Senior Leadership Team
Lead by Vice President Dr. Robert Nobles, this executive team works together closely to provide strategic guidance and thought leadership for Research Administration.
Robert Nobles, DrPH, MPH, CIP
Vice President for Research Administration at Emory University
Biography
Dr. Robert Nobles (DrPH, MPH) serves as the Vice President for Research Administration at Emory University. Within Emory Nobles leads the research administrative and compliance departments including Clinical Research, Environmental Health and Safety, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Review Board, Research Administration – IT, Research Administration Services, Research Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Research Grants and Contracts, Sponsored Programs, Strategic Operations and Training and Technology Transfer with more than 450 team members providing outstanding services that catalyze research and operational excellence. Daily, Nobles and team are responsible for providing the foundation for the research growth that Emory continues to experience while pursuing discovery. As an example of scope, in fiscal year 2020, Emory received nearly $895 million in total research funding awards. Of the overall total, $598.9 million came from federal research funding awards, led by the National Institutes of Health with $526.2 million. Emory researchers submitted 4,750 proposals to sponsors totaling $1.487 billion in 2021.
As the Vice President for Research Administration, Nobles promotes Emory’s research growth through oversight and execution of a strategic direction and effective operations for research across Emory. Nobles works in tandem with senior leaders and faculty to ensure proactive, user-focused customer service; effective, metric-driven processes; and transparent communication, to further new and on-going research initiatives that comply with all regulatory requirements. Nobles also fosters the scholarly work of faculty, facilitates multidisciplinary initiatives, supports innovative technology-transfer and commercialization programs, and strives to increase funding support from all sources, while nurturing positive external relationships.
Nationally, Nobles serves as the Vice Chairperson on Board of Directors for Public Responsibility for Medicine & Research (PRIM&R), the Executive Committee for the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), and a member of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advisory Committee for Business and Operations (Committee).
Prior to joining Emory University, Nobles served as the interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, (UTK) with a faculty appointment in the Department of Public Health within the College of Education, Health, & Human Sciences. While at UTK, Nobles led efforts and oversaw research growth and compliance activities related to a UTK's quest to become a top 25 public research institution. Nobles also served as a sub-investigator on more than 10 community- based research projects focusing on adolescent health, and chaired national and local committees focusing on enhancing research culture. Before UTK, Nobles served as the research compliance officer and public health faculty member at both Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. In the public sector, Nobles served as a public health prevention specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and as a program manager for the state of Florida’s Department of Public Health.
Nobles completed his Doctor of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston with a triple major that included health policy & management, epidemiology, and health economics; and he received his master's in Public Health specializing in epidemiology, and a bachelor's degree in molecular biology from Florida A&M University. Nobles is an avid educator and has taught on the collegiate level since 2001 in the areas of environmental biology, anatomy and physiology, public administration, health policy and management, health care finance, ethics, epidemiology, and responsible conduct of research.
Stephanie Dennis
Executive Administrative Assistant
Contact Information
Email: steph.dennis@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 727-3889
Biography
Stephanie Dennis is the Executive Administrative Assistant to Robert Nobles, DrPH, MPH, CIP, Vice President for Research Administration at Emory University. She has been with the ORA division since 2019 and supports the VPRA in daily meetings, manages calendar, events, and administrative support. She dual reports to Katie Stores, Ph.D., CRA, the Senior Director of Operations.
Stephanie earned a Bachelor's in Psychology from Ashford University in 2010 and studied a Master's in Family Therapy from the University of Argosy in Atlanta, Georgia two years.
She began her tenure at Emory in 2008 as the Program Coordinator in the Undergraduate Department of Religion. In 2001, she worked for J.P. Morgan as the Sr. Administrative Assistant to the CFO and H.R. Manager in the Atlanta Headquarters for eight years.
Office of Research Administration
Office for Clinical Research
Robin Ginn
Assistant Vice President, Research Administration Executive Director, OCR
Environmental Health Safety Office
Scott Thomaston
Assistant Vice President, Environmental Health Safety Office
Contact Information
Email: scott.thomaston@emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-9510
Biography
Scott has over 36-years of experience as a health and safety professional and has served Emory University in the Environmental Health and Safety Office since its inception in 1989. This office provides comprehensive environmental health and safety services to Emory University and Emory Healthcare. Previous to serving Emory, Scott was an Industrial Hygiene Chemist with CIGNA Corporation, and an Environmental Scientist at Georgia Tech Research Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Health from the Emory Rollins School of Public Health.
Institutional Review Board
Rebecca Rousselle
Assistant Vice President for the Human Research Protection Program
Contact Information
Email: rebecca.rousselle@emory.edu
Phone: 404-712-0785
Biography
Rebecca is the Assistant Vice President for the Human Research Protection Program. In this role, she works to lead the administrative staff and support the approximately 100 Committee members in achieving the IRB's mission, to facilitate ethical human research. Her work also involves collaboration with other Research Administration offices on projects aimed at improving service to researchers.
Rebecca came to Emory IRB in 2008 as a Team Lead, then became Assistant Director before becoming Director. Previously she worked with the Harvard Medical School, School of Public Health, and University's IRB's on projects that also leveraged her prior work as a programmer for a Naval contractor in Newport, RI. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati and has been a Certified IRB Professional since 2015.
Research Administration – IT
Wil Brown
Director, Research Administration IT Operations
Contact Information
Email: webrown@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 727-1762
Biography
Wil has over 20 years of experience working in project management, business strategy, partnership management, operational improvement, and IT procedure and policy. Currently, he works as Director of IT Operations for Emory University’s Research Administration division leading cross-functional teams from concept to completion and integrating complex systems in fast-paced environments. Part of Wil’s career has included time with TSYS, AFLAC, and US Army.
Research Administration Services
Tonya Jenkins
Associate Vice President, Research Administration Services
Contact Information
Email: tonya.leshea.jenkins@emory.edu
Biography
Tonya is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she served as the Director of Finance and Research Administration and led the Research Administration Service Center within the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and focused on sponsored research activities. She brings over 16 years of experience in research administration, and in her last role, she served as the lead financial officer and provided leadership and direction in the areas of accounting, budgeting, research administration, strategic planning, and analysis.
Tonya received her bachelor's degree in psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and a masters' degree in Research Administration from Johns Hopkins University.
Research Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
Deepika Bhatia
Associate Vice President for Research Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
Contact Information
Email: dbsivak@emory.edu
Phone: 817-851-4954
Biography
Deepika brings a wealth of knowledge in the realm of university research compliance and regulatory oversight. She joined Emory in November 2021 after serving as Director of Research & Compliance at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center. Prior to her role as Director, she has held additional leadership roles at UT Southwestern, including Assistant Director of Compliance Strategic Initiatives and Assist Director of Research & Academic Compliance.
Deepika will lead ongoing needs assessments of Emory's research compliance infrastructure in coordination and collaboration key stakeholders across the university campus. She will manage all research compliance units including Conflicts of Interest (COI), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Research Integrity (ORIC), and Export Controls (EC), and will be accountable for the development and implementation of a proactive, comprehensive, and integrated compliance strategy that supports the success of Emory's entire academic research enterprise. She will work closely with school and unit leadership, the new Chief Compliance Officer, Office of Compliance, and Office of Internal Audit.
Deepika holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Communications Engineering from the University of Madras, India, and a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas Arlington.
Research Grants and Contracts
Jumionne Tiako
Interim Executive Director
Contact Information
Email: jtiako@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 727-4248
Biography
Jumionne Tiako is the Associate Director for Award Setup for Research Grants and Contracts (RGC). She is responsible for managing activities involved in research administration's complex award setup process and managing the associated data elements. She serves as a university expert in the award set up process for the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), Research Administration Services (RAS), and Research Grants & Contracts (RGC). In addition, she helps to ensure the quality of Emory's research administration data, including the development of tools and business processes. She manages a skillful team of 10 individuals, two of whom are Managers, comprising the Award Setup team.
Before coming to RGC, Jumionne negotiated a wide range of complex contractual agreements as the Senior Associate Sponsored Research Analyst in Emory's Office of Sponsored Programs.
Prior to coming to Emory University, Jumionne held several positions at the Academy for Educational Development in Washington DC. She was responsible for managing all prime contracts as the Sr. Contracts/Grants Administrator within the Grants and Contracts division. In addition, she was a Program/Finance Associate within the Office of Gender Equity, where she was responsible for girls' education program activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Ghana, and Mali.
She is the Co-chair of ORA's Social Justice Working Group (SJWG) for FY20-21.
Jumionne holds a BA in Sociology and a Certificate in Urban Studies and Planning from Kent State University.
Research Grants and Contracts
Brian Miller
Interim Executive Director
Contact Information
Email: brian.miller@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 727-5230
Biography
Brian Miller is a Financial Manager in the Office of Research, Grants and Contracts, Operations (RGC). He is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of small team of independent Financial Analysts who manage post-award research administration and provide expert knowledge to Emory schools and other Research Administration Service (RAS) units, as assigned. He is responsible for mentoring/training staff, oversight of financial compliance, award monitoring, facilitating audits, institutional closeout, and invoicing/financial reporting.
Brian has been with Emory since 2016. He has over fifteen years of experience in research administration all in post-award management and is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). He received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. Before coming to Emory, he previously worked as a Grants Accountant at the University of Florida and an Executive Administrator in the biotechnology arena specializing in management of human resources, payroll, corporate accounting, venture capital investments and grant writing.
Office of Sponsored Programs
Holly Sommers
Assistant Vice President, Research Administration Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Contact Information
Email: hsomme2@emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-2507
Biography
Holly Sommers is an Assistant Vice President for Research Administration with primary responsibility for overseeing the operations and strategic direction of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).
Holly joined OSP in November 1999 and has remained with the office since. In her current role, Holly oversees the operations of the Office of Sponsored Programs, leading a team of 43 people who handle all sponsored funding for Emory University. This portfolio includes grants from all types of sponsors, including federal agencies and foundation sponsors; federal and state contracts, industry-funded clinical trials and research agreements, incoming subawards and subcontracts from other research partners, and associated activities.
During her time in OSP, Holly has seen a growth in Emory’s sponsored funding, from $205M in FY1999 to over $894M in FY2021. Prior to joining Emory, Holly worked as a Program Associate for the Conservation and Development Forum at the University of Florida.
Strategic Operations and Training
Lisa Wilson
Senior Director, Strategic Operations and Training
Contact Information
Email: lisa.wilson@emory.edu
Phone: 678-766-9743
Biography
Lisa joins Research Administration from Clark Atlanta University where she served as Associate VP for Research and Sponsored Programs. In this role she was responsible for broad oversight of many research offices including basic research, sponsored program administration (pre & post-award, lab operations, and safety, research development, public-private partnerships in support of research, government relations, policy development, compliance monitoring intellectual property (IP) management, technology transfer, and the budget department. She is a certified project management professional who has a proven track record of success in many areas of research administration.
In her new role as Senior Director of Strategic Operations and Training, Lisa will be responsible for operationalizing a strategy across the award lifecycle, developing and implementing ORA staff training, coordinating stakeholder communication, and developing synergies across units to ensure integration, transparency, and efficiency. Her familiarity with the research lifecycle and professional training in project management uniquely positions Lisa to excel in this role and build a robust development and training program within Research Administration.
Lisa has a background in physics receiving a BA from Clark College in Atlanta and subsequently received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Strategic Operations and Training
Inger Garnett
Director of Strategic Operations (Dragon Team)
Contact Information
Email: inger.jackson.garnett@emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-0325
Biography
Inger Garnett is the Director of Strategic Operations Team, more commonly known as the ORA Dragon Team. In this role, Inger leads three Strategic Operations’ team members on process improvement initiatives and projects across all offices within the Office of Research Administration (ORA). Inger brings a diverse background to the Emory University’s ORA community. Prior to her tenure at Emory University, she served as Vice President of Medical Policy Operations at Cotiviti Corporation in Atlanta, GA. In this role Inger was responsible for the overall management and leadership of the end-to-end process for implementations, policy analysis, configuration, auditing, testing, and UAT in a centralized environment for healthcare insurance providers. She has also held positions at the American Cancer Society, McKesson, DeKalb Medical Center, and the US Naval Medical Center.
Inger received her BA in Psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and her MSPH in Health Services Administration from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. She also served as a Medical Service Corp Officer in the US Navy. Inger holds a Green Belt Six Sigma Certification and is currently in the process of completing her Black Belt certification for process improvement. Inger and the Dragon Team works closely with the ORA leadership to provide a process improvement program that would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ORA with the Emory Research community.
Office of Technology Transfer
Todd Sherer
Associate Vice President for Research Executive Director, Office of Technology Transfer
Contact Information
Email: ttshere@emory.edu
Phone: (404) 727-5550
Biography
Todd leads a team of 25 focused on innovative, clinical and non-clinical, research partnerships and creating value in technology developed by Emory researchers. In 2005, he worked with colleagues to monetize downstream licensing revenues on an Emory-discovered molecule that is now part of the leading AIDS drug cocktail - resulting in a $540 million, one-time payment. Prior to joining Emory, Todd led the Technology and Research Collaborations office at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon.
Todd is Past President for the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Southeast BIO (SEBIO). Todd is a Registered Patent Agent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is also a Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) and a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP).
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Senior Vice President for Research (SVPR)
Research Business Operations
Melanie Lawrence
Assistant Vice President and Chief Business Officer, Research
Contact Information
Email: melanie.lawrence@emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-1886
Biography
Melanie Lawrence is a member of the Senior Vice President for Research leadership team. Melanie served in a variety of roles at Emory University School of Law before transitioning to Research in 2013. She has responsibility for leading and executing cross cutting strategic initiatives and special projects across the research enterprise. She manages the strategic planning, budget and fiscal planning, human resources, operational improvements, and key special projects and initiatives for both the SVPR office and the Office of Research Administration. She is also currently the Acting Director for Science Gallery Atlanta for its overall implementation and inaugural exhibition, HOOKED, slated to open January 2022.
Melanie is an Atlanta native and a proud alumnus of Emory University, having received her Executive MBA from Emory's Goizueta Business School and has been an active Emory alum, most recently as Treasurer of the Executive Women of Goizueta Alumni Board. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History, Economics, and Geography from Georgia State University.
SVPR
Kimberly Eck
Associate Vice President, Research
Contact Information
Email: kimberly.jo.eck@emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-6349
Biography
Dr. Kimberly Eck joined the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research in August 2020. As Associate Vice President for Research at Emory University, she is a part of the Research Leadership Team supporting Emory's strategic framework of One Emory: Engage for Impact. Dr. Eck assists with developing and implementing university-wide strategies to advance the research enterprise at Emory. She works closely with the Provost's office, WHSC, Schools, and units to develop faculty communications and education around research opportunities and policies. She facilitates the collaborative review, development, and implementation of research policies regarding issues of foreign influence, research cybersecurity, visiting scholars, and related topics and supervises the Office of Training Grants.
She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology degree at SUNY University at Albany, her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Behavioral Science at Saint Louis University, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame.
Research Business Operations
Maria Mendez
Division Director, Human Resources and Operations
Contact Information
Email: mmendez@emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-5689
Biography
Maria is the Division Director for Human Resources and Operations in Research Business Operations (RBO). She is responsible for the oversight of the human resources function for ORA, including recruitment, talent management, employee relations and performance management, among others. In addition, Maria is responsible for managing ORA's centralized operations and business processes including supply ordering, event coordination, equipment inventory, ORABO website and other special projects. Maria joined Emory in March of 2005 and served as the Assistant Director of Finance and Human Resources in the Environmental, Health and Safety Office.
Maria's science background and experience in Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Management Systems provided her with the opportunity to manage the initial implementation of Emory's EHS Management System. Marias current projects include the Leadership Pipeline to identify and develop future leaders in ORA. Maria is a participant of the Emory's Business Leadership Program.
Maria holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
SVPR
Kelly Moore
Director, Training Grant Support Office
Contact Information
Email: kelly.ann.moore@emory.edu
SVPR
Clara Riddick
Chief of Staff, Research
Contact Information
Email: clara.danielle.riddick@emory.
Phone: 404-727-6010
Biography
Clara Riddick serves as Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President for Research. In this role, she is a member of the Research Leadership team and serves on the SVPR Research Council. Clara oversees events and special projects and coordinates new initiatives. She provides research, leadership, independent analysis, and judgment in prioritizing interests and priorities. In addition, she supervises the SVPR Communications and works with the leadership team to develop a strategic multi-year communication plan for the SVPR offices.
Clara has a bachelor's in microbiology from Arizona State University, and received a Master's in Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health concentrated in Global Health and Infectious Disease.
Research Business Operations
Alex Wagner
Director, Research Data Analytics
Contact Information
Email: alexander.wagner@emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-5385
Biography
Alex serves as the Director of Research Analytics in the Office of the Senior Vice President of Research at Emory University. He leads as small Data Analytics Team that serves as the central funnel for all research data and reporting needs within the research enterprise. Prior to coming to Emory in October 2020, Alex was the Director of Institutional Research at Lesley University and Fisher College in Massachusetts.
His experience with grants as a Principal and Co-Principal Investigator is primarily in the public safety area. While at Fisher College Alex, also led the Center for Leadership in Public Service obtaining grants in the criminal justice and traffic safety areas. Prior to that he served as the Senior Research Analyst and Data Coordinator for the Massachusetts Statistical Analysis Center at the Office of Grants and Research within the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security in Massachusetts. There he managed federal and state research projects and grants including grant reporting. He still enjoys maintaining the contacts he made during this time and serves on the International Outreach Committee for the International Association of Crime Analysts as well as the Training Committee for the Massachusetts Association of Crime Analysts. Alex is a proud alumni of Auburn University and the University of Mannheim in Germany.