttle will be departing from the charter bus pickup lot at Seattle/Tacoma International Airport. To catch the shuttle: (1) Head to baggage claim 15&16. (2) Take the elevator one level up (parking garage level) and cross bridge 5 or 6 to reach the parking garage. (3) Once you arrive at the parking garage, follow the signs for charter buses to reach the charter bus pickup lot.

Parking at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue on Seattle’s Eastside

  • Self-parking is available at the hotel for $35/day with in and out privileges. Guests who are staying at the hotel on Friday and Saturday nights receive complimentary self-parking for those days. Upon check-in, please let the front desk know you have a vehicle to ensure you receive in and out privileges.
  • Valet parking is available for $45/day with in and out privileges.
  • For more information on how to access the parking lot, please visit the hotel webpage here.

Rideshare

  • For rideshares such as Uber or Lyft from Seattle Tacoma International Airport to the hotel, the price is expected to range from $60-75 one way. 
  • There is a ‘Airport Ride Sharing’ thread in the Whova app under the Community section that you may use to coordinate with other attendees. 

Rental Cars

  • The Seattle Tacoma International Airport has a number of rental car services. For detailed information on how to get to the rental car facility, please visit this webpage here.

Light Rail

  • For those looking to explore locally, Seattle’s East Link Light Rail, between South Bellevue to Redmond Technology Station, is opening April 27, 2024. The Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, (900 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue WA) is conveniently situated near the Bellevue Downtown Station, (searchable in Maps) of this Line. This station is approximately a 15-minute walk from the hotel.
  • Make sure to stop at the ticket kiosks upon arrival to purchase a round ticket pass for wherever you are going, (prices range from $3.00 to $6.50), and keep your ticket on your person. 

For more driving and parking information, visit the conference website. 

✅  Conference Check-In 

Conference Check-in is 2:00–5:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 28 at the NORDP Concierge and Registration table, which is located outside the Grand Ballroom on the hotel’s Second Floor. If you are not arriving within that time frame, no worries. Simply come to the Concierge and Registration table on Monday or Tuesday (between 7 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) or Wednesday (between 7 – 10 a.m.) to check in. 

To check-in:

  • Approach the NORDP Concierge and Registration table to find large QR codes printed for check-in.
  • Open the camera on your phone to scan the QR code. It will automatically direct you to the Whova app for check-in.  
  • Approach the staff and volunteers to collect your name badge.
  • Registrants will have the opportunity to choose between a NORDP water bottle or a NORDP tote bag. Choices available while supplies last.
  • NORDP lapel pins were given at last year’s conference. If you have one, bring it! Those new to NORDP or didn’t get a lapel pin last year, you can get one at the NORDP concierge desk (while supplies last). 
  • That’s it!

Note: if you are NOT using the Whova app, you can still access information about the conference via the Whova app website (https://whova.com/portal/webapp/nordu_202405/).

*On-site Registration: We will allow onsite registration for individuals to purchase tickets onsite through the Whova app which only accepts credit card payments.

Wi-fi Availability at Conference

To connect to wi-fi when in the conference spaces, look for wifi information cards visible in the conference spaces. If you cannot find an information card, visit the NORDP Concierge desk!

If you are staying in the hotel, your room wi-fi network will be different than the conference spaces. Follow the guest services instructions to connect to wi-fi in your guest rooms.

📱  Need help with the Whova App?

We are so excited to offer the Whova App for our entire conference community! The platform is a resource for attendees, speakers, sponsors, and the planning committee. Activity on the app has been ramping up over the last couple of weeks, and it’s been so fun watching all of you engage! 

If you are not on the app yet, let us know and we can help. Just stop by the NORDP Concierge and Registration table, which is located outside the Grand Ballroom on the hotel’s Second Floor.

Presenters should have received an email from Sabree Lateef asking to upload bios and session information. Here’s a link to the Whova guide on how to upload your information.

Note: if you are NOT using the Whova app, you can still access information about the conference via the Whova app website (https://whova.com/portal/webapp/nordu_202405/).

👋   Welcome Reception 

Join us on Sunday, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. for a Welcome Reception in the Grand Foyer. The Welcome Reception is sponsored by our Juniper sponsor, Thorn Run Partners. We are so excited to welcome you to NORDP 2024 with brief welcome remarks from the NORDP President! There will be small bites and drink tickets available.

🌟  NORDP Sponsors

Please make time to stop by our sponsor exhibits outside the Grand Ballroom on the hotel’s Second Floor to chat with them and find out what’s new in their businesses. Our sponsors make the conference happen! We will also be holding a Sponsor Expo on Tuesday, April 30 from 2:45 – 4:00 p.m. Please take this opportunity to check out the sponsor booths! As you visit the sponsors, remember to collect a ‘stamp’ from each sponsor you visit for the Passport Contest (in Whova). Attendees who collect 10 or more stamps will be entered into a raffle.

🔘 ​​ Code of Conduct 

We have posted a NORDP 2024 Conference Code of Conduct in the Whova App and on the conference website. In both platforms, it can be found under Logistics → Inclusivity and Accessibility → Conference Code of Conduct. Please review it when you have time. If you witness any violations of the Code of Conduct during the conference, please report it using the reporting form linked in the Code of Conduct.

👕  Attire ​​

Attire for the conference is business casual, and casual after hours. The room temperature in conference meeting spaces may differ from your personal preferences, so consider wearing layers that allow you to be comfortable. 

Be sure to bring workout clothes/shoes if you’re planning on taking part in morning exercise activities. 
The forecast for the local area is for warmer-than-average temperatures, warm during the day (65-75℉) and cooler at night (45-55℉), with humidity running between 55-89%. Historically, Bellevue has maximum temperatures around in the 60s and 70s, and minimum temperatures in the 40s and 50s. The Seattle area is rainy in the spring. You may consider bringing a rain jacket, rain boots, and/or an umbrella.

🍽️  Meals 

Your registration fee covers the cost of breakfast and lunch on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the conference. We have made every effort to accommodate dietary restrictions and requests. Please find one of the service staff if you have any questions. 
Dinners will be on your own—please check out the Whova App under Community → Meet-ups & Virtual Meets to find a Networking Dinner to sign up for, or grab dinner with a colleague or a friend. We have put together this map that provides multiple restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.

🚰  Water bottles

In the interest of practicing sustainability, we ask that conference attendees bring their own water bottles to the conference. Attendees will also have the option of choosing a NORDP water bottle at registration (while supplies last). There will be water stations available at breakfast, breaks, lunch, and receptions to stay hydrated!

🎒 Bring a backpack or tote

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to choose between a NORDP water bottle or a NORDP tote bag (choices available while supplies last). Regardless, we encourage you to bring your own backpack or bag to use throughout the conference.

🏙️ ​​ Optional Social and Fitness Activities

In true NORDP fashion, you all have stepped up to lead amazing social and fitness activities. From walking to local coffee roasters, to enjoying an evening meal around a discussion topic, to swimming laps — there are many options to add some fun to your agenda. Find current options in the Whova App under Community → Meet-ups & Virtual Meets. Don’t see something that you’d like to do? Feel free to post something for others to join!

❤️  NORDP’s Got Heart 

This year’s conference committee wanted to make an impact in the community where we are convening. To do this, we are partnering with The Sophia Way, a local organization that provides shelter, supportive services, and resources for women experiencing homelessness on Seattle’s Eastside. We will be collecting items and monetary donations during the conference until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Requested items, as a link for monetary donations, can be found on the Whova App and on the website under Logistics → NORDP’s Got Heart. 

Check out the Whova App under Community → Meet-ups & Virtual Meets, as members will be organizing morning walks to CVS or other stores to purchase items for donation. 

We will total both items and monetary donations and present all donations to a representative from The Sophia Way on Wednesday after our closing keynote.

​​🖼️  Presenting a poster

If you are presenting a poster, please try to find a time between 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. on Monday, April 29 to hang your posters up on the display boards (located in room Evergreen F G H I on the lobby level). Posters will be up for the majority of the conference. Please take down your poster by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1. Any posters left after noon will be thrown away.

😷  COVID-19 awareness at the conference

We encourage all conference attendees to practice good hygiene. Best practices for conferences include frequent handwashing, mask-wearing if you are at risk or concerned about exposure for any reason, and communication through the event if someone at the conference tests positive for COVID. We refer to the latest CDC Guidance for Travel. 

  • In King County, Washington, the community level is Low (as of 4/22/2024) Feel free to keep an eye on this website for the latest information.
  • Follow any prevention advice given to you by your healthcare provider. 
  • If wearing a mask is necessary and/or important to you, please bring the best mask for you. 
  • If you are interested in acquiring a mask or a COVID test while you are at the conference, there are several nearby places to purchase (CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid, and Safeway)

NORDP Consultants Program Expands with Two New Cohorts in 2024

The NORDP Consultants Program, dedicated to diversifying the national research ecosystem by building capacity through research development, has launched its new website and two new cohorts with support from the National Science Foundation (OIA-2331578) in 2024.

Cohort II launched in January 2024 and is made up of MSIs aspiring to reach the R2 or R1 classification. The cohort includes:
  • The City College of New York, a public Hispanic-serving Institution in New York
  • Clark Atlanta University, among the private Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Georgia
  • Kean University, a public Hispanic-serving Institution in New Jersey;
  • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, a public Hispanic-serving Institution in Texas.
Launching in October 2024, Cohort III includes predominantly undergraduate and masters MSIs:
  • Hawai’i Pacific University, a private Native Hawaiian and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving institution in Hawai’i
  • Kentucky State University, a public institution among the Historically Black Colleges and Universities
  • McMurry University, a private Hispanic-Serving Institution in Texas
  • The University of West Alabama, a private Predominantly Black Institution in Alabama.

The unique identity of each cohort allows the NORDP Consultants and Peer Mentors to collaborate and share resources, ideas, and strategies that help facilitate transformation. A request for applications for Cohort IV will be launched in early 2025. 

Cohort I, which included four Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Florida Memorial University, Morehouse School of Medicine, North Carolina A&T State University, and Spelman College, completed its intensive two-year engagement in December 2023. Cohort 1 representatives are invited to participate in ongoing quarterly networking and semi-annual professional development opportunities.

A huge thank you to the passionate group of people who make the NORDP Consultants Program possible, including:

NORDP Consultants

  • Susan Carter
  • Camille Coley
  • Marta Collier-Youngblood
  • Michelle Collins
  • Dean Gerstein
  • Karen Fletcher
  • Holly Hapke
  • Julie Hawk
  • Shauncey Hill
  • Dorota Huizinga
  • Jill Jividen
  • Jacob Levin
  • Mike Marcinkowski
  • Debra Reinhart
  • LeKita Scott Dawkins
  • Michael Spires
  • Peggy Sundermeyer
  • Don Takehara
  • Carol Thornber
  • Barbara Walker
  • Jana Watson-Capps
  • J Quyen Wickham

Peer Mentors

  • Melissa Hodge-Penn
  • Rupa Iyer
  • Carolynn Julien
  • Bori Mazzag

Budget Doctors

  • Erin Butler
  • Blake Cowing

Program Leadership

  • Kimberly Eck
  • Japera Hemming
  • Erica Pitre

NORDP 2023 Fellow: Jennifer Lyon Gardner

The NORDP Fellow Award recognizes the long-term accomplishments of members who have made sustained contributions to NORDP and worked tirelessly to advance research development as a profession and/or as a field. Status as a NORDP Fellow is the highest professional distinction the organization may bestow on a member. 

Who: Jennifer Lyon Gardner, Deputy Vice President for Research

Where: The University of Texas at Austin

Number of years in research development: 16

Length of NORDP membership: 11 years

What does leadership mean to you? 

I think leadership means different things in different contexts. The way I operate as a leader in my role at UT Austin is really different from the way I’ve operated as a leader within NORDP. Within UT, I started out as an office of one and had to do all the things myself. This meant I had to be very strategic about my time management and prove that RD services could be of value to faculty in order to move toward my goal of establishing RD at an institutional level. Once we had a VPR in place who believed in this goal, I was able to build up a large team. But I never set out to be a supervisor of a large group of people. I don’t consider myself to be the greatest mentor, actually – it requires a degree of patience that I find challenging when I have a bunch of things I want to accomplish. But I’m extremely fortunate to have managers within my team who are incredible at providing that mentoring. This allows me to focus on leveraging my strengths to lead the team. I excel at setting a vision for my team. I’m good at advocating for what we need and working with top level administration to get things done and bridging the faculty-staff divide. 

Within NORDP on the other hand, when I was on the Board I sensed there was a need for something else. Within the Board, everybody is a leader. Everybody can set a good vision. What I saw was a need for someone who could put their head down and get stuff done. I spent so much of my time at UT being the person who makes all the decisions and justifies the existence of RD, it was honestly refreshing to have a group of peers to work with on the NORDP Board who already understood the value of RD so we could just get down to business. I took on the operational role of Board Secretary, which meant I spent a lot of time checking things off lists, keeping things organized, and doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work that I don’t think the average NORDP member will ever tangibly be able to see. But I’m proud that this behind-the-scenes work made the Board’s job easier and freed up their time to be able to focus on the important stuff, the same way that RD officers support faculty so the faculty can really focus on the scholarly content of a proposal and do their best work. And by contributing to the efficiency of how the Board and our organization runs, that ultimately benefits NORDP members.

What has your journey within NORDP looked like so far?

I came into NORDP not knowing anyone or anything about the organization. When I first joined (in 2013), I followed the listserv passively for a while and then I put a question out there. The question was about starting a seed funding program to incentivize cross-department collaboration (one of those perennial questions that still comes up on the listserv to this day). When I asked the question, Susan Gomes wrote me back and offered to chat and she had so much great RD-specific advice that I still share with others today. That first early interaction showed me how amazingly helpful and collaborative the RD community is and how important it is to have colleagues at other institutions who you can be frank with and compare notes. 

In 2015, Rachel Dresbeck encouraged me to run for the Board. And I did, but I wasn’t elected. But after putting myself out there, I was asked to co-chair the Conference Committee and I said yes. It was the first time I had ever chaired a conference; I’d never done something like that before. I had my first child in the middle of planning the conference, and going to that conference was the longest I had been away from my then-5-month-old daughter. But I felt like it was an important new kind of leadership experience for me to take on. In 2017, I was encouraged to run for the Board again, which I was really nervous about because I had done it once before and wasn’t chosen. But I decided to go for it, and this time I was elected. I had never served on a Board before, so it was a massive learning experience. It was Karen Fletcher (who was Board Secretary at the time) who took me under her wing and helped me find my voice and recognize what I could contribute. And so it means a lot to me to be named a NORDP Fellow in the same year as Karen because she has been one of my biggest supporters and aspirational peers within the field.  I had my second child while I was serving on the NORDP Board. And that’s something I’ve really liked about NORDP – how accommodating it is. I’ve always been able to find ways to remain engaged even as I was growing my family. That’s something that I think is particularly cool about our organization.

After I completed my time on the Board, I focused on revamping NORDP’s Leadership Forum. I was particularly interested in the Leadership Forum because I’ve been on a really rapid leadership trajectory within my own career. I became an AVP when I was 34, and I wanted to find a way to show more people in the organization that taking on that kind of position is not just a matter of waiting it out for someone to retire; you don’t have to be in your late 40s or 50s to be in a leadership role. I was also interested in finding a way to keep people engaged with NORDP and providing resources across all career stages. We opened up the leadership forum from an invitation-only to an application-based process to make it more inclusive and allow people to nominate themselves rather than depending on someone else in the organization to name them, which I’m really proud of. I’ve also continued to be involved in other NORDP events like the 3-part RD talent acquisition, retention, and development panel held in 2022-2023.

Throughout your time in NORDP, which relationships stand out to you? What led you to take on leadership roles within the organization?

My pursuit of leadership roles within NORDP would only have happened with the encouragement of Rachel Dresbeck and Gretchen Kiser. Initially, I didn’t see myself as “Board material.” They saw it in me before I saw it in myself. Once I was on the Board, Karen Fletcher, Karen Eck, and Jeff Agnoli played a big role in supporting me as a new Board member and helping me feel reassured that I do belong on the Board and that I do have something unique to contribute. 

Since being on the Board, I continue to get a lot of value out of the close relationships I’ve built with peers within the organization, people like Jill Jividen, Kim Patten, Faye Farmer, and Nathan Meier. These relationships are incredibly important; we compare notes about things that are going on in our institutions and support each other. Knowing that my peers in RD share some of the same frustrations that I do sometimes lets me know that I’m not just failing as an RD professional. 

What initiatives are you most proud of from your time as a NORDP volunteer?

Revamping NORDP’s Leadership Forum is certainly an initiative I’m proud to have led. There are also a few other things I’ve been involved in since being on the Board that stand out to me. One is serving as a recurring panelist for the three-part series hosted by Susan Carter and Nathan Meier focused on ‘Exploring the Research Development Talent System’, in which we employed a systems-thinking approach to jumpstart a larger conversation among NORDP members around recruiting, developing, and retaining RD talent. We got a lot of positive feedback from members after that series that they found the conversation helpful. 

Finally, as I was nearing the end of my term on the Board, I rebooted a then-dormant executive (internal/Board members only) committee, the Governance Committee. This was one of those behind-the-scenes things that you might only become aware of if the Bylaws get updated, or something procedural like that. But my committee members (including Karen Fletcher, Rachel, Faye, and Nathan mentioned above, as well as Etta Ward, Joanna Downer, and Paul Tuttle) and I had a deep collective trust in each other and were able to have some really frank conversations about organizational culture and things we knew we wanted to improve about the culture. Back then, we’d sometimes really struggle to get a full slate of candidates for Board elections each year. In more recent years, through both the GC’s early work and also the Nominating Committee’s sustained efforts, NORDP has benefitted from a huge wave of incredible Board members who bring such a wide and impressive set of competencies to the role. If representation on your Board matters to you, I highly encourage you to consider serving on the Nominating Committee! 

How has your involvement in NORDP impacted your career in research development?

My involvement in NORDP has undoubtedly had a positive impact on my career in research development as I’ve worked my way up from being a staff member providing RD support for a research center at UT Austin to where I am now. And one thing that has dawned on me more recently is that as I’m in the organization longer and longer, my role within NORDP is changing: it’s not so much anymore about what new knowledge NORDP can provide to me, or how NORDP is developing me as a person, but it’s more about how I can use my position and visibility within the organization and my position as a leader to bring others up. One personal goal I’ve set for myself going forward is that, at every conference, I want to do a presentation with a person I’ve not interacted with previously as a means to get to know them and give them greater visibility. So if you’re a NORDP member reading this and you want to hop on a collab for the 2025 conference, write to me! 

What are you most excited about when you think about the future of research development as a field?

What excites me most about the future of RD is its growing visibility and recognition as a legitimate profession and field. The field of Research Development is explicitly referenced in federal agency documents now! On a more personal note, whenever we hire a new dean or leader at UT and I introduce myself as “leading Research Development for the institution,” they now typically respond with, “That’s great! At my previous institution we had someone like you and they were so valuable!” More and more organizations are choosing to invest in RD as a strategic asset, and that means more career opportunities for all of us in the field. To be clear, all of us in NORDP should feel proud of this and take credit for elevating the legitimacy and profile of our field and profession. 

An Open Letter from the NORDP Board Regarding NORDP’s use of Basecamp

Dear colleagues:

As an organization, one of our shared goals is to create an environment where every member can feel heard, respected, and valued. Late last year, a NORDP member notified the board of directors about an article posted by the Duke University Libraries outlining their decision to terminate the use of Basecamp as a project management platform.

The decision at Duke was prompted by Basecamp leadership’s blatant criticism of diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice efforts. The NORDP member who reached out encouraged board members to review the Duke Libraries’ stance through the lens of NORDP’s goal to “foster a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.”

Diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging are cornerstones of our organization, and we took this call to action seriously. We began immediate discussions about Basecamp’s lack of inclusive culture and considered whether we wanted to continue to commit NORDP’s financial resources to a service provider that is not aligned with the organization’s central values.

Following careful consideration, we voted to discontinue the use of Basecamp as NORDP’s project management platform when the organization’s current contract for the tool expires on June 1, 2024. We encourage you to read the Duke University Libraries article, “Why We’re Dropping Basecamp,” which reinforces the importance of aligning our organizational investment in resources with our values.

We are in the process of selecting a new project management platform. If you have suggestions about alternatives, we welcome them. In the coming weeks, we will provide more information about the new platform we select as well as details and guidance about how we plan to shift NORDP’s work to the new platform while retaining the organization’s historical records. We appreciate your understanding and support during this period of change.

As always, we welcome your thoughts or suggestions. Please feel free to communicate directly with any member of the Board of Directors. Thank you for making NORDP the organization that it is and for raising concerns and challenging our professional community to do and be better.

Best regards,

NORDP Board of Directors

NORDP 2024 Keynote: Building your Unicorn Career with Alaina Levine

Written by: Eric Dickey, Conference Planning Committee

Alaina Levine can pinpoint when she began her career in professional development and networking to a specific, catalyst moment in her life. And it all hinged on one word: Nothing.

She has degrees in Math and in Anthropology and studied in Cairo, Egypt which provided her with a Middle-Eastern studies and Arabic background. But she knew she didn’t want to be a mathematics researcher or an academic. She sought the advice from her mathematics advisor and asked him what her job prospects outside of academia were, and he literally used the word “nothing.”

Career development in STEM is too rarely discussed. Alaina herself noted that she never got the job talk during her mathematics training. Later while at the University of Arizona, she found herself in a position teaching STEM students about career development, soft skills, networking, and negotiation. She helped them identify their own unique gifts to build what she calls their “Unicorn Careers.”

What is a Unicorn Career? Alaina defines it as a customized, authentic career that aligns with one’s values and humanity. It allows you to be yourself 100% of the time and it is a career that brings joy, meaning, and money. As humans, we are diverse and have unique gifts, skills, abilities, and perspectives.

In her keynote talk, Alaina will discuss strategies by which we as RD professionals can make our jobs into our own Unicorn Careers by aligning our skills and abilities with the needs of our institutions and clients. We can use our interests to focus on who we are, and by doing so, we can honor our full authenticity and full humanity. We can make an impact by simply being ourselves through mentoring and creating safe spaces and trust.

We all know that taking such a leap of faith in ourselves, of stepping into our full humanity, will include emotions like doubt and fear. To Alaina, feelings are fantastic data. We can analyze data about ourselves to discover what we can do differently, better, or more. By building our own mental fitness in low-stake scenarios, we can position ourselves to use it in high-stakes scenarios.

As the current President of Quantum Success Solutions, LLC, Alaina is a prolific speaker and writer on career development and professional advancement for STEM Nerds (engineers, scientists, and technical leaders). She also helps Research Development offices land transformative funding through her site visit consultation and speaking and innovation coaching. 

She was drawn to NORDP because she believes her diverse background mirrors the diversity and backgrounds of research development professionals and leaders. She respects and values the collective and diverse wisdom that RD professionals bring to the profession and to the institutions, communities, and scholarship that we serve. She looks forward to sharing her data-driven and process-oriented approach and providing tools which will enable conference attendees to position themselves for success.

Help us welcome her to the NORDP stage in Bellevue, WA.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Take Center Stage at the Annual NORDP Conference

Written by: JL Weissman, Committee on Inclusive Excellence

The 16th Annual NORDP Research Development Conference is only a few short months away, and here at the Committee for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) we are looking forward to this valuable time to connect with colleagues. We had hoped to compile a comprehensive list of relevant presentations for attendees interested in DEI topics, but soon realized this task would be impossible. Nearly all presentations at the conference touch on DEI themes; to list them all we would simply have to send you the entire conference agenda! Building a more equitable and inclusive research enterprise is clearly a priority for the NORDP community. Below, we highlight a small selection from the wealth of conference sessions. We hope to see you there!

Hear about funding priorities in DEI from major funding bodies at the conference keynote: “DEIB Perspectives from NIH, NSF, and AAAS”

Get a crash course in writing NIH diversity supplements to support trainees from underrepresented backgrounds by attending: “Preparing NIH diversity supplements and finding funding for trainees from under-represented backgrounds” presented by Viktoriya Zhuravleva & Arthur Uhimov. 

Hear about how implementing team science practices can help support your institutional goals at: “How Does Team Science Support your DEI Mission?” Led by Hannah Love & Hannah Torres.

Discuss how research development professionals can become key players in fighting against a colonialist past & present at: “Landback Institutions – Can Research Development Professionals Have a Role Beyond Land Acknowledgement Statements?” Hosted by Jane Casteline.

Discuss strategies for building inclusive environments in multidisciplinary research teams at: “Inclusion is Inclusion: How Team Science Skills Promote DEIB” led by M.S. AtKisson & Jessica Venable

Learn and reflect on how you can improve faculty retention programs to increase diversity at your institution at: “Centering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Early-Career Investigator Training” presented by Matthew Schwartz.

Engage with a broad selection of DEI topics across the proposal development space by attending: “CIE Lightning Storm: DEI in the Proposal Development Process” featuring Amber Moore, Anna Ward, Courtney Coffey, Jane Garrity, and Riley McIsaac.

Learn about early successes and lessons learned from a GRANTED workshop series at: “Mid-Year Report from the Middle Tennessee Research Administration and Innovation Network (M-TRAIN)” presented by Philip Ko & Sajid Hussain

Experience the breadth of GRANTED-funded projects at: “Research development and GRANTED conference projects: Brief reports from successful applicants” featuring Jennifer Glass, Amy Cuhel-Schuckers, Camille Coley, Gillisan Harootunian, and Jessica Andrews

Discuss how resource-strapped MSIs can still succeed when competing for “big” funding opportunities at: “Demonstrating commitment with limited resources” Led by Jackie Lee Weissman & Rosemarie Wesson

Hear about lessons learned from and strategies developed by the NORDP Consultants Program at: “Strengthening the research infrastructure at MSIs and ERIs by creating inclusive research environments: Early results, recommendations, tools, and next steps from four NSF GRANTED awardees” featuring Kimberly Eck, Barbara Endemaño Walker, Sarah O’Brien, Kimberly Littlefield, and Melanie Bauer.

NORDP Career Navigator – Mentorship for Exploring Careers in RD

Written by: Kellie Gross, NORDP Career Navigator Program

For many, research development (RD) is a career that is discovered by chance, and with that discovery, questions abound: What jobs exist in RD? How do my existing experiences and skills apply to a job in RD? Is this field a good fit for me? The Career Navigator mentoring program was developed to help NORDP’s trainee members answer these questions and more. In this program, trainee members are paired with NORDP Career Navigators who share similar backgrounds and career paths of interest to the trainee. Through a mentee-driven relationship, trainees can learn more about the field of RD and find support for landing their first RD position.

Kathy Partlow

To date, this program has supported 10 NORDP trainee members. Mentor Dr. Kathy Partlow, who has promoted and supported interdisciplinary research development since 2012, and mentee Dr. Sofia D’Ambrosio, who transitioned into RD from her PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, participated in the program in 2020. Over several months, Kathy and Sofia met to discuss topics such as Kathy’s path to RD, how to navigate an RD job search, and how to translate academic research skills to an RD job. Sofia credits a piece of advice from Kathy – build relationships with your local RD office – with helping her to land her first RD position at Washington State University, her PhD institution. She is now a Research Development Specialist within the Office of Research Development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Sofia D’Ambrosio

Learn more as Sofia and Kathy reflect on their experiences with the Career Navigator Program:

What influenced you to join the Career Navigator program as a mentor or mentee?

Sofia: I first heard about the Career Navigator program through the NORDP listserv in 2020. I was a PhD student at the time and knew RD could be a potential career path for me after graduation. But I really wasn’t sure how to start with the job hunt as I approached the end of my degree. Where do I find RD job postings? What are typical RD positions I should be on the lookout for? And most importantly, how do you ‘spin’ your skills as an academic scientist towards an RD career?

The Career Navigator program seemed like an easy way to get advice from someone that had made the transition from PhD researcher to RD professional. As a busy PhD student, I was also drawn to the fact that the program offered an informal setting without too much time commitment or pressure.

Kathy: I’m passionate about mentoring and have experienced first-hand as a mentee and now as a mentor the impact mentoring can have on your professional and even personal growth. So many of us have stories about how we somewhat blindly stumbled into research development. I conducted informational interviews that were extremely helpful in supporting my transition to RD, but I think we can all look back and wish we had someone who was dedicated to shepherding us through the process. This is exactly what the Career Navigator program offers for NORDP trainee members who are aspiring RD professionals. I was excited for the opportunity to share my lessons learned and a-ha moments to make that transition easier for the next generation.

What was your favorite part about your mentoring relationship?

Sofia: Kathy made the transition from academic research to RD seem feasible. Prior to our mentoring relationship, I felt like all my research training had set me up for a postdoc, researcher, or faculty position after graduation – and not much else. Kathy opened my eyes to the possibility of leaving the bench for RD.

Kathy: When Sofia and I met, she was already making all the right moves for exploring RD as a career and gaining experience in writing, grantsmanship, and the RD101 course. She was extremely easy to mentor. I mostly reaffirmed that she was taking the right steps and shared my confidence which in turn built her confidence.

Sofia, you are now serving as a mentor in the Career Navigator program – what drew you to taking on this role?

Sofia: I wanted to help postdocs and PhDs understand that RD exists as a potential career path. I had no idea RD was a field until I happened to run into a NORDP member at a science communication conference during my PhD. And I had no idea I was actually qualified for positions within that field until I met mentors like Kathy showing me the path from academic research to RD! I wanted to show other academics that RD can be a brand-new way of contributing to the research ecosystem that they hadn’t thought of before.

What have you found most rewarding and most challenging about being a mentor?

Kathy: I always find the relationships formed to be the most rewarding aspect of mentoring. I learn just as much (and maybe even more) when I’m the mentor. The challenge can be overcoming common misconceptions (e.g., you need more experience, it takes too much time, etc.) that are not true and can prevent you from becoming a mentor. I found it very rewarding to share my experience and revisit what I learned when securing my first RD position. I’m amazed at the impact, as Sofia and I only met over the course of a few months. The Career Navigator program is very focused, where the mentees are graduate students or postdocs that are interested in pursuing a career in RD. If you took a similar career path, I highly encourage you to volunteer to be a mentor!

Any words of wisdom or encouragement to those who are considering a transition into an RD career?

Sofia: Don’t be afraid to cold contact RD professionals for an informational interview. Plenty of folks will never get back to you, but you’ll be surprised how many people say yes! Even just 10-15 minutes of someone’s time asking about their career path and any advice they have can be valuable. They may even connect you to another helpful resource or person that you would never know about otherwise.

Kathy: I think you can be intentional and thoughtful about your transition to RD. NORDP and its community are supportive and have resources to help, so seek them out and you can make those stories about stumbling into RD part of the past.

NORDP 2023 Rising Star Award: Jessica Brassard

The NORDP Rising Star Award recognizes individuals for their outstanding, early volunteer contributions to NORDP and strong potential for future contributions to the organization and the profession or the field.

Who: Jessica Brassard

Where: Michigan Technological University

Number of years in research development: 9 years (started in 2015)

Length of NORDP membership: 9 years

What initiative are you the most proud of in your role as a NORDP volunteer?

I would say serving as a Conference Committee Co-Chair is a pretty proud moment. I come from a marketing and communications background, but I didn’t want to enter the field of research development and say, “This is how marketing and communications works.” Instead, I focused on learning more about NORDP as an organization and how NORDP members like to communicate. Initially, I straight-up avoided opportunities to let my marketing and communications skills shine, because I wanted the opportunity to develop other skills important to have in research development. And to be honest, I didn’t want to be pigeonholed as a person who knew marketing and comms. But around the time of the virtual conference (held in 2021) it felt like the right time to get involved and offer my energy to do things that I am good at. Organizing a conference is very analogous to other event-based projects I’ve been a part of, including foundation galas, summer camps, and even sled dog racing — I knew how these kinds of things work. Everybody was trying to pivot to running virtual events like a multi-day conference. And so it became an opportune moment for me to bring all of my marketing, communication, and event management experience into a space where everybody’s just trying to break stuff and put it back together in a way that is a good experience for people. I wanted to be a part of it, which is why I initially joined the Conference Committee.

Once I had served on the committee for a year, I was invited to be a committee co-chair. At first I said, “No.” I knew serving in this role would take a substantial amount of time and I wasn’t sure I could carve out that time. I want my life to be about my family, work, other volunteer commitments, as well as some things for me. I was nervous about keeping all that and also showing up and doing a good job organizing the NORDP conference. But after having conversations with people I trust and talking about the payoff of serving in this role, thinking about what I would be able to offer, and making it clear the boundaries I would establish to ensure that co-chairing the conference would not take over my life, I decided to say “yes” to becoming a conference co-chair.

How did you hear about NORDP and what made you join initially?

It was an expectation in my first RD position that I would also be a NORDP member. Everybody in our unit was a NORDP member and our organization already had a precedent for supporting NORDP membership for research development staff. 

As for how I found myself in research development in the first place: I worked in healthcare marketing and communications for a decade in a local hospital. Healthcare ownership and organization management has changed over the past couple of decades in America, and those changes finally reached the community-owned hospital where I worked. It became very apparent that I wouldn’t survive the shift — professionally, mentally, and emotionally. I was pretty desperate to find a position that would keep me in my community in northern Michigan that I love so much. I was also looking to build a career in which I could take pride in and have room to grow. It was a friend of mine, who was on a hiring committee at Michigan Tech, and who saw the potential for my skill set to fit and evolve within the Office of Research Development. I applied, interviewed, and got the job. (Thanks, Adam Johnson, for getting me into research development!)

What other roles have you played within NORDP?

I first started committee work within NORDP in 2021, when I joined the Mentoring Committee and the Great Lakes Executive Committee. As part of the Mentoring Committee, I was encouraged to join a subcommittee, the Marketing and Communications Group within the Mentoring Committee (known as the McMc). A year later, a liaison position opened between the mentoring committee and NORDP’s Communications Working Group (CWG), and taking on that role is how I got involved with the CWG. It was also around this time that I joined the Conference Planning Committee. 

One important element of my approach to service, both within NORDP as well as other organizations I care about, is to be deliberate in how I balance my commitments. I think of my commitments as falling into two buckets: professional and community. My goal is to only say “yes” to up to three things that fall into each bucket. So NORDP, for example, falls into my professional bucket, along with any other service activities for my employer. When I first started in RD, I was very involved at Michigan Tech, serving on the University Faculty and Staff Senate, an AdHoc Childcare Working Group, and several hiring committees. Those activities took up a lot of time. Once those responsibilities at Michigan Tech sunsetted, I was able to get involved in NORDP service. Given my current NORDP commitments, I continue to stay mindful of monitoring my bandwidth and making sure that I’m not over-committing myself (I just said “no” to two board/committee invitations this month). So, for example, right now I feel like I can still serve on a hiring committee or two, but I wouldn’t, say, join an editorial board or leadership academy. I would need to step away from one of my other volunteer activities to free up the space to do that. 

I maintain all this service intentionality in an Airtable base along with a wishlist of all the service opportunities I want to pursue in the future. I would love to serve NORDP in other ways someday, I just want to honor the opportunities by being fully committed during the time I serve.

What relationships have you built as a result of NORDP?

My mentoring relationships within NORDP have lasted well beyond the one-year programmatic year. I still have conversations with all of my former mentors and we meet at least quarterly and continue to help each other. Those relationships are foundational to the relationships that I have in NORDP. And then there are the people that I co-chair with who are really special friends. We’ve had to go through a lot of messy stuff together. It’s kind of like summer camp and I have these powerful shared experiences. We figure things out together, which leads to good communication and trust. That kind of trust is hard to generate spontaneously. I think getting into these service positions and serving with people, especially the co-chair positions, have been really crucial to building my sense of belonging within NORDP.

Describe how NORDP has changed from when you initially joined

My understanding of NORDP has really changed as I’ve gotten to know the organization and made more connections with other NORDies. NORDP has had a few years of change — just like everyone else in the world — and we had to learn how to stay connected and grow community through a pandemic. That was really hard for everyone. But we’ve made it through; we still are an organization after the pandemic. I can’t say the same for other organizations that I’ve been a part of. I think NORDP is stronger for it and we have a better sense of community, too. I’m proud of us! 

My service on the Great Lakes Executive Committee has also enabled me to see changes at the regional level. When I initially joined NORDP, I remember some comments that the Great Lakes region wasn’t very active and it was hard to get members to show up. But that started to change with two years of regional conferences hosted in Columbus and Ann Arbor. Then even as the pandemic happened, we were able to keep things going, holding virtual retreats, book club discussions, and a monthly DEIB discussion group. I’m proud to say that the Great Lakes region has gotten a little stronger over the last couple of years.

What recommendations do you have for members to get more involved with NORDP?

Define the amount of energy that you think is enough to bring benefit to your life, and stick with that. Don’t say yes to the first thing that people ask you to do — be intentional. For example, if all you want to do is show up to a committee meeting per month and dedicate one extra hour of action items beyond that, define that for yourself. Then communicate to the other people in that group that that’s what you’re able to give. Know your limits and don’t be afraid to communicate them so that you don’t overextend yourself.

I’d also encourage members to think about what’s going to stretch you. What are the skill sets you wish you had? And how can you, within whatever bandwidth limits you have, give your time in ways that will allow you to develop those new skills? This may point you to particular committees or working groups that will allow you to get outside of your comfort zone.

NORDP Consultants Program Receives the First NSF GRANTED Project Award

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $9.2 million to Emory University to support the expansion of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) Consultants Program. The NORDP Consultants Program is dedicated to diversifying the national research ecosystem by providing research development services to minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs). The award is the first non-conference project funded by the Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) program offered through NSF’s Office of Integrative Activities.

“I am excited that this important investment will advance ambitious ideas and innovative strategies by engaging and empowering the science community across our nation to address impending challenges and opportunities,” shared NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, who earned NORDP’s Research Development Champion Award in 2022. “NSF’s new GRANTED initiative will accelerate progress by promoting full inclusion of the excellent talent in our nation’s research enterprise.” 

In this project, led by Dr. Kimberly Eck, Associate Vice President at Emory University and former NORDP President, the NORDP Consultants Program will extend research development support to 16 non-R1 MSIs across four new cohorts. “This award will promote the participation of faculty from minority-serving institutions and strengthen their competitiveness for federal funding,” according to Dina Stroud, program director for GRANTED. “Together, this will enhance the recognition of these institutions as leaders in scientific discovery.” 

The project reflects NORDP’s deep commitment to inclusive excellence. “The Consultants Program has had a major impact on the HBCU and ERI partners already engaged. I am excited GRANTED funding will provide additional MSIs with access to the incredible expertise of the NORDP members serving as consultants in this program,” said NORDP President Nathan Meier.

When asked about her experience moving from behind-the-scenes to Principal Investigator, Dr. Eck said, “As a research development professional, I’ve supported the development of hundreds of proposals but being the PI on a federal award was a new experience for me. It was both the easiest and most nerve-wracking proposal I’ve ever written.” She continued with recommendations for other research development professionals, “If you have a project that can help GRANTED achieve its goals, you should apply. Going through the process of submission for yourself (even though you’ve supported many proposals led by faculty) is a great learning experience. It provides a new perspective on the process that will ultimately make you a better research development professional.”

Potential MSI partners interested in being a part of the program, the NORDP Consultants Program will host an information session on October 2, 2023 at 3 p.m. EDT. Those interested should register to attend. The RFA and application submission portal may be accessed here.

NORDP Liaison Report: International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS)

Interview with Emily Kotay, Liaison to INORMS and Leader of the International Working Group within NORDP’s Strategic Alliances Committee (SAC), by Jessica Venable

Emily Kotay, Assistant Director, International Research, University of Arizona

What is the mission of INORMS?

INORMS stands for the International Network of Research Management Societies.  Their mission is to connect “research management societies and associations from across the globe….to enable interactions, share good practice, and coordinate activities between the member societies, to the benefit of their individual membership.” INORMS is comprised of organizations around the world that are similar to NORDP, including the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), Malaysia Association of Research Managers and Administrators (MyRMA), the Brazilian Research Administrations and Management Association (BRAMA),  the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA), and many others.  One of the benefits of membership in INORMS is the opportunity to engage with people all around the world who are working in research administration and research development.

How did you become involved with INORMS?

 I am the Assistant Director of International Research within the Research Development Services office at the University of Arizona. In my role, my focus is to ensure more engagement in international research and to serve as a connector for faculty and the appropriate offices/staff on campus to support their international research collaborations, provide proposal development support for international collaborations that involve basic/fundamental research and promote funding opportunities that support international research (NSF, NIH, Horizon Europe, other countries’ science agencies’ opportunities). I have the broad aim of building and sustaining international research collaborations.  My supervisor, Kim Patten, is also a member of the Strategic Alliances Committee in NORDP. Kim encouraged me to explore INORMS to continue forming alliances and develop as a professional in this relatively rare field of solely focusing on international research within RD.  

Tell me about your recent presentation at the INORMS 2023 Congress.

The biennial INORMS Congress was held in Durban, South Africa, from May 30-June 2, 2023, and was hosted by the South African Research Innovation and Management Association (SARIMA). Each INORMS Congress is hosted by a member society in their home country.    This year, the theme was  “Towards a Utopia in Research and Innovation Management,” and presentations focused on research administration’s future. This future includes an emerging relationship between research administration, management, and RD, a topic of great interest in the United States and globally.  I presented on a panel entitled “Enhancing individual career development and institutional capacity in research development” with SAC members Karen Eck and Jessica Venable. Our presentation outlined the professional development opportunities we offer in NORDP (mentoring program, PEERD, N-ROAD). Our presentation was well-received, and I’m looking forward to the 2025 Congress, which will be hosted by the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA)  in Madrid, Spain.

In addition to serving as a liaison to INORMS, you also lead the International Working Group for SAC. How does IWG engage the membership of NORDP?

Many RD professionals are working on international research funding opportunities but aren’t solely focusing their efforts there and would like to consult with others on best practices. Within NORDP, the International Working Group, a part of the Strategic Alliances Committee, meets monthly to discuss international research issues. We’re a small group, but we have great discussions. Recently, we have been discussing the NIH’s new policy regarding reporting requirements for international collaborators recently.  Members who are interested in joining the IWG should feel free to contact me.

Why is NORDP’s relationship with INORMS important to our membership and to NORDP as a professional organization?

The global research enterprise is rapidly expanding.  We can see this in new initiatives that respond to global challenges, such as the National Science Foundation Global Centres funding opportunity in which the NSF collaborated with the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA), and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), in Australia to fund cross-national projects aimed at addressing use-inspired solutions to climate change and clean energy. In addition, the NSF recently published a Dear Colleague Letter from their Office of International Science and Engineering announcing multilateral partnerships for Ukraine’s resilient education and science systems to support integrating Ukrainian researchers into the global research community.  Through the connections in INORMS, I can build relationships with my counterparts in other countries to facilitate building teams of researchers to answer these critical calls. While faculty often bring their international partnerships and relationships to us, RD professionals also play an important role in building teams and serving as liaisons to researchers and institutions abroad.  Moreover, sharing what we do as RD professionals with INORMS members, and hearing about their best practices, helps develop working relationships; practices vary across countries, and understanding those differences facilitates collaboration.

Just as significantly, as a US-based organization with some international membership, NORDP’s participation with INORMS is important to broadening our awareness of international issues and initiatives in the research management space. INORMS has spearheaded 3 phases of the RAAAP (Research Administration as a Profession) survey and many NORDP members participated. RAAAP seeks to identify the key skills, attitudes and behaviors of successful research management and administration (RMA) leaders and develop a longitudinal dataset about our profession. INORMS has further launched the More than Our Rank initiative, which has been “developed in response to some of the problematic features and effects of the global university rankings. It provides an opportunity for academic institutions to highlight the many and various ways they serve the world that are not reflected in their ranking position. This initiative is meant for every academic institution, whether ranked or unranked, top 10 or yet to place.” NORDP’s exposure to new ways of conceptualizing research impact provide a novel way of assessing not only overall institutional results but also how RD offices and professionals contribute to these outcomes. This has potential to influence how we make the case for, and evaluate, RD activities and their impact.