Blog
August 2, 2023
Attain Partners is excited to be presenting at a number of sessions, workshops, and discussion groups during the NCURA 65th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. With a roster of both new and familiar faces, our team will be out in force! Learn more about our experts, get details on their sessions, and schedule time to connect with them during the conference. They’ll be discussing a range of topics and would love to share their expertise with you.
Are you attending? Meet the team in the exhibit hall at Booth #313 and learn about our industry-leading research enterprise services.
Lindsey Demeritt
Senior Specialist Leader
Having served at both the departmental and then central levels of sponsored projects administration, Lindsey approaches everything from a “how can we make yes happen without putting the institution at risk” perspective. “It depends” is a commonly heard phrase, and her goal is always to facilitate research and reduce administrative burden for the faculty. As Associate Director with the Dell Medical School, she is responsible for standing up a centralized departmental unit that will be prepared to grow as the medical school does, supporting the faculty endeavors under the mission and goals of a school that has been created to “rethink everything” surrounding healthcare and healthcare delivery.
Lindsey began attending NCURA workshops and meetings in 2008 and has been active at both the regional and national levels. She is a regular workshop and session presenter, focusing primarily on pre-award, budgeting, departmental administration, and lifecycle of the sponsored projects courses. She also serves on the professional development committee, is a member of the traveling workshop faculty, and has served on the national electronic research administration committee.
Concurrent Session: NIH Transfers—The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Tuesday, August 8, 2:45p – 3:45p | Fairchild West, Terrace Level
Connect with Lindsey
Contact Lindsey
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Georgetta Dennis, MS, CRA, CPRA, CFRA
Senior Associate
Georgetta Dennis has 18 years of research administration experience, which encompasses both pre- and post-award. She is passionate about learning and training/sharing information with others in the profession. She also currently serves on the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) Board of Directors as a volunteer committed to advancing the research administration profession.
Discussion Group: CRA: Mentoring and RACC Certifications. How Do I Study for the CRA?
Tuesday, August 8, 2:45p – 3:45p | Fairchild East, Terrace Level
Concurrent Session: Master’s Degree vs. Certifications: Choose Your Own Adventure
Wednesday, August 9, 10:30a – 12p | Lincoln West, Concourse Level
Connect with Georgetta
Contact Georgetta
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Benjamin Garvin
Senior Specialist
Benjamin Garvin has more than 20 years of experience in the higher education research administration field. His years of experience in higher education include the lifecycle of grants and contracts from pre-award, including proposal building and reviewing; to post-award, including award administration to award closeout. He can perform these “cradle-to-grave” functions in a departmental or a central role. Prior to consulting for Attain Partners, Ben worked at Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Science, Brown University Sponsored Programs Office, and Northeastern University Central Office. Ben also serves as the Chairperson for NCURA Region I (New England)’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee and the NCURA FRA 2023 Program Committee. In his spare time, Ben is also a musician and plays in a gospel group and a rock in soul band.
Concurrent Session: The Impact of Incorporating Project Management Skills Within the Workplace
Monday, August 7, 1:30p – 2:30p | Columbia 11&12, Terrace Level
Concurrent Session: Leadership Success Planning and Staff Development: Creating an Effective Roadmap
Tuesday, August 8, 10:15a – 11:30a | Lincoln East, Concourse Level
Discussion Group: Surviving the Mass Exodus: A Discussion for Managers
Wednesday, August 9, 8:30a – 10a | Fairchild West, Terrace Level
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Kathleen Halley-Octa, M.A., CRA
Senior Consultant
Kathleen Halley-Octa is a Senior Consultant with Attain Partner’s Research Enterprise Services practice. Kathleen is an experienced research administrator who specializes in pre-award administration, training development, and eRA system implementation.
Prior to joining Attain Partners in November 2022, Kathleen served as the Director of the Office of Research & Sponsored Projects for the College of Education & Human Development at Georgia State University. In this role, she led a team of talented research administrators who oversaw both pre- and post-award operations for the college’s portfolio. Kathleen began her research administration career at Kennesaw State University as a proposal administrator and eRA specialist. She then moved to the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she worked as a departmental administrator in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, before joining the Central Office of Sponsored Programs. In OSP, Kathleen ran Georgia Tech’s Research Administration training program, serving as the product owner for numerous eRA systems, and oversaw the development and implementation of eRouting, Georgia Tech’s homegrown electronic routing system.
Kathleen is a Certified Research Administrator and holds a Master’s Degree in English from The College of Charleston and a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Georgia. She has been involved with NCURA since 2013 and has presented at both Regional and National meetings. In the past, she has served as Secretary of Region III and Website Coordinator, and she currently serves as co-editor for NCURA Magazine.
Concurrent Session: Addressing the Great Recruitment Crisis: Providing Graduate Students Access to Careers in Research Administration
Tuesday, August 8, 2:45p – 3:45p | Lincoln West, Concourse Level
Discussion Group: Addressing the Great Recruitment Crisis: Providing Graduate Students Access to Careers in Research Administration (Follow-Up Discussion Group)
Wednesday, August 9, 10:30a – 12p | Dupont, Terrace Level
Connect with Kathleen
Contact Kathleen
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Laney McLean, MPA, CRA
Senior Consultant
Laney McLean is a Senior Consultant for Attain Partners with over a decade of research administration experience. Prior to joining Attain Partners, Laney was the Director of Research Administration for the College of Engineering at Florida State University where she also served on several advisory panels for the Office of Research. She previously served as Assistant Director of a large sponsor-funded research center at FSU and began her career as a grants analyst in the FSU central pre-award office.
Laney is a Certified Research Administrator and earned her Master of Public Administration from Florida State University. She has been active in NCURA nationally and regionally since 2013 and currently serves as Secretary of NCURA Region III.
Discussion Group: The STTRuggle is Real: SBIR/STTR Pre- and Post-Award Pitfalls
Tuesday, August 8, 2:45p – 3:45p | Gunston East, Terrace Level
Concurrent Session: Let’s Make a Deal—Looking Through the Doors of Sub-award Compliance to Make Everyone a Winner
Wednesday, August 9, 8:30a – 10a | Columbia 3&4, Terrace Level
Connect with Laney
Contact Laney
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Susan Wyatt Sedwick, Ph.D., CRA, CSM
Senior Consulting Specialist
Dr. Susan Wyatt Sedwick joined Attain Partners when she retired in 2015 as an associate vice president for research and director of the Office of Sponsored Projects at The University of Texas at Austin, where she was responsible for both pre- and post-award financial administration units and export controls compliance. She received her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Texas A&M University and is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). She is an adjunct professor for the Masters of Research Administration program at Johns Hopkins University and has held previous academic appointments as a clinical professor in the Department of Educational Administration for the Higher Education Administration Program at The University of Texas at Austin and as an adjunct professor for Rush University in Chicago and The University of Oklahoma, Norman. Dr. Sedwick is a frequent speaker on the topic of science and security, export controls as they apply to universities, improper influence, human capital development, and strategic planning. She has authored numerous publications, including the chapter on export controls included in the NCURA/AIS publication, Sponsored Research Administration: A Guide to Effective Strategies and Recommended Practices, and served as the lead author of the SRAI LevelUp micro-credentialing module on Award Acceptance and Negotiation.
She is a graduate of Leadership Texas, a past trustee for the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Foundation, and founding president of the FDP Foundation. She is co-chair of the National Science Foundation Business and Operations Advisory Committee. She was recognized as the 2012-2013 distinguished alumnae by the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Hall of Honor.
Concurrent Session: Same, Same, But Different: Departmental Challenges and Successes
Monday, August 7, 1:30p – 2:30p | Monroe, Concourse Level
Discussion Group: Same, Same, But Different: Departmental Challenges and Successes (Follow-up Discussion Group)
Monday, August 7, 4p – 5p | Northwest, Lobby Level
Concurrent Session: At Your Service: Addressing Interim Staffing and Leadership with Professional Services
Tuesday, August 8, 2:45p – 3:45p | Cardozo, Terrace Level
Connect with Susan
Contact Susan
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Courtney Swaney, MPA, CRA
Senior Manager
Courtney Swaney, MPA, CRA, is a Senior Manager for Attain Partners with almost 20 years of experience in research administration. She specializes in leadership and management of sponsored projects teams, pre-award, and electronic Research Administration (eRA). She has been an NCURA member since 2003 and has served as Region V Treasurer and on the Region V Mustang Mentoring Program Committee.
Concurrent Session: At Your Service: Addressing Interim Staffing and Leadership with Professional Services
Tuesday, August 8, 2:45p – 3:45p | Cardozo, Terrace Level
Connect with Courtney
Contact Courtney
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Shacey Temperly
Senior Manager
Ms. Shacey Temperly is a Senior Manager in the Research Enterprise Services practice of Attain Partners. She is an experienced research administrator who specializes in procedural, system, and control analyses to create operational and financial efficiencies. She has provided various organizational redesign and business process improvement services for not-for-profit and higher education clients.
Concurrent Session: At Your Service: Addressing Interim Staffing and Leadership with Professional Services
Tuesday, August 8, 2:45p – 3:45p | Cardozo, Terrace Level
Connect with Shacey
Contact Shacey
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