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.

A New Year’s Resolution for Mentors:  Register for CIMER Mentor Training for RD Professionals

Contributors: Mentor Training Team Paula Carney, Loyola University Chicago and Kristen Boman, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Mentor Training for Research Development Professionals – Registration for January/February 2024 Workshop (UPDATE: Registration is closed and there is a waitlist)

Are you a mentor? A mentee? Do you find yourself formally or informally mentoring staff or faculty? Are you ready to explore mentoring competencies that can be utilized across the work of research development (RD)? This interactive workshop series covers the 9-module Entering Mentoring curriculum, initially developed for mentoring researchers and tailored for RD professionals.

“EXCELLENT training! The ideas presented are very applicable both to mentoring both within the research development profession and elsewhere in the research enterprise — the things I have learned and practiced in this course are incredibly valuable to me as I provide mentoring to faculty, particularly early stage investigators and junior faculty, in the area of grantsmanship.”

A recent workshop participant

Using evidence-based strategies, participants will build upon competencies crucial to the success of the mentoring relationship and expand mentor training across the research enterprise. Participants who complete the entire curriculum will receive a certificate of completion. The curriculum results from an association between the NORDP Mentoring committee and the University of Wisconsin Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) in collaboration with the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), organizations involved in developing and validating the original curriculum. RD professionals at all levels of mentoring will explore how mentoring (shown to improve career outcomes, impact employee engagement and retention, and lead to more inclusive work environments) can benefit mentors and mentees in RD.

Workshops  will be presented and facilitated by the NORDP Mentoring Committee; many are certified CIMER Trained Facilitators.

Webinar Schedule: 

Two (1.5-hour) sessions each week for 5 weeks (every Tuesday and Thursday)
January 30 – February 29, 2024
2–3:30 pm EST/11 am–12:30 pm PST

Register TODAY for the webinar series (35 participant limit): https://nordp.memberclicks.net/mtworkshop24

If this workshop doesn’t fit in your schedule, share your scheduling preferences to help us plan for future Mentor Training by completing a survey of your preferences. 

Questions?  Contact us at mentorprogram@nordp.org

Update: The January/February 2024 training is now full!

NORDP Cohort Mentoring Group Reflection

The 2023-24 Mentoring Program started in July, with an expanded cohort mentoring program in its 2nd year running. The Cohort Mentoring Group consists of matching three mentees with similar interests with one shared mentor based on the WisdomShare matching algorithm. The Mentoring Committee made 31 Cohort Mentoring Groups matches this year, an astonishing increase from last year’s pilot of 10.

The Mentoring Committee is actively seeking new volunteers to run the various mentoring programs offered to all NORDP members! If you have benefited from the mentoring services in the past, we encourage you to consider getting involved as the committee work is largely driven by volunteers. To learn more, we welcome everyone to join us at the Mentoring Committee Open House on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at 2pm Eastern. Register TODAY and/or email mentorprogram@nordp.org if you have any questions.

#PayItForward

Cohort Mentor:

Joanna Downer (JD) is Associate Dean for Research Development at Duke University School of Medicine. She previously worked in science writing and media relations at Duke and Johns Hopkins, has extensive experience in scientific editing, and is a Certified Professional Coach. Joanna holds an MA and PhD in nuclear chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BS with Honors in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University. While in graduate school, she was a Mass Media Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cohort Mentees:

Helena H. Fischer (HF) serves as Senior Grant Development Manager for the Alvarez School of Business at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She earned her Bachelors of Music Education from UTSA and taught choral music for a decade. She earned a Master’s degree in Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin where she developed her research interests in poverty in education. She currently attends St. Mary’s Law School. Her experiences as an educator, grant project director, student affairs professional, and law student inform her work.

Hailey LaVoy (HL) is Assistant Director for Humanities & Interdisciplinary Grant Support at Dartmouth College. She works closely with Dartmouth’s faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students in the Arts & Humanities and Interdisciplinary Divisions to identify and secure internal and external funding that will advance their research agendas. She holds a PhD in medieval studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Lindsay Ridpath (LR) is Program Manager for Industry Engagement for Research Development at the University of Arizona. She supports procurement of industry research sponsorships, collaborates with industry on federal proposals, and aids in securing student fellowships and internships. She uses her expertise in content creation for social media and web platforms to promote UArizona faculty, facilities, and other resources to potential collaborators. Lindsay has an MFA and holds a Certified Associate for Project Management (CAPM) status.

Q1: What influenced you to apply to be a mentor/mentee for the 2022-23 NORDP Mentoring Program? Why did you choose the cohort mentoring model?

HF: My dotted-line supervisor called me on my second day in my new role as Sr. Grant Development Manager. He suggested that I sign up and that the department would pay my membership fee.

HL: It was recommended by a former NORDP mentee whom I met at the NORDP conference in May. I’m new to research development, and it seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about the field. I preferred the cohort model to get more perspectives and to meet peers in varying stages of their RD careers.

LR: I’m new to Research Development. At the time I first applied to the cohort, I was working for our Foundation Relations department, which didn’t offer a lot of support or training and its team was very new. I had developed a relationship with one of the university’s Research Development members and explained my troubles, and she was nice enough to recommend NORDP. I chose the cohort model because I wanted a group to learn from, as well as others to fall back on. The cohort model relieved the pressure of maintaining a one-on-one commitment.

JD: I love helping others achieve their goals, and I could use the time saved from having finished my term on the NORDP Board of Directors to once again serve as a mentor. I offered to serve as either 1:1 or cohort mentor, and could be happier to have been placed with a cohort!

Q2: Have you participated in a 1:1 mentoring model before? How has this experience been different or similar?

HF: Yes, but it was far more organic. We would come with questions.

HL: Not formally.

LR: No, but I’d like to.

JD: I served as a 1:1 mentor in the 2022-2023 mentoring year, and had a great experience. As others have reported in previous mentor pair profiles, while I may have started as the mentor, by the time our year was drawing to a close, I was receiving as much mentoring as I was giving, which was great. We are continuing to meet and my 1:1 mentee also signed up again – the Mentoring Program is a great way to grow your network! And in the cohort this year, I love that each member has wisdom to offer. Sharing our paths, our challenges, our solutions also helps reassure all of us that we aren’t alone in whatever experiences or feelings we’re having!

Q3: What is your favorite part about this cohort mentoring model so far?

HF: Joanna is a great mentor. I appreciate her solutions and her deep listening. I also am learning so much from my cohort mates who are in new roles too and we are navigating together.

HL: Getting confidential support on a wide range of professional issues.

LR: The first cohort wasn’t very great. I don’t think our mentor was very engaged and a lot of the convening was initiated by myself. I’m really enjoying our second cohort, all members are more engaged, and we all have different roles within our organizations so I’m able to learn a lot more about their roles, leaving me feeling more well-rounded.

JD: I think the matching software did a great job!

Q4: How has your participation in the Mentoring Program so far helped broaden your horizons about Research Development in general and/or affected your daily work in particular?

HF: It has helped me understand that there is a wealth of resources for professionals

HL: It’s given me a broader perspective on RD-institutional context, helping me better understand what is particular to my department (personalities/politics) and what is considered standard across the professional field. To that end, as a newbie, it has decreased my anxiety about how I’m doing in my specific role. My own RD office is very small, so it has been informative to learn, by listening to my fellow mentees, about the varied types of roles that exist in RD, depending on the institution and its priorities.

LR: I’m realizing that it’s ok to come from an “unconventional” background as so many others do.

Q5: What has surprised you about being a mentor or a mentee so far? 

HL: That, in addition to learning from my mentor, that I would learn so much from my fellow mentees about professionalism, tenacity, courage, and the importance of mutual support!

LR: The field feels like it’s on the brink of exciting change and I’m happy to be part of it.

Q6: Any words of wisdom or encouragement for those wanting to apply next year? Any other thoughts you would like to share? 

HL: It is indeed a wonderful investment in your professional development and an opportunity to build relationships with colleagues whom you might not otherwise meet. I’m so grateful that this program exists.

LR: If the first year is a dud, apply again!

JD: Do it!

The 2023-24 NORDP Mentoring Program is now in full swing! Applications for the next cycle will open in the spring. Please keep an eye out for an announcement from the NORDP. Additional mentoring opportunities are available through the Peer Mentoring Groups that are open for participation throughout the year via the WisdomShare platform.

An investment in mentoring is an investment in you!

Heads up – January is the National Mentoring Month!

Contributor: Vess Vassileva-Clarke

The National Mentoring Month is just around the corner and the NORDP Mentoring Committee has lined up exciting mentoring events and activities for all-level-of-experience mentors and mentees! Get excited and ready to:

CELEBRATE

We encourage you to observe these national and international days in a way that works for you. The Mentoring Committee has provided suggestions for how NORDP members can observe these days in January blog posts.

  • JANUARY 9 – I Am a Mentor Day 
    Suggestion: send a note to your mentee(s) with an encouraging message.
  • JANUARY 15 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 
    Suggestion: Seek opportunities in your local community to make an impact.
  • JANUARY 17 – International Mentoring Day 
    Suggestion: Highlight a local organization that provides mentoring opportunities. Talk about the organization in a meeting, on social media, or with your family. 
  • JANUARY 25 – Thank Your Mentor Day 
    Suggestion: Send a note to someone you value as a mentor and highlight one piece of advice that you’ve put into action.

ENGAGE & COLLABORATE at NORDP

Participate in one or all of the events, celebrations, and learning opportunities hosted by the NORDP Mentoring Committee throughout the month and beyond:

Mentor Training for RD Professionals Workshop — Get ready to explore mentoring competencies that can be utilized across the work of research development (RD)! This interactive workshop series will cover the 9-module Entering Mentoring curriculum, initially developed by CIMER for mentoring researchers and tailored for RD professionals. Registration will open in early Jan 2024. More information to come.

Mentoring Committee Open House — Join us on January 18, 2024, 2pm ET for our monthly meeting to learn more about what the Mentoring Committee does, and find out how to get involved and join us. We will talk about the committee’s work and achievements, celebrate our volunteer members, and brainstorm new ideas for the future. Register today!

McHuddles are informal gatherings hosted by NORDP Mentoring Committee facilitators and an opportunity to share ideas, ask questions, and collectively learn from other mentees/mentors in breakout sessions. Stay tuned for the 2024 dates.

You are invited!

Mentoring Committee Open House
Thursday, January 18, 2024
11am PT/12pm MT/1pm CT/2pm ET

The Committee will …

  • Celebrate our members and achievements
  • Brainstorm ideas to support NORDP members

New networks will be formed and a fun time will be had!

Questions? Email mentorprogram@nordp.org

REGISTER NOW

Peer Mentoring Group (PMG) meetings — Log in to WisdomShare and go to Dashboard to find out current PMGs and join the ones of interest to you.

DRIVE ACTION

Encourage a coworker and/or another NORDP member to join the mentoring movement — whether it’s seeking a NORDP mentor, offering mentorship, signing up for the mentor training workshop in January, or simply attending a mentoring event or a Mentoring Committee meeting.

Questions: mentorprogram@nordp.org 

#NORDPmentoring #MentoringMatters #MentorshipMatters

Career Stories: Katie Lindl

The November 2023 Career Stories featured Katie Lindl, Deputy Director, Program Development Support Office, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

Katie Lindl, PhD

Dr. Katie Lindl has been at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for 5+ years working in the Program Development Support Office (also known as the “proposals” group or PDSO), first as a proposal manager and for the past year and a half as the group’s deputy director. She has a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton and completed a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. Together with the PDSO director, she heads a group of 12 people.

Calling this an accidental career, Dr. Lindl found her first job as a grant writer at a neuroscience start-up in Menlo Park through her rowing team, a sport she picked up during graduate school. Following her stint at this start-up, Katie took a break from research development and began work as a Pilates instructor and studio manager, hoping to have time for creative writing while also dabbling in freelance work in scientific editing. Once again chance pulled her back into research development when one of her Pilates clients found out about her science and science writing background and recruited her into the PDSO at LLNL. Currently, her day-day job includes proposal management and editing, training and mentoring, approving and assigning work that comes into the PDSO, and interacting with PIs and leadership at the Lab.

The diversity of work proposed across the lab keeps Dr. Lindl’s job interesting and exactly matches the breadth of work she had hoped to find when she finished graduate school, as she adds “During my time in graduate school, I realized that I’d rather help others communicate and improve their science than do my own research.” She is inspired by writing proposals for big science, having a very appreciative group of PIs, participating in training and growing her skills, as well as investing in and growing the careers of others. Two of her biggest sources of inspiration are her dad, a scientist, and her curiosity about people and the world around her.

Even though Dr. Lindl’s work is very rewarding, she knows research development work can be overwhelming at times and that people in our field of work tend to want to “take it all on.” Hence, her tip to the NORDP community is to learn to say no when needed.

Dr. Lindl continues to row regularly on a competitive masters team in Sacramento, CA; hike year-round with her overgrown puppy, Koda; ski in the winter; and teach Pilates, while splitting her time between her ranch in Livermore, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area and her place in Truckee near Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada. Her full-time remote work option at LLNL has allowed this lifestyle, for which she is grateful.

When asked if she had learned anything from her time in rowing that has helped her in her career in research development, Dr. Lindl noted that, yes, she learned that “You can’t win the race by yourself, but you can lose the race by yourself.” She has loved the connections she has made through NORDP and feels she has benefitted from learning the ways others do their RD work at their institutions and has shared these insights with her team at LLNL.

Dr. Lindl would love to answer any questions you have for her, so please feel free to email her at lindl2@llnl.gov. To listen to her full interview by the career/kindle team, please click on this link (you must log in as a NORDP member to access): MC LMS – NORDP LEAD presents: “Career Stories” – Katie Lindl – November 8, 2023

New NORDP Board Member Cameo: Dr. Susan Ferrari

Who: Dr. Susan Ferrari, Assistant Dean and Director of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations

Where: Grinnell College 

Number of Years Working in RD: 10 years

Length of NORDP Membership: 10 years

Entering the field 

Susan, who leads an office with a team of three, was hired into a grants office in 2013 for a research administration role. At a small institution, she’s worn many hats related to RD, corporate and foundation relations, and faculty development. Susan earned her PhD in biomedical sciences but credits her general nerdiness, including many years of Quiz Bowl competition, for providing a broad foundation of knowledge that enables her to work across disciplines. 

Throughout her career, Susan has championed faculty outreach and support, and she’s coordinated with other units to lead initiatives in these areas. Another common thread through her career is bringing people together, especially to support humanists and challenges related to those disciplines. 

The value of her NORDP membership became apparent when Susan realized how NORDP could support her in developing programing for faculty. She was especially inspired by members working in the liberal arts space, including Claudia Scholz (formerly of Trinity College and Spellman College, now at the University of Virginia School of Data Science) and Kendra Mingo (formerly of Willamette University, now at UC San Diego). 

Susan has been part of what is now a movement towards RD within liberal arts college research administration circles. Supporting faculty who teach many courses and who may not need to write books or win grants to earn tenure creates an all-carrots, no-sticks environment, presenting unique challenges and opportunities. 

Research Development work

Susan calls her work in RD ‘cradle to grave’; it includes everything from hands-on work with faculty and proposal preparation, both research and curricular grants, community-involved efforts, and communications. She works with everyone from artists to scientists.

Susan had been working with Communications on efforts to share information about faculty research (including improving internal communication about new faculty members’ research and teaching agendas), which grew into initiatives to rebuild community after the pandemic. Recently, she established a faculty writing group program, now in its second round, a huge success with 55 participants out of approximately 200 faculty!

During the pandemic, Susan conducted a study with 46 faculty interviews on research culture at Grinnell to assess needs and guide future efforts. This work identified key issues, such as loneliness and lack of community around research, interest in more discussion of the research process (not just products), and areas where particular demographics or disciplines were not being well-served by current institutional structures. Conducting the project and sharing the results across campus helped Susan build closer relationships with faculty members and inspired other partners to work with Susan’s team to address the issues identified in the study—for example, the Grinnell College Libraries has launched a weekly faculty-staff research series.

Susan’s study also helped her make an institutional case for the value of faculty research. In liberal arts colleges, research activity is generally valued for its benefit to the curriculum and student experience. However, Susan’s research indicates that further benefits exist. These include supporting faculty retention and well-being and providing faculty a sense of autonomy. Her research also indicates that these benefits are especially strong for minoritized individuals. Further, her work showed the benefits that faculty members derive from their research communities beyond the College. This work demonstrates that RD supports faculty and communities broadly and is much more than dollars at the door. 

Susan’s history with NORDP 

Susan joined NORDP in 2013 and became more active in 2018, inspired by great work from members in the liberal arts space.  Prior to becoming a board member, she engaged most with the PUI affinity group and the creative arts, social sciences and humanities (CASSH) group. 

Susan has also been involved with the NORD grant committee since receiving a grant in 2020 that supported a study of faculty members at liberal arts colleges who direct institutional grants that blend pedagogy and research. 

Susan went to her first conference in Providence (2019) as well as online conferences and gatherings, and she’s presented both in person and virtually on faculty programs at NORDP events. 

Motivation to run for the NORDP Board

Susan notes that it’s a challenging time to be in humanistic or qualitative social science fields because of a retreat from those fields by some of their traditional funders. She sees RD as part of what can address that challenge, so she promotes RD within her professional circles, including in her role as past president (2020-2022) of Colleges of Liberal Arts Sponsored Programs (CLASP), which supports grants professionals at over 300 primarily undergraduate institutions.

A large part of Susan’s motivation to run for the Board was driven by her desire to expand what people think about when they think of RD and by her enthusiasm around the cultivation of an RD community of practice at smaller institutions and for smaller efforts. This community of practice includes more diverse schools, minority-serving institutions, and emerging research institutions. It’s important to Susan that perspectives from those within this community are respected and honored, and she emphasizes that we can all learn from each other. The productive exchange of ideas and learning has been exemplified by the CASSH group. 

What Susan is most excited about as a new NORDP Board member

Susan is excited to get to work with people that she’s seen shaping NORDP in recent years. She’s excited about our new management company. She’s ready to tackle challenges related to declining funding and enrollments in the humanities and the near- and long-term impact of the SCOTUS decision. She acknowledges challenges but embraces them with enthusiasm. 

Susan remembers going to her first NORDP conference and knowing that she ‘found her people’. That was topped when she went to her second conference and first-time-participant friends from CLASP and other liberal arts colleagues told her that they found their people. Embracing connection, Susan is looking forward to continuing to bring more into the fold. 

Congratulations to Dr. Christine Pfund as the recipient of the 2023 NORDP Research Development Champion

Written by: Jan Abramson and the Mentoring Committee Leadership (Elizabeth Lathrop, Hilda McMackin, Angela Jordan, Kathy Partlow)

Congratulations to Dr. Christine Pfund—the honored recipient of the 2023 NORDP Research Development Champion! The award was established in 2020 to recognize RD Champions who are distinguished by their advocacy for the critical support of research development (RD) and/or wider efforts to advance the research enterprise. Dr. Pfund, of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), has long been a champion for research development and the work of RD professionals.

Christine Pfund

Dr. Pfund is a distinguished senior scientist with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work centers on advancing the science and practice of mentorship with a particular focus on culturally responsive mentorship education interventions. Through her work, she has developed, implemented, documented, and studied the training of research mentors across science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM). Dr. Pfund holds multiple roles as the Director, the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), the Principal Investigator for the Coordination Center, National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), and Director of Mentorship Initiatives, Institute for Clinical & Translational Research. She was a member of the National Academies committee that published the consensus report and online guide The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM.

In 2018, members of the NORDP Mentoring Committee had the opportunity to participate in CIMER’s mentor training. Inspired by their experience, they determined that CIMER resources and best practices would positively benefit NORDP and its membership. This led to the development of the first CIMER curriculum for RD professionals, Mentoring for Research Development Professionals, published by CIMER as part of the Entering Mentoring curriculum series. The process of adapting the evidence-based curriculum took over three years, and hundreds of NORDP Mentoring Committee volunteer hours. Dr. Pfund and CIMER were strong advocates for RD throughout the process, recognizing the impact of the work and the mentorship RD professionals engage in. Encouraged by her unwavering support, NORDP members are engaging in the national conversation around mentorship and can participate in creating a shared language of mentorship.

NORDP members are invited to participate in mentor training offered by the Mentoring Committee. The 5-week webinar series begins 1/30/2024. Registration will open in early January 2024, and is limited to 30 NORDP members.

Get to Know a NORDP Committee: Strategic Alliances Committee (SAC)

Tshepi Khahlu (University of Cape Town) joined Karen Eck (Old Dominion University) and Emily Kotay (University of Arizona) to present on “Managing University-Industry Collaboration” at INORMS 2023 in Durban, South Africa.

One of the oldest committees within NORDP, the Strategic Alliances Committee (SAC) is a driving force behind the growth and development of research development professionals. We invite you to explore this group that builds strong organizational relationships across all facets of the research enterprise.

SAC volunteers promote and enhance interactions between NORDP and external entities, which include professional organizations within the research enterprise, government and private agencies, and international groups. The committee’s mission is to “build and support relationships that drive membership growth, foster professional development, and strengthen advocacy and stakeholder relations.”

In the process, SAC positions NORDP as an engaged and respected professional organization with avenues for membership growth. To do so, we take a dual perspective that recognizes the importance of both outward and inward-facing actions.

Jessica Venable, Thorn Run Partners (Washington, DC), met Saskia Walcott, Walcott Communications (Bristol, England), at the 2023 INORMS conference in Durban. They now collaborate to attract more women of color to RD, particularly targeting professionals in England, the US, and South Africa.

NORDP → WORLD: SAC disseminates NORDP members’ expertise to benefit the global research enterprise. In doing so, we assist in promoting the organization across the world, and advocate for a collective voice for research development excellence.

WORLD → NORDP: SAC brings valuable insights and information back to NORDP and its members. We help NORDP strategies align with the ever-evolving landscape of RD, ensuring that our organization remains at the forefront of the global research enterprise. This work also helps RD professionals at all levels have a bird’s-eye view of the field, contributing to their professional growth.

What We Do: Notable accomplishments in support of research development include:

  • Establishing funding for the Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) Fellows in 2022
  • Leveraging a partnership with the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) to secure funding for research development growth at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 2021
  • Actively participating in EU-US Science and Technology and European Commission Horizon 2020 meetings
  • Developing guidance documents to promote strategic outreach, such as the NORDP Rules of Engagement with Federal Employees in 2013
  • Advocating for NORDP’s bid to host the 2027 International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) conference

SAC Liaisons: Liaisons are are specifically tasked with advocating for research development to external organizations and associations, in turn providing an invaluable service to NORDP members by gathering and sharing useful information as part of a broad, strategic outreach program. Visit SAC’s Liaisons webpage to see a list of existing liaisons.

The role of each liaison depends on the target organization and NORDP leadership goals as well as the skills and experience that an individual liaison brings to the position. Liaison duties and roles are assigned by SAC and approved by the Board on a case-by-case basis. Typical duties for liaisons include:

  1. Serving as a point of contact between NORDP and the targeted organization or key subgroups.
  2. Monitoring developments and activities at the targeted organization and sharing that information with NORDP’s membership through reports shared through NORDP’s various communication channels.
  3. Increasing the visibility of RD generally, and NORDP specifically, among these targeted organizations; for example, by delivering relevant webinars, presenting at conferences, and contributing to thought pieces. email, webinars, conferences, discussions, posters, and presentations.

With NORDP Board approval, some liaisons interact with their target organization’s leadership to determine how NORDP’s mission can complement mutual interests such as: promoting alternative career paths within academia, increasing national and international research collaborations, building multidisciplinary research teams among diverse groups of individuals, and advocating for the global research enterprise.

Liaisons serve a minimum of three years, are asked to participate in a 30-minute monthly meeting with other liaisons, and encouraged to set goals with the Liaison Manager. Individuals with at least two years of NORDP membership may apply (although some liaison positions have additional requirements) . Liaison applications are reviewed by the SAC chairs and approved by the Board of NORDP.  Upon acceptance, liaisons are provided with useful resources to begin their new roles. SAC considers individual requests to add new liaison organizations based on NORDP’s goals and evolving needs of NORDP members.

International Working Group (IWG): Many RD professionals work on international research funding opportunities and benefit from professional development opportunities to consult with experts in this area. Within SAC, the International Working Group meets monthly to discuss international research issues, such as NIH’s new policy regarding reporting requirements for international collaborators. The IWG actively promotes NORDP within the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS), work that attracts new members from across the world, strengthens relationships with others in the field, and delivers global RD perspectives, relationships, and best practices to US-based RD professionals.

How to Get Involved: Join SAC to become part of a dynamic team that is passionate about RD and:

  • Advocate for the field of research development
  • Catalyze activities that advance the profession
  • Serve as a liaison between NORDP and external organizations
  • Elevate your professional profile
  • Contribute to strategic thinking and intelligence gathering

Join us in shaping the future of research development at NORDP! For more information and to get involved, contact one of the SAC Committee Chairs: Karen Eck at keck@odu.edu, Gretchen Kiser at gretchen.kiser@ucsf.edu, or Sharon Pound at spound@utk.edu.

PD Holiday Soiree – Save the Date

It’s difficult to believe that it is already time for holiday planning, but here we are! 

Please save the date for our upcoming Holiday Soiree on Thursday, November 30 from 3:30-5PM Eastern. There will be general merriment and games, so make some time to celebrate the season with your NORDP colleagues and friends. More details and registration info will be forthcoming. 

NORDP 2023 Fellow: Karen “Fletch” Fletcher 

by Kirsten Abel

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: Karen Fletcher, Director of Grants Resources & Services

Where: Appalachian State University

Number of years in research development: 13

Length of NORDP membership: 11

What is leadership to you? 

Leadership is empowering the people around you. Both in a professional and personal capacity. I think the role of a leader is to encourage people to do their best and want to do their best.

What has your journey within NORDP looked like so far?

Initially, I joined the mentoring committee and then became co-chair of that committee. When I had an opportunity to run for the board, I jumped at it. I got involved with the conference planning committee, the communication working group, the member services committee, the nominating committee, the sponsorship committee, and the finance committee; I just wanted to be part of anything I could! I figured the more I learned, the more valuable I could be – in NORDP and in my every day job. While on the NORDP Board of Directors, I became secretary, then served the three-year term of vice president, president, and immediate past president. Since leaving the board, I am co-chair of the New Opportunities for Research Development (NORD) committee. I believe in the mission of NORDP and I believe in our community, so I want to give back. 

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

The support of NORDP members and the varied opportunities available in NORDP stand out to me. As I learned more about NORDP, I was constantly asking, “what skills are needed and how can I contribute?” When leadership opportunities presented themselves, I took a leap of faith that I could learn once in that role, and I was fortunate to have support from other incredible members. 

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

So much has happened! The growth of NORDP – when our membership surpassed 1000 during the time I was President – was really exciting. I am very proud of the work we did around NORDP’s first strategic plan and how this has helped shape NORDP into the organization it is today. Most recently, it would be my work in NORD; creating a system for publishing NORDP supported articles and working to establish the editorial board for the Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal is something I am very proud we could make happen. 

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

It is interwoven into everything. Being part of committees helped me move forward and learn new skills. Zoom is actually a great example of that. We used Zoom so much in NORDP among members from all over that when Covid hit and Zoom became the default meeting mechanism at my university, there really was no learning curve, it was already so normal to me! 

One of the biggest ways in which my career has been impacted is that after attending my first NORDP conference, I reached out to a member I met and asked if I could come and visit their university to learn how they were growing their research development office. After adopting some of those practices I learned from her and a few years later, I had the opportunity to interview and was hired into that position to carry on her work when she left it; I continue to visit other research development programs of members and learn so much from them – I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without the shared insight and experience of NORDP members.

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

The growth of NORDP. We have so many new members and new job opportunities, the field is exploding, and we have such a positive impact on faculty and the evolving landscape of research development. I am so excited to see where research development is going next. 

Karen was interviewed by Kirsten Abel, Faculty Recognition Director at Iowa State University.