University of California, San Francisco

I moved to San Francisco for an internship that eventually ended and decided to stick around a little while longer while looking for a job. As I was about ready to pack up and move back in with my parents, a friend of a friend told me that UCSF was hiring in his department. I had no idea what research administration was, but it seemed interesting and like something I could learn, so I applied. I’m so thankful for that time, because almost ten years later, here I still am!

I started my grants management journey in early 1993, I stumbled into an office to meet with a friend who was providing pro bono help to a neighbor who was just a few doors down from his office. I was job hunting in the area and decided to pop in for a quick visit and he introduced me to this lovely woman who just happened to be in need of an office manager (something I discovered in our conversation). She asked if I was looking and we chatted. We both decided it was a good fit and I stayed and worked for the rest of the day (and the next three years). She was the first of many that I encountered in the non-profit sector that allowed me the space to explore growing my career as long as I was able to keep up my work load. I worked in the non-profit sector from 1993, until I moved to San Francisco in 2007. All of the previous roles were key in preparing me for the next step in my career. The key ingredient in each position-grants management. I arrived at UCSF via a temporary agency in November of 2007. This was the beginning of my research administration career.