N.C. A&T Recognizes Division of Research Staff for National Research Administrator Day

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 25, 2024) – The Division of Research at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University recognized team members in honor of National Research Administrator Day, Sept. 25. 

“It was critically important to celebrate our team as we continue to grow here at North Carolina A&T State University,” said Melissa Hodge-Penn, Ed.D., interim vice chancellor of the Division of Research. “Chancellor James Martin II has spoken to us about being exponential in creating momentum around being an exponential university. We are also honoring those who put rubber to the road everyday to support this ecosystem.”

James Stewart, F.D. Bluford Library archivist and special librarian, identified some of the division’s earliest history to honor the day. 

“The Division of Research, formerly the Division of Research and Economic Development, was established in 1965 as the Office of Research Administration,” said Stewart. “In An Epoch of Excellence 1964-1979: The Chancellor's Report, the document noted the office was founded ‘for the purpose of managing federally sponsored extra-mural programs at the university.’

By 1979, five research institutes were created and research funding increased exponentially after the office’s establishment.”

Alumnus Howard Robinson, Ph.D., served as the inaugural leader of the Office of Research Administration and served in various capacities at the university. He was inducted into the N.C. A&T Research Hall of Fame in 2017.

A&T’s research enterprise continues to exponentially increase, with faculty securing more than $102 million in research and sponsored programs contracts and grants in FY2024. 

“On behalf of our colleagues in our college, we would like to express our appreciation to our wonderful colleagues in research administration within the Division of Research,” said Geleana Alston, Ph.D., chair of the College of Education’s Department of Leadership Studies and Adult Education. “We could not be able to do what we do without you, and so we want to celebrate you and look forward to continue in a partnership as we enhance the research enterprise at North Carolina A&T State University.”

Getting to Know You: Division of Research Leadership Team 

Melissa Hodge-Penn, Ed.D.,
Interim Vice Chancellor

I have been in higher education for most of my career, first starting out as a director at Georgia State University's senior corps, which allows the elderly to stay engaged and volunteer. After that, I served and worked for several years with the technical college system of Georgia in adult education, where I served as the state director for health literacy and workplace education, which was funded by the Department of Education. My introduction to research administration was by way of Emory University, where I had an opportunity to serve in the pediatrics department at the university after building several relationships with several people in the School of Public policy for some synergistic efforts from when I was in the technical college system. Most recently, I came to North Carolina A&T by way of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, where I served as the assistant vice chancellor for research there.

The most critical aspect of my role as an institutional official is this is an area of high risk and there is ownership of a lot of compliance–fiscal and research compliance. It’s important to ensure we have resources in place to help support faculty in their entrepreneurship endeavors, but also, that we’re continuing to grow in other areas. It’s critical that once we obtain that Carnegie classification of R1 status, that we sustain it. And a part of that sustainability is to have adequate infrastructure in place for faculty members to develop their research, to receive awards and be able to manage their projects successfully, and that their research will be well-known, not only in Greensboro, but worldwide as well. 

I have a number of proud moments in my time at A&T. I was here for only three weeks–relatively new to the university and in my role as associate vice chancellor–when I was sent to Washington, D.C. for a scholarship program that’s called Defense Civilian Training Corps that is now managed by Dr. Rosalind Dale as the principal investigator. It showed the university’s confidence in my capabilities so early on to represent the institution and ultimately be awarded as one of four pilot projects and the only historically Black university to afford our students the opportunities to explore the federal government has regarding defense careers as civilians. 

Another thing that has been rewarding for me is working with Dr. Balu Gokaraju and the STEPs4GROWTH project. We were able to build a relationship around how he restructured that project for expanding it and being able to meet his individual goals and metrics. It was rewarding to help him, but even more so to build the relationship with him to understand his passion and his work. That is the goal: to build relationships and be an even better advocate to support the university’s research and sponsored programs.

Whenever I get to a place of retirement, I think I would like to assist with sharing long-forgotten or overlooked history for a museum. I like history, I like learning about history and because I’m a native Atlantan, I feel that there are aspects of Atlanta that have been lost that many people don’t know about, and it’s a fun passion of mine.

Tonjia May, M.A., CRA
Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)

I’ve been employed at N.C. A&T for 14 years. I started my career as a pre-ward administrator in the College of Engineering and now I serve as the director of sponsored programs. I’m a graduate of High Point University. 

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) supports faculty, researchers, and staff in securing and managing external funding for research, education, and other activities. Our office serves as the liaison between the institution and funding agencies. We assist faculty and staff with identifying and applying for external funding opportunities such as grants and contracts. By helping faculty and researchers secure funding, the Office of Sponsored Programs contributes to N.C. A&T’s  ability to conduct groundbreaking research, foster innovation, and offer educational and community programs. This can enhance N.C. A&T’s reputation, attract top talent, and lead to partnerships with government agencies, industry, and other institutions.

A typical day in my position often involves a mix of administrative tasks, communication with researchers, compliance monitoring, and problem-solving.

A professional accomplishment I achieved while employed at N.C. A&T is that I became a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). N.C. A&T supports professional development!  The CRA is a recognized certification for research administrators. It demonstrates expertise in areas such as grant proposal development, compliance, financial management, and research ethics. This certification is ideal for individuals who want to advance in the field of research administration, especially those involved in managing sponsored projects, compliance or research funding. 

Faculty benefit from engaging with the OSP by gaining access to crucial funding, administrative support, and compliance assistance. Support from the Office of Sponsored Programs allows faculty to expand their research, collaborate with others, mentor students, and enhance their professional reputation, all while ensuring that their projects are managed efficiently and in compliance with institutional and sponsor requirements. My fun fact is: I’m a proud Aggie mom!

Stephanie Evans, MRE
Director of Research Compliance and Ethics

I have been employed with North Carolina A&T for six years. I have my bachelor's degree in biology from Wake Forest University and my Master's Degree from Carolina Christian College. I have more than 21 years of active research experience and 18 years of research compliance experience.

As is stated on our web page, the primary goal of the Office of Research Compliance and Ethics is to educate the North Carolina A&T research community about regulatory requirements and ethical standards governing research. Our office is committed to achieving the highest standards of excellence and integrity in all its research endeavors and promoting the ethical conduct of research.

I do not believe I have a typical day. My days are filled with opportunities to enter meetings and classrooms and conduct one-on-ones with various researchers, both student and faculty, to present and train our research community on the rules, guidelines and best practices of research compliance. This includes use of animal and biologic models, human participants, export controls and conflicts of interest

I do not do this alone. I have an amazing team comprised of Mrs. Paulnisha Granger-Koonce and Dr. Alan Goble who work alongside me to develop a culture of compliance across our campuses. The Office of Research Compliance and Ethics is absolutely here to serve our research community!

One of my proudest moments at A&t is being nominated by my team and awarded the University Award for Excellence in Leadership during the University Employee Recognition and Awards Ceremony. 

I believe the university community knows that we are not the "research Police" rather we are here to help our researchers understand and apply the rules and guidance set forth by funding agencies, federal and local government and our own policies and procedures to conduct ethical research.

A fun fact about me is I was pictured on the cover of the Folk Album "I've Got A Song" by Sandy and Caroline Paton at the age of 9 and was featured in the liner notes.

Robert Segura, M.S.
Director of Laboratory Operations and Safety

I joined North Carolina A&T in August 2024. I came here after serving as the director of environmental health safety at North Carolina State University and before that, I was the assistant director at Pennsylvania State University. I’m excited about the research that’s happening here and I look forward to supporting the work here. 

My current role as director of research laboratory operations and safety, means that I lead efforts related to quality control, equipment maintenance and of course safety and overseeing lab operations for all of our spaces on and off A&T’s campus. Research space is one of the most expensive real estate on campus. This is an inaugural position for the division. It’s important to be efficient in laboratory design and construction so that we are using the funding and the space effectively. We also need to have a balance between meeting the needs of the current use of laboratory spaces and what we may need 20 years from now.

It’s interesting, I would say most day-to-day safety issues come from simply not being aware of our surroundings–perhaps we’re talking to a colleague or happen to be looking at our phones, and we bump into something or someone. Safety is everyone’s responsibility and we all have a very important part to play.

My fun fact is: I’ve been a beekeeper for 20 years and even make my own hot sauce with my honey added. 

Eduardo "Eddie" Serrano
Huron Consulting, interim director of contracts and grants

I am proud to support the work of the Division of Research as a member of the Huron Consulting team. I have a master's in informations systems engineering. It's fascinating because so many jobs are translatable and the skills are transferrable, so I kind of found my way to this role.

When a proposal gets awarded, it goes from pre-award, to post-award. Grants and contracts is the post-award side of the house. Our job is to help manage the finances and compliance of the grant. We do everything from awards setup and closeout (approving labor and non-labor). We help the principal investigators forecast and determine here’s your remaining balance as of today etc.

One of the definitions for me of happiness is having a meaningful life. All of this research, it gives me great purpose to help the researchers make it all happen. I’m not the scientist, but I can help submit a subcontract so they can move forward with the partnership with another institution. We are a service department, but I like to consider it a partnership. Aggies Do Research. 

On the post-award side, there is a synopsis a layman’s terms of what it is this research is doing. I will read that synopsis because I want to connect to the research. 

College of Engineering's Kristen Rhinehardt, Ph.D., help leads the Genomics Research and Data Science Center and Cloud Computing and she told me I was a team member from day one. That meant a lot to me.

My advice for young researchers: 1. There are a lot of programs out there that help with career development programs including National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, that help train young rising scholars. 2. We want you to be able to focus on your scientific/programmatic goals and leave the financial administration to us, but we still need your involvement in all of those pieces. We will help you navigate. Every agency is different, and we will do our best to help keep your focus on your research.