NATIONAL COUNCIL OF UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ADMINISTRATORS
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
NCURA’s Region VI DE&I Committee aligns with the Council’s overall goal of promoting the development of research administration as a professional field while stimulating the personal growth of the members of the Council.
Region VI’s committee dedicates their time and resources to creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment that embraces and celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion regionally, nationally, and globally.
These principles are vital to the Region’s sustainability and growth as well as the breadth of educational and professional opportunities offered. The committee’s goal is to empower members to participate, learn, lead, educate, celebrate and advocate for growth and learning that reflects the dynamic and universal world we live in.
Please scroll below to meet the members of the NCURA Region VI DE&I Committee. We would love feedback from the Region VI members about what activities or programming you'd like to see. So please fill out our comment form located at the bottom of this page at any time.
Sylvia Campos, CRA, Senior Grants & Contracts Administrator
City of Hope
Sylvia has worked in Research Administration for over 17 years, in both pre and post award roles. She is also currently serving as a Web Editor of the NCURA Region VI Marketing & Communications Committee. Sylvia is passionate about bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to the Research Administration community.
Brigidann Cooper, MBA, Program Coordinator
Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
brigidann.cooper@lundquist.org
Brigidann currently works in departmental administration, however has some previous experience in the central office. She found Research Administration as a career over 8 years ago and has grown and developed her skills with the assistance of NCURA and the nurturing and development through the LEADMe program. I have been able to gain colleagues, mentors, and mentees in the field that also show a passion for what we do, where we can strengthen each other professionally.
Patrick Lennon, Administrator for Research, Department of Pediatrics
University of Washington
Patrick has participated in the Region VI LeadMe program as a mentee and MINT, and is currently serving as an at-large member of the Regional Advisory Council. He is passionate about helping make research administration a more diverse, inclusive, and accessible field.
Matt Michener, Assistant Director
Washington State University
Matt is currently the Assistant Director for Washington State University's (WSU) Office of Research Support and Operations (ORSO). He oversees the pre-award team responsible for all WSU proposal submissions and award negotiations. Matt is an NCURA Region 6 DEI committee member, Region 6 Education and Professional Development Committee member, 2021 NCURA Lead Me graduate, 2022 NCURA Lead Me co-chair, a former editor and contributor to NCURA e-Xtra and has presented at previous NCURA conferences and to other universities.
Akilah Pruitt, Senior Contract & Grant Officer
The Regents of the University of California, Irvine
15 years of experience in grants and contracts, managing federal and nonfederal grants and contracts. Akilah’s education includes a B.S. degree in Public Administration. Both NCURA and the LEADMe programs have been a blessing and I intend to grow with the community.
Anastasia Rutherford, Director, Research and Sponsored Programs
Cal Poly Pomona
Email: arutherford@cpp.edu
I am a current member of the NCURA's DEI Committee, and it is my desire to be part of diversity, equity, and inclusion, in my personal and work life. Equality and Inclusive in all areas. My goal is to organically infuse DEI into our DNA at the workplace, personal life and research administration.
Cristi Williams, Program Coordinator
Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
I am an experienced program coordinator that oversees daily operations and business activities for clinical research projects. I manage clinical research trials, conduct quality assurance reviews, and participate in contract and grant administration. I also work with principal investigators to formulate research objectives, and budgets and provide administrative support. Attentive to detail with experience in coordinating projects, programs, and improvements. I have a positive attitude and am capable of multitasking in a fast-paced environment and can perform independently and collaboratively.
Lisa Wottrich, CRA – Director, Contract Strategic Services
SRI International
Lisa has been a research administrator since 2003, holding a variety of roles from departmental to central, pre-award to post. Currently, she leads a team focused on supporting administrative compliance activities for all contracts and grants at SRI. Lisa is active in NCURA, volunteering at every regional meeting dating back to 2011, serving as a regional officer in two different regions, and serving on a variety of standing and ad hoc committees, including the inaugural DE&I committee for Region VI.
Kartik Yadav, Director of Research Development and Administration
The Regents of the University of California, Irvine
I am naturally curious and have a penchant for learning new things and continuously building on my skills. I joined NCURA in 2019 and have been closely involved in volunteering (mostly presentation and group discussions) and networking at the annual and other NCURA conferences. I am also a member of the DEI committee for the NCURA Region VI. My commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is essential to my understanding of others and allows me to communicate effectively with individuals of all backgrounds. I work hard to give them a positive and welcoming experience both in science and real life.
Emily Yu, Senior Contracts and Grants Analyst
The Regents of the University of California, Irvine
Emily started out her LeadMe journey after going to the Region 6 meeting in Billings, Montana – and her research administration journey has never been the same! Through the LEADMe program, she met many likeminded individuals who wanted to hone their research administration skills, find ways to grow in the field, and share experiences on how to become better leaders within our field. She was able to network with many people and soon found something that she is passionate about: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The reason she is part of the DE&I committee is because she wants to help create a safe and inclusive environment where all kinds of people are represented in research administration.