Mississippi State University 

In 1997, I began my journey as a Sponsored Programs Administration Assistant. It was a time when typewriters were still a thing, and copy machines were considered high-tech marvels. Stepping into this role, I had no idea what I was walking into, but I quickly learned that I was to be SPA’s Editor, Copy Wizard, Courier, and File Master. It was the norm to make twenty copies of 200-page proposals riddled with mistakes, which required the technique of “white out” and the precise use of the typewriter. My day would end forcing the final copies in multiple banker boxes and speeding down the highway, trying to make it to FedEx before the doors closed at 8pm. After a deep sigh, I would drive back muttering to myself about why on earth we allowed the PI to drop off an incomplete proposal after 5pm and leave. Yet, through all the chaos, the frantic typing, and the adrenaline-pumping FedEx runs, I loved every moment of it!

I started in research administration over 10 years ago when I went to work at MSU first starting out as an Office Associate, Administrative Assistant and finally working my way up to Business Manager for a large department.