When it comes to financial reporting accuracy is key, yet often we are piecing together scraps of information and hoping for an accurate picture. Until someone comes up with a working crystal ball, we have to rely on the principal investigator to have accurate and thorough records. Looking through the lens of a PUI, we are going to share some tricks and tools to help you investigate and improve reporting accuracy.From training principal investigators with an “expert-novice divide” perspective, to providing tools like an effective shadow budget, to communication improvements, this session will help level up your accuracy and build the framework for a cooperative relationship moving forward. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Develop training tools to assist PI's with accurate expense tracking and improve compliance with institutional policies.
2. Improve faculty relationships through better communication and bridging knowledge gaps. 

Track: Financial Management, Reporting and Close Out

Speaker(s): Tina Albertson, Grant Accounting Specialist, The College of New Jersey, Heather Mayen, Assistant Director of Proposal Award & Compliance Administration, The College of New Jersey

Non-financial compliance failures in research administration—such as missed subrecipient monitoring requirements, unmanaged conflicts of interest, delayed approvals, or incomplete oversight—are often treated as individual errors or training gaps. In practice, these issues frequently stem from unclear role ownership and diffuse accountability across departments, central offices, and compliance units.This session examines how role ambiguity weakens non-financial compliance monitoring and creates systemic risk. Participants will explore common oversight breakdowns across the research lifecycle, identify where responsibilities are often assumed rather than assigned, and examine how unclear handoffs contribute to compliance gaps. Rather than focusing on regulatory detail alone, this session emphasizes structural clarity as a compliance control—demonstrating how institutions can strengthen monitoring and oversight by clearly defining who is responsible, when actions are required, and how accountability is reinforced across units. 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Identify how role ambiguity contributes to non-financial compliance gaps.
2. Recognize common failure points in monitoring and oversight caused by unclear ownership.

Track: Non-Financial Compliance and Monitoring

Speaker(s): Rashonda Harris, Research Finance & Compliance Leader, Purple Sheep

NIH institutional research training grants require ongoing post-award management that goes beyond typical research awards. After receiving the award, administrators must coordinate trainee appointments and terminations, verify ongoing eligibility and effort compliance, handle complex budget components, and prepare accurate and timely progress reports. These tasks often involve multiple offices and systems, making clear roles and coordination essential for maintaining compliance and program continuity. This session covers the roles and responsibilities involved in post-award administration of NIH institutional training grants, focusing on both technical and financial management. The presenter will explain common post-award workflows, including trainee appointments and reappointments, terminations, and RPPR preparation, as well as financial issues like allowable budget components, offset appointments, stipend and tuition management, and monitoring unliquidated obligations. Strategies for documenting responsibilities, collaborating across pre-award, post-award, payroll, and program staff, and ensuring continuity during staff or leadership changes will be highlighted. Acknowledging that post-award support structures differ widely among institutions, the session will showcase adaptable strategies suitable for both centralized and distributed administrative models. Attendees will gain practical techniques to clarify roles, minimize administrative risks, and enhance the management of complex NIH training grant portfolios after awards.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1.  Describe key technical and financial responsibilities involved in post-award management of NIH training grants.
2. Apply role clarification and coordination strategies to manage appointments, reporting, and financial oversight across institutional structures.

Track: Departmental Administration

Speaker(s): Kelly Moore, Director, Training Grant Support Office, Emory University

As artificial intelligence becomes more common in clinical research, research administrators are increasingly responsible for supporting studies that use AI-driven tools without always having clear institutional frameworks to guide oversight. This session focuses on AI in clinical trials through the lens of governance, compliance, and audit readiness—centering the role of research administrators as risk managers, translators, and institutional safeguards. Rather than focusing on the technical development of AI, this session equips attendees with practical strategies to assess AI-enabled clinical studies, identify compliance and operational risks, align AI use with IRB, regulatory, and institutional requirements, and document defensible decision-making. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of where AI fits within existing clinical research compliance structures and how to support these studies with confidence and consistency

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Assess AI-enabled clinical trials for governance, compliance, and audit-readiness considerations across the research lifecycle.
2. Apply practical oversight strategies to support responsible AI use while maintaining regulatory alignment, institutional controls, and defensible documentation.

Track: Clinical Trials and Industry Partnerships

Speaker(s): Rashonda Harris, Research Finance & Compliance Leader, Purple Sheep

This presentation will integrate adaptive leadership principles with musical composition techniques to provide unique insights and possible strategies to effectively institute change. Music techniques will be used to highlight the parallels between effective leadership and the process of creating and performing music. In order to create music, there are four basics of composition that are fundamental to the process: melody, harmony, rhythm, and form.  These same concepts can be used to compose change management plans that provide for orderly transitions.  For example, a change in the tone of music is also capable of casting a situation in a whole new light and that ability can also be extremely beneficial to successful change management.  By understanding and applying these principles, participants will gain the tools to lead with flexibility, emotional intelligence, and resilience, ensuring a harmonious and effective change process.             

Content level: Advanced

Learning objectives:

1. This presentation will integrate adaptive leadership principles with musical composition techniques to provide unique insights and possible strategies to effectively institute change. Music techniques will be used to highlight the parallels between effect 
2. Analyze parallels between music and change management leadership and identify how the key principles of adaptive leadership can enhance the effectiveness of change management strategies.

Track: Professional Development and Leadership

Speaker(s): Sean Scott, Contract Manager, UARC University of Maryland, College Park, Kim Carter, Executive Director, Office of Sponsored Projects Administration, University of Kentucky 

This session will review the requirements for subrecipient monitoring under OMB Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200. Topics under this session include subaward vs. contractor determination, institutions policies on UG, risk assessment, risk mitigation, subrecipient monitoring, and more. The session will be interactive and encourages participants to share ideas from their respective institution. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Explore ways to minimize the burden of 2 CFR 200 requirements.
2. Recognize additional requirements for risk assessment and monitoring and understand documentation obligations for monitoring. 

Track: Financial Management, Reporting and Close Out

Speaker(s): Regnier Jurado, Senior Director, Florida International University, Donna Kiley, Senior Director, Florida International University 

Although clinical trials post-award management follows standard principles, there are important distinctions to be aware of depending under what structure the post-award team belongs to.   This session offers different perspectives of managing post-award at a major academic cancer center level, at the central research office of a pediatric hospital, and from an administrative services unit at a major academic center.

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Apply different post-award management best practices across various structures
2. Address common issues that arise depending on the type of post-award structure. 

Track: Clinical Trials and Industry Partnerships

Speaker(s): Linda Bikhazi, Clinical Trials Post-Awards Specialist III, Emory University

Research administration offices are increasingly operating under staffing constraints, system transitions, and heightened compliance expectations. In these environments, risk is rarely caused by a lack of effort—it is most often driven by unclear ownership, overlapping responsibilities, and assumptions about “who is handling what.” This session introduces a practical, role-clarity framework that helps institutions reduce compliance exposure by explicitly defining responsibilities across faculty, departmental research administration, central offices, and compliance units throughout the pre- and post-award lifecycle. Rather than focusing on policy interpretation alone, this session centers on operational accountability as a risk-management strategy. 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Identify how role ambiguity contributes to compliance risk, rework, and audit exposure in pre- and post-award operations.
2. Recognize common breakdowns in accountability between faculty, departmental, and central research administration roles. 

Track: Departmental Administration

Speaker(s): Rashonda Harris, Research Finance & Compliance Leader, Purple Sheep

Research administrators operate in environments marked by constant change, including evolving regulations, organizational shifts, workforce transitions, and technological advancement. Inspired by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber’s Our Iceberg Is Melting, this session uses a leadership fable to explore how research administrators can recognize early warning signs of change and respond effectively. Participants will examine practical strategies for communicating change, addressing resistance, building collaboration, and sustaining momentum, and will leave with leadership insights they can apply immediately within their professional roles. 

Content level: Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Apply leadership principles from Our Iceberg Is Melting to common challenges faced by research administrators.
2. Recognize early indicators of organizational change and assess leadership readiness within research administration environments

Track: Professional Development and Leadership

Speaker(s): Pamela Montgomery, Assistant Director, Duke University

This session will discuss budgets through the lens of the departmental administrator.  Guiding principles and best practices will be discussed for both generating budgets at the proposal stage, as well as budget monitoring and maintenance during the term of the award. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Better understand proposal budgeting processes.
2. Better understand the post-award budget processes.

Track: Financial Management, Reporting and Close Out

Speaker(s): Sean Scott, Contract Manager, UARC University of Maryland, College Park

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Identify the minimum requirements as set forth by NIH guidance to ensure institutional compliance
2. Identify common problem points with subawards that can lead to non-compliance

Track: Non-Financial Compliance and Monitoring

Speaker(s): Andrew Loreno, Senior Grants and Contracts Officer, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Sydney Stapleton, Grants and Contracts Officer, Nationwide Children's Hospital

As research grows at your institution, so too does the need for a compliant and systemic organization. Getting grants and working on research is the beginning. But what are the basic building blocks for structuring a competent and compliant research administration data system? Many research offices face fragmented data across departments, struggle with version control, and lack visibility into portfolio performance. Without systematic data management, institutions risk compliance violations, missed reporting deadlines, duplicated efforts, and an inability to demonstrate research impact to stakeholders. Through a case study of building a scalable system using basic tools and your institution’s shared network, we’ll show you lessons learned on creating a data structure capable of analyzing metrics, meeting audit standards, and ensuring that your research administration office is the hub for sponsored programs’ data. This is an opportunity to skip past years of trial and error and learn what works. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Describe the essential components of a compliant research administration data system using accessible tools.
2. Examine case study findings to determine applicable strategies and how to avoid common data system pitfalls.

Track: Departmental Administration

Speaker(s): Taylor Boone, Shared Services Grant Administrator, Morgan State University