Dyad Mentoring Reflection: Angela Jordan and Wendi Chiarbos Jensen

by the NORDP Mentoring Committee

The traditional mentoring dyad (1:1 mentor-mentee) program has been a NORDP member feature since 2012. The Cohort Mentoring Group, piloted in July 2022, consists of matching three mentees with similar interests with one shared mentor. Both the dyad and cohorts are matched based on the WisdomShare matching algorithm. This is a reflection of one of the traditional mentoring dyads from the 2020-2021 mentoring year.

Angela Jordan

Mentor Angela Jordan, University of South Alabama • Angela is the Director of Research Development at the University of South Alabama and is responsible for strategic, catalytic, and capacity-building activities designed to promote faculty development and enhance their ability to attract external funding. With a background in the social sciences and humanities, Angela brings an interdisciplinary perspective that is informed by the principles of collaboration and community engagement. She has been the Co-Chair of the Mentoring Committee since 2023, actively engaging NORDP members to support mentoring for research development professionals.

Wendi Jensen photographed in the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education on Thursday, June 27, 2019. wendi.jensen@unmc.edu
Wendi Jensen

Mentee Wendi Chiarbos Jensen, University of Nebraska Medical Center • Wendi is the Director of Research and Grants Development in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Wendi provides all proposal development support, works on strategic endeavors, and helps promote research across the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Her experience in working in an institutional-level office as well as a busy academic unit has helped her understand the value that external funding plays in research progress, creative discovery, and educational programming. Wendi participates in NORDP’s Academic Medicine/Affiliate Medical Center Affinity Group and is part of the NORDP Region V: Midwest/Mountain. 

Q1: What influenced you to apply to be a mentor and a mentee for the 2020-21 NORDP Mentoring Program?

Angela: 2020 was my fourth year participating in the matched mentoring program, and my third year as a mentor. While I originally joined the program in 2016 because I thought I would benefit from mentoring, with some encouragement I leaped into being a mentor myself, and I found it rewarding. By that point, I knew that every mentoring relationship is unique and was looking forward to another year of being on that journey with some more NORDP members as we worked through problems and thought about goals, whatever shape that would take. Of course that was also the first COVID year, which gave us some additional challenges to talk about!

Wendi: I was hired for a new position in my college so I did not have others doing the same RD work as I did. The NORDP Mentoring Program allowed me the chance for collegiality when there were no other co-workers at my job site. I had hoped to find a good resource for discussion of my professional goals and challenges. The Program did this by matching me with Angela Jordan!

Q2: What is your favorite part about your relationship?

Angela: Wendi was really great, very grounded, and open to the self-reflection process that is essential for growth. Like many new to research development, she brought invaluable experience and transferable skills from previous jobs, and she was very motivated. Every mentee is different and has different types of goals; Wendi had some very specific things she wanted to work on, which was fun for me. 

Wendi: It’s reassuring to connect with another RD professional who can relate to my experiences and help me process any issues I am having. Angela’s insights into how to navigate situations I was encountering always included helpful and concrete approaches she had used. And I appreciated her calm delivery and approach to work.

Q3: How has participation in the Mentoring Program helped broaden your horizons about Research Development in general and/or affected your daily work in particular?

Angela: Being involved in the mentoring program has reinforced my understanding of what great people we have in NORDP. People bring diverse backgrounds and face unique challenges in their jobs and careers, yet at the same time, so many of us share characteristics like having a growth mindset and being very open to sharing experiences, tools, and tricks of the trade. In some professional contexts, the knowledge economy is built on scarcity and controlled access, but in our profession, we have a knowledge economy built on abundance, and it has benefitted my professional growth tremendously. It also informs my thinking about the importance of mentoring in other contexts, such as for faculty and staff development, as well as its use as a component in proposals.

Wendi: I enjoyed our regular discussions about what was going on in our campus and unit environments. Hearing my mentor’s perspective on the RD field was also beneficial as I considered my own workload and how to manage time.

Q4: What surprised you about being a mentor or a mentee?

Angela: To be honest I spent much of my life with an antiestablishment mindset, and would have resisted thinking of myself as a mentor. I didn’t have great mentors as an undergraduate or during my first stint in graduate school, but also wasn’t primed to be a good mentee either. By the time I joined NORDP, I was much more receptive to the idea that being a mentor or mentee did not need to fit into a narrowly defined box and could be a really beneficial opportunity for growth in either role. After having positive mentoring experiences within NORDP, I know that the roles are adaptable to the unique context and needs of each relationship. Although both roles are essential, mentorship is really about the mentee, and in the NORDP context should be driven by the mentee; the mentor can be thought of as a facilitator for mentee exploration and development.

Wendi: I have benefitted from tremendously skilled mentors going back to my undergraduate student days. Early in my career, I may not have realized that i sought mentoring but certainly recognized its impact after the fact. With the NORDP partnering, Angela and I were able to forge a relationship through regular initial meetings and then maintained it by spacing out our meetings a bit. This worked well for me and I hope for Angela. I was surprised how quickly I felt a connection with her.

Q5: What made you decide to maintain a longer-term mentoring relationship and how has it impacted you?

Angela: One thing that came out organically over the course of the year is that, partly in conversation with me about the PhD I was working on at the time, but largely because of Wendi’s work with faculty in her college, she came to realize that she had the capacity and desire to do research herself, which led her to enroll in a PhD program. We’ve kept in touch and I am excited to see her continuing down that path!

Wendi: I was hopeful that we would have a good personal connection, but there are no guarantees that people doing the same kind of work will necessarily like each other. I found Angela to be approachable about not just work but also her personal experiences. We were of similar age and family situations but had followed different career paths. I appreciated the personal commonalities we discovered and how they impacted our professional lives.

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

Angela: I know that taking the leap to be a mentor can intimidate people if they’ve never been in that role; it’s really easy to talk yourself out of doing it by thinking you don’t have enough experience or the right experience, or that you don’t fit what you imagine a mentor should be. But if someone is considering it then chances are that they do have something to offer, and even if they’re junior in the profession I guarantee that we always have people who are brand new to the field who can benefit from their mentorship. 

Another challenge is that, because every relationship is different, someone’s first experience as a mentor might not be exactly what they had imagined. At that point, it’s easy to think ‘mentoring isn’t for me.’ However, I’d encourage people who’ve had that thought to try it again, because they may find that the next time around it’s a truly rewarding experience.

Wendi: I have subsequently served as a mentor every year since my mentee experience with Angela. NORDP provides a great service through this program and has helped me connect with colleagues all over the US. My advice is the same given to all of my mentees: continue participating in this program and serve as both mentor and mentee. The 360-degree perspective these roles provide will enhance your professional capacity and enrich your personal attributes.

Applications for the 2025-2026 mentoring match cycle will open in the spring — keep an eye out for NORDP announcements. Additional mentoring opportunities are available through the Peer Mentoring Groups that are open for participation throughout the year via the WisdomShare platform [LINK: https://nordpmentoring.mywisdomshare.com/]. Contact the NORDP Mentoring Committee if you have any questions [link: mentoringprogram@nordp.org].

An investment in mentoring is an investment in you!

The October Career Stories featured Dr. Michael Helms, Director of Research Development, Team Science at Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine

Written by: Roshni Singh, Career Stories team

A Journey from Biotech to Academia

When Dr. Helms was asked to write his first grant in Biotech, he was a little hesitant, however, the role grew on him and he became an expert and a go-to person for all the grants in his company. While in the industry, Dr. Helms received funding from NIH and served on the NIH SBIR study section.

Michael K. Helms, PhD, MBA

The October Career Stories featured Dr. Micheal Helms, Director of Research Development and Team Science in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Helms has an MBA degree with specializations in managing innovation and technology and international business, and BS and PhD degrees in biochemistry. Mike founded the first-ever research development office at Stanford, the Stanford Research Development Office (SRDO), and managed it for 5 years. His journey started as a scientist, project manager, director, and general manager in the biotechnology industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, eventually making his way into academia.

In 2008, when the economy was crashing, Dr. Helms started consulting and looking for new opportunities. Through his work with NIH, he realized that most federal funding was awarded to universities, so he started focusing his job search in academia. With his wealth of experience, in 2009, he was hired by Stanford University and since then has helped hundreds of faculty members find and apply to funding opportunities, resulting in over $400 million in new funding from federal and foundation sponsors. He counts among his successes the Stanford CTSA, Stanford Diabetes Research Center, Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, SPHERE Center, and many others. For the past 15 years Mike’s main responsibility has been assisting faculty obtaining large grants. He directly works with experienced and knowledgeable faculty members and provides them with hands on help through coaching, development, and holding strategy and coaching meetings. Additionally, he runs a seed grant program for junior faculty who are clinically active.

Dr. Helms likes to “get the wins” and bring in the money, which aligns to faculty interests and aspirations. Helping faculty nurture their career to do “all good things” inspires him. He has supported 2 early career faculty – K Awards – funded with perfect scores of 10.

In reflecting on his impact and legacy, Dr. Helms points to helping Stanford raise >$400 m in new grant funding, introducing and establishing the importance of research development into Stanford, and the relationship and impact he has had on others’ career. Lately, he has been reflecting on future career moves. He recognizes that most RD professionals are in staff roles, which may put him in a much weaker position within an institution for rising to the VP level. However, he maintains that networking is key and can possibly have people on your side, so never stop learning, asking questions, and maintaining good relationships with people.

Mike would love to answer any questions you have for him, so please feel free to email him at mkhelms@stanford.edu.

The link to the interview to Dr. Helms October Career Stories will be posted on the LMS when available.

The August 2024 Career Stories featured Dr. Shelia McClure, the Senior Associate Dean for Research Development at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)

Written by: Roshni Singh, Career Stories team

Passion, Advocacy, and Love for Academia

Dr. Shelia McClure

This month’s career story featured Dr. Shelia McClure, the Senior Associate Dean for Research Development at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), who is also the founding director of the MSM Office of Research Development (ORD). ORD provides technical assistance to faculty, post-docs, students and staff in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating activities that facilitate scientific and educational research. Dr. McClure received her doctorate in cellular and developmental zoology from the University of California, Berkeley, completed post-doctoral training at the University of California and was a scientist in the Cancer and Viral Diseases Unit of the Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, MI.

Dr. McClure began her professional career at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA where she rose to the rank of Associate Professor and was recognized for mentoring students and developing infrastructure and capacity for biomedical research that focused on faculty development, infrastructure improvements, and grant and contract development. She left Spelman for what she initially thought would be a brief stint at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). That “brief stint” ended up being almost 16 years, serving as a Program Director, Scientific Office, and Special Assistant to the Director of Research Infrastructure in the National Center for Research Resources, and as Chief of the Office of Research Training and Capacity Building in the Division of Scientific Programs at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. However, her love for teaching, mentoring, and engaging learners as well as her passion for enhancing research capacity and helping diversify the biomedical research workforce brought her back to academia, where she could be fully engaged in research development.

Dr.McClure’s research development journey began with starting up a new lab as an Assistant Professor in a small institution that focused primarily on teaching. Once she garnered extramural funding from NSF, NIH, and a few foundations to establish her own research, she was equally engaged in developing research capacity, not only for herself, but for students, post-docs, and other faculty.  She believes RD is in her blood and with a passion for RD, “she has never worked a day in life” but follows and enjoys her passion. She considers herself “very fortunate to have been a part of research development on a local level in the academy and at a national level while at NIH.” That same passion keeps Dr. McClure in RD as she enjoys seeing investigators obtaining their first grant and becoming successful in their research and professional careers. Since many of these investigators are from groups underrepresented in biomedical research, she has the added enjoyment of playing a role in helping diversify the scientific workforce. Her work has also resulted in advocacy efforts to increase funding for smaller institutions, HBCUs, and other MSIs that need resources to enhance research and training capacity.

She strongly believes that mentoring is an essential ingredient for success, and credits her parents, an NIH professional mentor, and her undergraduate research mentor for supporting her throughout her life and career. Specifically, she thanks her parents “for instilling in a young African American woman growing up in the South that she could be anyone she wanted to be, and the equalizer would be education.” Hence, she firmly believes that it is everyone’s responsibility to “pay it forward”, and as RD professionals, we should play a more active role in mentoring the next generation of researchers and RD professionals. We should also have a stronger voice in advocating for RD opportunities that will help to diversify the institutions and individuals contributing to the research enterprise.

Even with an extensive career in RD, she still learns from every investigator she works with and uses the information she learns to improve RD programming and operations. “Emotional intelligence is the key” when working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, which is usually the case in the RD space.  Mutual respect, and building and maintaining relationships have shaped her impact and legacy in RD.

Dr. McClure would love to answer any questions you have for her, so please feel free to email her at smcclure@msm.edu

The link to the interview to Dr. McClure’s Career Stories by the NORDP LEAD Career Stories team will be posted when available.

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

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

Mentor Training for Research Development Professionals – Registration Open for January/February 2025 Workshop

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. A past workshop attendee commented: “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.”

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. Over 100 NORDP members have been trained through this initiative. 

Schedule:  

Two 1.5-hour sessions each week for 5 weeks (every Tuesday and Thursday)
1/28/25 – 2/27/25
2–3:30 pm EST / 11 am–12:30 pm PST

As the format is highly interactive, participants must agree to participate in at least 9 of 10 workshops. 

Cost: FREE!

Register TODAY for the workshop series – 35 participant limit and the course will fill up fast!

Questions?  Contact us at mentorprogram@nordp.org

Celebrate National Mentoring Month with NORDP!

Written by: Vess Vassileva-Clarke and the Mentoring Committee Marketing & Communication Team

January is National Mentoring Month! The NORDP Mentoring Committee has lined up exciting mentoring events and activities for all-level-of-experience mentors and mentees! Join us and participate in one or all of the planned events and learning opportunities:

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 10-module Entering Mentoring curriculum, initially developed by CIMER for mentoring researchers and tailored for RD professionals. Registration is now open – 35 participant limit and the course will fill up fast!

Mentoring Committee Open House — Join us on January 16, 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!

Dyad Reflection — Throughout the year, we strive to find the most inspiring stories from mentor-mentee dyads and share them with you. We will start this year with Angela Jordan’s and Wendi Jensen’s reflections on their mentor-mentee relationship and what it means to them. Read it on our blog on Jan 20, 2025.

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.

  • Career & Professional Development: exploring how to become more efficient and effective in our roles
  • Coaching and RD: Developing and implementing coaching as part of the Research Development (RD) skillset
  • Collaboration & Team Science: building collaborations and interdisciplinary research programs
  • Faculty Development: Supporting RD professionals who perform faculty development through programming and workshops
  • Leadership & Management: leading in both official and unofficial capacities
  • Proposal Development & Project Management for Research: Supporting proposal development for faculty grant-seeking and leveraging project management tools and methodologies to enhance efficiency and success in securing extramural funding
  • Strategic Planning & Advancement: guiding policy and planning for enhanced research and scholarship

Questions: mentorprogram@nordp.org 

#NORDPmentoring #MentoringMatters #MentorshipMatters

A Successful End of 2024 NORDP Mentoring Year

Written by: Vess Vassileva-Clarke and the Mentoring Committee Marketing & Communication Team

The end of the year is always a good time to pause for reflection that inspires New Year success. The Mentoring Committee would like to do just that—a recap of NORDP mentor program participants’ reflections. In preparation for the National Mentoring Month in January, we are ready to dive into a new year of sharing and shared mentoring experiences. Below are a few highlights of the thoughts, comments, and opinions of current and past participants in the NORDP mentoring program for inspiration. See what your peers have had to say since 2018 about the NORDP Mentoring program and its meaning to them. 

Be inspired. Be inspirational. Explore new ways to connect and grow every day. Become a NORDP mentor/mentee!

Image with two testimonials. The testimonials are as follows: "[The NORDP Mentoring program provided me with] a lot of support for navigating an uncertain organizational situation." "I loved my mentor and she was incredibly helpful. She provided advice about how she and her institution did certain things, and it was just great to have a friend!"

“Being a mentor has helped me be more reflective about my own roles and has helped me develop some characteristics that might not have gotten my attention otherwise. One of my mentees was in a big growth period to begin with and had an unexpected career change opportunity that came up during the mentoring year, and I felt like I had to be very intentional in providing them mentoring support through that tricky period.”

“[The NORDP mentoring program allowed me to be able] to discuss issues/challenges and get advice as well as share experiences.”

“Both mentor and mentee benefit from the relationship. I’ve developed long-lasting relationships and even friendships with the people I’ve been paired with through the Mentoring Program. I’m a lot more aware of the field of RD and what is happening at other institutions because of the network I’ve built through the Mentoring Program, which brings value back to my own institution.”

“[The NORDP Mentoring program] enabled me] to meet with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. I particularly love being able to talk through best practices with other mentors.”

“[The NORDP Mentoring program gave me the] ability to troubleshoot on issues with mentor/peers and validation of frustrations that I experience.”

“[The NORDP Mentoring program helped me with] building a close-knit network of individuals throughout NORDP. The mentees and mentor I’ve been matched with through the program have become close colleagues and friends. The relationships lasted well beyond the formal one year duration of the program.”

“[A benefit of participating in the NORDP Mentoring program is] connecting with others and getting another perspective.”

“Every year, I find the learning and exchange of institutional practices, solutions, and approaches to be the most valuable. Whether it’s me or my mentor, there’s always someone who is going through something new or trying to work a problem and the external conversation always starts new pathways forward.”

Foot in the door: How a career navigator helps transition into a RD position?

Contributors: Mayla Boguslav and Toyin Babarinde
Career Navigator program lead: Samarpita Sengupta

“I fell into it.” 

If you ask a room of RD professionals the question “How did you get into RD?,” the most common answer is likely “I fell into it!” For a profession that has significantly grown and continues to do so, “I fell into it” doesn’t resonate with everyone. The NORDP Mentoring Committee launched the Career Navigator program and the trainee membership to create intentional pathways to the RD profession. Trainee membership is defined by NORDP as “individuals who must, at the time of NORDP membership application, 1) have not held a paid Research Development (RD) position, 2) be enrolled in a graduate educational program (for example a Master’s or Doctoral program) or hold a postdoctoral fellowship, and 3) be interested in pursuing RD as a career.

In this program, NORDP trainee members, who are looking to explore RD as a potential career path are paired with NORDP Career Navigators who share similar backgrounds and career paths of interest to the trainee. Through a mentee-driven relationship, trainees learn more about the field of RD and find support for landing their first RD position.

The program has matched 20 NORDP trainee members to date, with an impressive 42% of the trainee members landing their first RD position. Nine of the matches are currently open. Through a Mentor Sign up form sent through the NORDP Listserv, 13 NORDP members so far have signed up to be Career Navigators, many of whom are alumni of the program and are looking forward to giving back.

Mayla Boguslav, PhD
Toyin Babrinde, PhD

In February 2024, Mayla Boguslav, PhD, who was then a postdoctoral research fellow at Colorado State University was paired with Toyin Babarinde, PhD, who serves as the Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Research Development at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Since then, Mayla has transitioned into the Research Associate, Research Development role at the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Southern California. We caught up with both of them to ask about their experiences with the Career Navigator program. 

  1. What influenced you to join the Career Navigator program as a mentor or mentee?
    • Mayla as mentee: I identified that I wanted to study the research endeavor and realized that RD is the place to do it. However, I did not know much about RD, let alone careers in RD. I joined the NORDP Career Navigators program to focus on my career transition into RD and learn the possibilities.
    • Toyin as mentor: As a beneficiary of having great mentors, I am compelled to pay it forward wherever possible. Finding my career path was not easy or clear and I’m happy to help others in their journey. 
  2. What was your favorite part about your mentoring relationship?
    • Mayla as mentee: Toyin’s honesty about an RD career both the struggles and the excitements. We have discussed topics such as leadership, change, career transitions, and many more that have all been very valuable. 
    • Toyin as mentor: Mayla’s openness to ask questions and explore various topics. 
  3. What have you found most rewarding and most challenging about being a mentor? 

Toyin’s answer: The most rewarding part is hearing that I was helpful. There are not notable challenging components to mentorship. There are times when I have wished I could intervene/advocate on behalf of my mentee in some of their situations, but all I can do is give thoughtful feedback and guidance and hope things work out the best way possible for them in that situation. 

  1. Any words of wisdom or encouragement to those who are considering a transition into an RD career?
    • Mayla as mentee:
      • Find mentors to learn from and discuss it with.
      • Be open to new ideas 
      • Ask lots of questions
      • My RD career transition has been seamless because of all the mentors and conversations I have had including with Toyin.
      • Give yourself grace to not be perfect because you need to learn a whole new field.
    • Toyin as mentor: Mayla summarized it very well which is why you will see some of the same answers.
      • Be open to new ideas
      • Don’t be afraid to ask “ALL” the questions 😊
      • Know it’s ok to feel lost but understand that you will find your ground at the right time. 
      • Extending grace to yourself is critical
      • Talk to as many people in various roles as possible to learn about your options.
      • Be bold, courageous, and confident
      • Do not be afraid to let your light shine brightly, there is room for everyone to do so.

As with many mentoring relationships, Mayla and Toyin still keep up the mentoring relationship beyond the official Career Navigator program and Mayla considers Toyin as a lifelong mentor.

If you are a trainee member looking to find your RD career, please sign up for the Career Navigator program. We are always looking for more Career Navigators for our pool. If you are a RD professional, and are able to commit to a short-term mentoring relationship, please sign up to be a Career Navigator. This program is especially useful for those who are contemplating signing up as mentors for the NORDP mentoring program and would like some experience with being a mentor. If you have a RD position, you can be a Career Navigator!

The July 2024 Career Stories featured Jessica Brassard, the Director of Research Development and Communication at Michigan Technological University

Written by: Roshni Singh, Career Stories team

From a Marketing and Visual Communication Background into RD—A Magical Profession 

A Covid detour, career experimentation, and recognizing the need for something new led her to a role in RD.

Jessica Brassard

Meet Jessica Brassard, the Director of Research Development and Communication at Michigan Technological University. In her role, she creates visuals for high-impact/high-value research proposals, supports science communication for research, enables team building around research initiatives, and designs faculty development events and workshops. Before joining this “magical profession”, as Jess describes her role in RD, in 2015, she was in healthcare marketing and communications.

Jessica describes how she found RD as an “act of desperation.” Her position in a local healthcare organization was slowly draining the joy from her work and she needed something new. In 2015, a friend at Michigan Tech helped her look past the RD title and position description, and a new chapter in her career was born. In 2021, Jess was drawn to a position at the University of Michigan which was the perfect alignment of her love of visual communication and helping researchers tell their stories, giving her an opportunity for career experimentation. During this career experimentation, she learned that her own bucket is filled when she can help researchers through a wide variety of services and support. This led her back to Michigan Tech. Her career transition was possible because of her built relationships and network. Jess highly recommends nurturing relationships as it can do wonders.

Jess believes RD is a field where one can help in so many different, fulfilling ways. To her, keeping a whole heart is important in doing service-oriented work. Sending pieces of your heart in the work you do can result in the power of your happiness being controlled by other people. Jess puts forth her best effort and quality work while keeping her heart firmly hers. She believes that others cannot control her; thus, not to become stressed by her emotional reaction toward her work. It makes the work enjoyable and encourages people to be themselves, which is also Jessica’s legacy and RD pro tip.

Jess uses OOO away messages and email footers intentionally to make incremental culture change. In her personal Gmail account, she wrote a sort of “mini LinkedIn” footer to nod to where she’s been and where she currently spreads her energy. Inspired by Karen Caitlin’s weekly Better Allies newsletter, Jess writes her OOO messages to describe what she is doing away from work. This small act of honesty helps her be more present while at work and supports building relationships. The people Jess surrounds herself with make an impact and help her grow into the person she wishes to be.

Outside of her RD position, Jess has had a hand in multiple nonprofits. In 2013, she founded Keweenaw Young Professionals (KYP), a non-profit for young professionals to connect and grow through community engagement. She has served local non-profits, service organizations, and on committees at Michigan Tech and the University of Michigan. Jess coaches the local Ski Tigers cross-country ski club level 1 skiers (ages 5 and 6)!

In NORDP, Jess currently serves on the Mentoring Committee and the McMc (marketing and communications) subcommittee, co-chairs the Communication Working Group (CWG) with Kelsey Haasevoort, and serves on the national Conference Planning Committee. One of her favorite volunteer projects is helping with the Conference Planning Committee with the #MugMottoTaskForce. She helps solicit phrases and ideas from NORDP, then makes designs and illustrations that are uploaded to a RedBubble shop, RDDrinkApperati Shop on Redbubble, where NORDP members can get them on mugs, shirts, stickers, and other products. The unique mottos capture the spirit and dedication of research development professionals and each design celebrates and inspires RD professionals. Sales from these items generate a modest profit (less than $200) and help to pay for appreciation gifts for the conference planning committee volunteers. It’s a small token to recognize the countless volunteer hours committed to enriching our community and advancing the field of research development.

Jess is happy to answer any questions you have, so please feel free to email her at jnbrassa@mtu.edu.

The link to Jess’ full Career Stories by the NORDP LEAD Career Stories team will be posted when available.

NORDP Consultants Program – Year 1 of the NSF GRANTED Program

The NSF GRANTED program funded an expansion of the NORDP Consultants cohort model one year ago to partner with Minority-Serving and Emerging Research Institutions (MSIs and ERIs) to grow research activity and capacity. In the past 12 months, the program has made significant progress on the project’s objectives.

New Consultants Joined

This summer, the program welcomed four new consultants: Amy Carrol, University of Rhode Island, Faye Farmer, Arizona State University, Jorja Kimball, Texas A&M University, and Claudia Scholz, University of Virginia. These individuals join 22 existing consultants bringing the pool of active NORDP Consultants to 26.

Cohort 2 and 3 Launched

Cohort 2 launched in January of 2024 with the City College of New York, NY (AANAPISI, HSI, ERI), Clark Atlanta University, GA (HBCU, ERI), Kean University, NJ (HSI, ERI), and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, TX (HSI, ERI). Each partnering institution successfully completed the first two phases, intake and collaborative planning, of the three-phase engagement framework and has transitioned into the implementation phase. In collaboration with their consultants, partners are making plans for the research infrastructure investment provided as a part of the GRANTED-funded expansion. In September, the program kicked off Cohort 3 with Hawai’i Pacific University, HI (ANNH, AANAPISI, ERI), Kentucky State University, KY (HBCU, ERI), McMurry University, TX (HSI, ERI), and University of West Alabama, AL (PBI, ERI). The next call for MSI partners will be disseminated in early 2025.

1st NORDP Consultants Program Cohort Annual Meeting

Attendees at the 1st NORDP Consultants Program Cohort Annual Meeting

In September 2024, the NORDP Consultants Program hosted its 1st Annual Meeting in Miami Gardens, FL at Florida Memorial University’s campus, drawing nearly 40 participants from eight institutions of higher education that are or have been partners in the NORDP Consultants Program. The theme for the event was building and sustaining research culture. The multi-day event provided a platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration, focusing on advancing research development initiatives and strengthening aspects of the research ecosystem. Several members of the NORDP Consultants Program presented alongside MSI partners on a wide range of topics, including a socio-ecological approach to the research ecosystem, assessing research culture, balancing institutional commitment with indirect costs, facilities and administration costs, and reinvestment strategies. Additionally, Michele McGuirl from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) provided an overview of resources available for ERIs through NIGMS.

EMERGE Resource Library

The NORDP Consultants Program also launched the Equipping Minoritized and Emerging Research Institutions to Grow their Enterprises (EMERGE) Resource Library. The EMERGE Resource Library is the first national library of collaboratively written and peer-reviewed plain language research enterprise guides, tools, and other resources that center the voice, perspective, and expertise of MSIs and ERIs. The program is currently calling for authors to join the next sprint to develop additional resources. Prospective authors can register for the October 9, 20204 interest meeting here and submit a short expression of interest here.

Japera Hemming, NORDP Consultants Program
Credit / AJ Shorter Photography

Since its establishment in 2021, the NORDP Consultants Program has worked with 172 institutions, including 73 MSIs, and supported participating institutions in securing more than $90M through its cohort, embedded proposal support, and partner-initiated models. This includes $10.5M from the Advancing Research Capacity at HBCUs – a program referenced by President Biden during his remarks at HBCU Week – and the first successful partner-initiated proposal Identifying Needs and Building Research Capacity at an Historically-Black University led by Delaware State University (NIH – UC2GM157743).

The NORDP Consultants Program is support by Schmidt Futures, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health (ITE-2303003, MCB-2236057, OIA-2331578, ITE-2350104, OIA-2337236, UC2GM157743).

NORDP 2024 Holly Falk-Krzesinski Award

Named for NORDP’s founding President, this award is voted on by the Board of Directors and given annually to a NORDP Member in recognition of outstanding service to the organization, to the research development profession or field, and to peers. 

Who: Faye Farmer

Where: Director of Enterprise Design Initiatives at Arizona State University

Number of years in research development: Faye started working on proposals as an editor at a scientific institute at ASU in 2008. She moved to the University’s central office in 2011. She co-founded the central Research Development office in 2015 and worked there until 2023.

Length of NORDP membership: 15 years

You have served NORDP in numerous roles and capacities over the years. Could you share a bit about what that journey has been like?

The journey has been fantastic. Faye has held both formal and informal leadership roles in NORDP. Faye considers her greatest contributions to be in the area of conference presentations, where she shared about ASU’s experience alongside other universities. When she ran for the Board, it was a culmination of the conference experience, working with the Mentoring Committee and working with the PEERD consulting program.

NORDP has always depended on volunteers. Holding this truth close during her Board service was important to Faye. She served on the Board from 2019 to 2023. While on the Board, she contributed to two Board initiatives. Both leveraged the work of volunteers in the organization. One was the task force for certification. This involved working with several passionate and motivated individuals through a series of steps that culminated in a report that was published this year.

The second effort involved a task force on NORDP policy review and updating. Faye organized individuals interested in creating more inclusive policies within the organization. This work reflected a dynamic, evolving membership in the thousands and tried to future-proof the organization as it grows. The original bylaws were essential to the founding of NORDP, but the policies needed to address size and diversity of the organization’s membership. This work resulted in a set of policy drafts that were provided to the Board in November of 2023.

In your view, what makes an effective leader, and how has your philosophy of leadership informed your work within NORDP?

Faye believes in the power of collaboration. NORDP has taught her this. She also recognizes that she still has a lot to learn about interpersonal relations and communications. Leading in NORDP means that you are good at what you do and also invested in other’s success. Research development is a coopetition, where members balance their own university or college interests while benefiting from each other’s knowledge and experience. This balance is achievable because of the strong sense of community. Leadership means growing the scope and scale of this balance through the many layers of institutional types, career rungs, and time in the profession.

What do you see as the biggest rewards, and challenges, of serving in leadership roles within NORDP?

As far as challenges, the path to organizational change can sometimes feel glacial. But Faye believes it is slow because NORDP values community insight and input. Achieving a well-grounded, high-quality outcome that has meaning for many in the organization often requires contributions from many people over time. As an organizational leader, Faye recognizes that she does not speak for herself but for the people who put her there. This requires frequent checking-ins and creating inclusive and transparent processes.

Faye has found that the biggest reward of working in NORPD is expanding networks upon networks of professionals in research development. Even as her career has shifted in the last year, she still gets emails asking for her thoughts, advice, or connection. At ASU, Faye encouraged her team to engage with NORDP, especially by presenting at conferences. By sharing our experience, NORDP reduces barriers to engagement for its professionals. The result is better, faster, higher-quality, and more effective research development services and support nationwide.

More recently, you have played a crucial role in revitalizing the New Opportunities in Research Development (NORD) Committee. What has that process been like, and what do you see as the greatest opportunities for the field of research development moving forward?

Faye sees incredible opportunities in research development. She believes that there is momentum toward more purposeful strategy development. Faye often touts the importance of strategic (competitive) intelligence, which builds upon institutional analysis and expands it to include national program and policy trends. These early, pre-funding opportunity activities allow research development professionals to answer questions like, who is funded and why. These answers become actionable insight among university leaders, ultimately translating into more efficient funding pursuits.

What advice do you have for NORDP members who aspire to greater service within NORDP or the field at large?

Volunteer! Faye sees a parallel to the advice we give faculty and other researchers. Just step up and get involved. Faye recognizes that people want and should be paid for their work, but volunteering is critical to creating a more inclusive organization. Volunteering provides a unique skill set that may not be accessible through our work. She also recommends that NORDP members call in anyone and everyone to the organization. She says NORDP needs all levels of education, experience, and backgrounds to be successful. It is incumbent upon members to create a more diverse organization with intention and care.