A few months into my grants management career in 2005, my supervisor recommended I attend the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) meeting in Niagara Falls, NY. Excitement best describes what I felt as this would be my first work travel, my conference attendance would count towards my certification, and I could potentially network with research administrators and principal investigators whose grants I managed. Looking back on that trip compared to where I am today, the growth that I’ve experienced professionally and personally because of the opportunities afforded to me by SRAI is truly amazing! Recently I asked myself what I could do beyond my current involvement, and the answer was to run for board Secretary!
Before going further, let me provide you with my background. I’ve been with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for 24 years, beginning my career in the Student Temporary Employment Program while attending college. After graduation in 2004, I obtained an Outstanding Scholar position as a Grants Management Specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH where I remained for 15 years occasionally attending SRAI. In 2015 I transferred to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences within NIH as a senior specialist, and over the next seven years I regularly attended SRAI sessions geared towards professional development and leadership.
Utilization of the knowledge and skills gained from those sessions aided in my career advancement to my current role as Supervisory Other Transactions Specialist at Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. My involvement within SRAI began in 2018 serving as room monitor at the Section meeting and then again in 2019 at the Annual Meeting. In 2022, I began to teach and present with my fellow NIH colleagues and research administrators and in 2024 I facilitated my first solo presentation during the Encore Webinar Series.
While participating in the SO/NE Planning Meetings, I took inventory of who was in attendance and realized that there is an underrepresentation at the table. My observation was that most of the participants on Zoom were individuals more seasoned in their careers and involvement in SRAI. I didn’t view this as a bad thing, but it did leave me wondering where is the representation of younger research administrators and federal staff like me? Why didn’t we, the future, have a presence on the Board, hold a Section office, or serve as part of Planning Committees or participate as Track Chairs? Was I the only one who observed this lack of representation at the table and asked what, if anything could be done to change that? I decided to respond by running for Board Secretary and becoming that representation for the younger workforce!
In a changing world, it is important to have the buy in of the younger workforce who like me are purpose driven bringing tech-savvy expertise, effective time management, and innovative fresh ideas and purpose to SRAI as the society continues providing quality education and professional development for all its members. As Secretary, I will have the opportunity to glean from the knowledge and expertise of my fellow officers, gain more insight into the governance and decision making of SRAI, contribute ideas, actively engaging in meetings by recording notes and using good communication and organization skills. I will use my voice to convey insight and understanding of what speaks to the future research administration professionals while advocating more involvement on their part in SRAI to gain a seat at the table!
Authored by Artisha Wright, Supervisory Other Transactions Specialist, Grants Management Branch
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
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