Introduction to M-TRAIN: Building a Shared Vision

Joanne Sptiz, MA, CRA, Vanderbilt University

Joanne is the Executive Director of the Research Development and Support (RDS) team within Vanderbilt’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. Prior to this role, she served as the Senior Director of Grant Initiatives, Corporate and Foundation Relations at Baylor University, resulting in a significant increase in Foundation and other private support for faculty researchers. Joanne also spent over 30 years in research development and pre- and post-award administration at Washington University in St. Louis in multiple departments and schools, including Neuroscience, Biology, and the Olin Business School. While at Olin, she worked for 11 years as the administrator of an interdisciplinary research network sponsored by The MacArthur Foundation. She was also instrumental in the establishment of a new grants program for the Olin School and served as its first Grant Development Manager.

Quincy Quick, PhD, Tennessee State University

Quincy serves as the Associate Vice President of Research and Sponsored Programs and Chief Research Officer at Tennessee State University (TSU). As a scientist, Quincy has studied novel targets and therapeutics for the treatment of glioblastomas for the past 20 years and has been an active NIH grant reviewer, as well as reviewer and editor for several journals. Quincy has also served as a research mentor and/or coordinator on several NIH and NSF funded developmental training grant programs that include RISE, MARC, NIMH-COR, HBCU-UP, and served as the co-program director for the TSU-NERVE program, an NIH funded developmental training program to increase the number of students that earn PhDs in neuroscience. As part of these initiatives, Quincy has mentored more than 80 students at the PhD, Masters, and undergraduate levels. This service and productivity have led to Quincy being acknowledged as one of the most inspiring black scientists in the US by Cell Mentor. Furthermore, in his role as AVP of Research and Sponsored Programs, Quincy mentors and supports research efforts and development of faculty at all levels.

Sajid Hussain, PhD, Fisk University

Sajid is Associate Vice Provost for Innovation and Information Technology (CTO) and Discipline Coordinator of Data Science, Fisk University. In 2009, he joined Fisk University as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Sajid served as Chair of the Department of Business Administration at Fisk from 2010-2013. Prior to Fisk, he worked as Associate Professor and Assistant Professor in the Jodrey School of Computer Science at Acadia University in Canada. Sajid’s research applies machine learning techniques for interdisciplinary research projects related to healthcare, bioinformatics, digital humanities, and criminal justice. His research is supported by the NSF, NIH, and other sources.

Chad Brooks (Austin Peay State University):  Chad Brooks is the Vice Provost of Research at Austin Peay State University. He is responsible for coordinating all of the administrative duties for Research, Grants and Sponsored Programs, International Education, the Center for Workforce Development, and the College of Graduate Studies. He is also responsible for establishing the policies and procedures that govern these areas. Chad chairs the Graduate and Research Council, facilitates the Institutional Review Board, and coordinates Graduate Faculty approvals and the Graduate Student Appeals Process. Chad also represents APSU's College of Graduate Studies at THEC and several other professional organizations. He is also an active faculty member on campus.

Sharana Jones (Austin Peay State University): Sharana Jones is the Grants Specialist for Austin Peay State University in the College of STEM. She has worked in the Research Administration field for over 20 years in the Healthcare and Higher Education industry, working with federal, foundation and private grants supporting underserved, youth, and community-based initiatives. She received her Bachelor's degree from Ferris State University and is working on her Master's in Community Leadership at APSU and her Certified Research Administrator certification. She is an active member of the APSU Black Faculty and Staff Association and the National Council of University Research Administrators.

Kelly Pitts (Austin Peay State University): Kelly Pitts is the current Assistant Director of Grants at Austin Peay State University. She has a Master’s in Corporate Communications and has been working in Grants Administration since 2017. She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication and has been at Austin Peay State University since 2012. She has a wealth of knowledge of the campus and the community. She is an active member of NCURA, board member of the university Staff Senate Committee, and volunteers as a board member with Bella’s Closet, a local non-profit in Clarksville, as their grant manager.

Ellen Zinkiewicz (Belmont University): Ellen is the Director of Belmont University’s inaugural Office of Sponsored Programs and responsible for scaling administration, compliance, and customer support for the University-wide push to increase grant funding. Prior to coming to Belmont, she directed Nashville’s youth employment programs including creating and leading the city’s first full scale, city-funded youth employment initiative, Opportunity NOW, as well as guiding the implementation of Nashville’s reengagement strategies for young people 17-24 out of work and out of school. Ellen is a social worker with an MSSW from University of Tennessee’s College of Social Work. She has an undergraduate degree from University of Evansville and was a Fulbright in Debrecen, Hungary.

Robyn Saakian (Lipscomb University): Robyn Saakian is the director of the Office of Research and Grants at Lipscomb University. She has led Lipscomb to attain public and private grants for academics and research for the past twelve years. In her role in the Office of Research and Grants, Saakian manages institutional oversight of the entire life of the grant cycle, from proposal development to grant management and compliance. Prior to joining Lipscomb, Saakian spent more than a dozen years in Washington, D.C., overseeing international development-related grant programs for two national nonprofit organizations.

Aramandla Ramesh (Meharry Medical College):  Aramandla Ramesh is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience & Pharmacology at Meharry Medical College. He also serves as the Associate Vice-President for Research and Innovation at Meharry. He is an environmental toxicologist by training. His research is funded by NIH, DOE, NSF, EPA, and ACS. Aramandla's research interests are in the areas of environmental health and toxicology, public health exposome, and chemical carcinogenesis.

Anil Shanker (Meharry Medical College): Anil Shanker, PhD, is Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation and a tenured Professor of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology at Meharry Medical College. Dr. Shanker is a member of the Health Sciences Policy Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, an Overseas Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, UK, a Fellow of the International Union Against Cancer, and a Champion of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. He serves on the AAMC Leadership Group on Research Advancement and Development, and is an advisor to several national and global agencies to ignite evidence-informed solutions for nurturing young talents and eliminating inequities in research and healthcare innovation.

Kelsey Benton (Middle Tennessee State University): Kelsey Benton is an Award Management Specialist at Middle Tennessee State University. Her role is focused mainly on post-award management, but she also assists university personnel with developing budgets and submitting proposals. Additionally, Kelsey is responsible for all time and effort reporting for the university. Administrators.

Michelle Willard (Middle Tennessee State University): Michelle Willard is an Award Management Specialist at MTSU. Michelle is something of an endangered species, a Middle Tennessee native. Hailing from Rutherford County, Willard is an award-winning journalist, who has since tranisitioned to grant management at her alma mater, MTSU. She now works as a pre-award research administrator. Her proudest achievement was realized when she led a campaign to name Murfreesboro's bridge over Broad Street as Bridgey McBridgeface, which it was for a day on April 1, 2018.

Julie Williams (Nashville State Community College): Julie Williams currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at Nashville State where she oversees the offices that provide academic and non-academic support and resources for students. In her role, she is involved with the oversight of several grant-funded programs that serve students and include comprehensive research components.

Zachary Adams (Tennessee Board of Regents): Zachary Adams is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for TBR. He has worked in both K12 and higher education in classroom, administrative, and policy settings in New York, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Before joining TBR, Zachary worked at the Tennessee Department of Education developing the final pillar of Governor Haslam's Drive to 55 Initiative. This work defined the vision of guided pathways from K12 into college and career for Tennessee's school systems. At TBR, Zachary is responsible for policy, programs, and partnerships that strengthen the connections between education and the workforce. He leads TBR's Center for Apprenticeship which has secured over $2.6 million to support the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities. He is regularly invited to share promising practices from his work in local, state, and national settings including most recently with the Texas Commission on Virtual Education and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Zachary is a PhD candidate at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and holds a master's degree in public policy from Vanderbilt University.

Neal Hunt (Tennessee Technological University): Neal Hunt has worked in sponsored programs since 1996, beginning at a small quasi-state agency focused on water supply and conservation. In his career he has worked at non-profit, for profit and state institutions. After working at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 18 years as a Contracts Team Lead and as Department Manager, Neal joined Tennessee Technological University in 2022 as Director of Sponsored Programs.

Pollyanne Frantz (The University of the South): Pollyanne Frantz is the Sponsored Research Officer at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, where she provides pre- and post-award services for faculty. She previously served as Executive Director of the Grants Resource Center, a non-profit service of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., and Director of Grants Resources & Services at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She received her B.A. from Franklin College of Indiana and her M.L.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi.  She holds the Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator credential from the Research Administrators Certification Council.

Janice Lovell (Trevecca Nazarene University): Janice Lovell is Director of Grants and Foundation Relations at Trevecca Nazarene University. Janice is currently in the tenth year of leadership at Trevecca Nazarene University, her alma mater.  She spent over 25 years in the Center of Excellence for Learning Sciences at TSU working with federally funded higher education degree pathways for early childhood teachers. Janice hosts Grants Academy sessions for AmeriCorps VISTA members from the campus and conducts Responsible Conduct in Research training.  She is a member and frequent mentor for the Grant Professional Association of middle Tennessee.

Donna Ingles (Vanderbilt University): Donna is an Associate Director of Research Development on Vanderbilt’s RDS team. She has nearly 20 years of grant development, writing, and editing experience, and has held positions focused on pre- and post-award support, as well as research project management. Donna is the former Assistant Director of Operations for the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, where she focused on optimization of pre- and post-award processes, project development, and implementation, as well as research development capacity-building in low- and middle-income countries. She also held previous roles at Moffitt Cancer Center, in Drug Discovery and then in Epidemiology, culminating in a senior staff position within the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer.

Phil Ko (Vanderbilt University): Phil is an Associate Director of Research Development on Vanderbilt’s RDS team. He has 16 years of research experience in cognitive neuroscience conducted at Yale, Harvard, and Vanderbilt. He has held faculty positions at Vanderbilt and Austin Peay State University. Following his scientific career, he pivoted to science policy and research administration, serving the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). At NSF, he managed communications and analytics with the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). Phil also served as a Science Officer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs within the Department of Defense.