I am running for the SRAI Board of Directors as an At-Large Board Member because I want to help SRAI continue building the kind of practical, member-focused support that research administrators need right now. Research administration is changing quickly, and SRAI gives us a place to think through that change together. I am also grateful because SRAI has been one of the places where I have been able to learn, share, ask questions, test ideas, and connect with people who understand the real work of research administration.
That matters to me.
Research administration is rewarding work, but it is not easy work. Most of us are operating in a space where the rules are changing, institutional expectations are increasing, systems are imperfect, and the answer is rarely as simple as anyone wants it to be. We are asked to support faculty, protect the institution, interpret sponsor requirements, manage risk, improve service, train others, and somehow make the process feel less overwhelming for everyone involved.
That is why SRAI matters more than ever right now. Our members need more than updates. They need practical examples, honest conversations, useful tools, and a professional community that understands the pressure points of the job.
In my role at Texas Tech University, I work across sponsored projects, research compliance, research security, research metrics, strategic intelligence, research facilities, and system-level policy implementation. Much of my work involves taking complicated requirements and turning them into guidance, workflows, decision tools, and conversations people can actually use. Research administration is no longer something that happens quietly in the background. It is central to institutional strategy, research integrity, operational effectiveness, public trust, and faculty success.
It also does not fit neatly into one office anymore. The work increasingly requires us to build bridges among central offices, departments, faculty, legal, finance, IT, compliance, and leadership. Research security is one example, but it is not the only one. AI, data governance, compliance, stewardship, and operational risk are all expanding the role research administrators play in institutional decision-making.
SRAI helps us make sense of that complexity. My SRAI work on department chair training, leadership development, and practical research administration challenges has reinforced for me that many of our hardest problems are not just technical - they are communication, expectation-setting, and leadership problems. Some of the most valuable SRAI moments I have had were not in formal presentations, but in conversations with colleagues who were wrestling with the same issues from a different institution, role, or perspective.
As SRAI looks to the future, I believe we should continue building professional development that is practical, timely, and accessible across career stages and institution types. We need to support the core work of proposals, awards, contracting, compliance, finance, and departmental administration, while also helping members navigate the emerging issues that are now part of the research administration landscape. We need strong support for emerging leaders, but also for experienced professionals whose roles are changing under their feet.
Most importantly, SRAI should remain a place where members feel seen and supported. Whether someone is new to the field, leading a central office, working in a department, managing awards, building a compliance program, or trying to solve a problem no one has written a manual for yet, SRAI should be the professional home that helps them grow.
If elected, I would bring a practical, collaborative, and member-focused voice to the Board. I care about useful training, honest discussion, thoughtful governance, and making sure SRAI continues to meet members where they are while helping prepare them for what is next.