Georgia Institute of Technology

Rhea Austin brings more than two decades of professional experience to Georgia Tech, including office operations, administration, and customer service. Rhea provides technical, logistical, and administrative support for our Office of Sponsored Programs teams.

Diane Barney is the Manager of the DOD Prime Team supporting awards for the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Diane has a Graduate Certificate from the University of Virginia in Government Contracts and Procurement and an undergraduate degree in Finance from George Mason University.

Lauren Beebe is a Contracting Officer on the Exchange Agreements team. Lauren has an undergraduate degree in business management and operations from Georgia State University. She earned a Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law.

Crystal Blackman-Philbert is a Contracting Specialist providing post-award support for the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTARC Awards). She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and has research administration experience that includes closeout and other areas of sponsored programs.

Marisela Bravo manages incoming requests for Non-Disclosure Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements and Data Use Agreements. Marisela brings more than a decade of experience in state and federal grants and contracts administration to her role and holds a bachelor's degree from Florida State University.

Lea Brooks is a Contracting Officer supporting awards for Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). Prior to joining OSP, Lea was part of the research administration team for the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. She also brings experience from Morehouse College and the public sector. Lea received a Bachelors's in Psychology from the University of Phoenix.

Christopher Brown is a Contracting Officer with the Exchange Agreements team. He has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Kennesaw State University. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Roberta Burke’s team manages sponsored research agreements with government and not-for-profit entities on behalf of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), an applied research business division of Georgia Tech. Roberta has served the Office of Sponsored Programs since 2005. She previously served in the military for 22 years.  She has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from California State University and is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM).

Tom Capitano is a Contracting Officer supporting awards for Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). Tom has a Master’s degree in Science Management with an emphasis in Research Administration from Emmanuel College, Boston.

Kim Carter is a Financial Analyst on the subawards team. Kim earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a degree in Computer Information Systems from Midway University in Kentucky.

Kendall Crosby is associate director for the Exchange Agreements team. Kendall has a JD from the University of Georgia School of Law and an undergraduate degree in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Victoria Custodio is a Subrecipient Monitoring Officer on the subawards team. She has a Master of Business Administration from Georgia Tech. Her undergraduate studies in Biology were completed at Mercer University.

Naranja Davis is a Contracting Specialist supporting the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC). Naranja holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a concentration in Project Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She brings 10 years of previous Research Administration experience from the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University.

Chris D’Urbano is the Manager for Grants and Contracts Administration for the College of Engineering. He has over 27 years of experience at Georgia Tech including management of government contracting teams and oversight of data operations. Prior to Georgia Tech, Chris worked for Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) in project management and contracting. Chris is an alumnus of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, where he earned a degree in Political Science.

Jarrett Ellis is responsible for negotiating industry-sponsored research agreements, managing strategic relationships with collaborating organizations, supervising industry contracts administration, and team training. Before joining Georgia Tech Research Corp., Jarrett practiced law at Alston & Bird, LLP. He has a degree in English literature from Oral Roberts University and a master’s degree and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University.

Melinda Francis is a Contracting Specialist for the Subaward team, supporting the Contract Officers and Specialists. Melinda manages all subawards in the Contract Information System (CIS) and manages supplier contracts in Workday.

Timothy Gehret is a Contacting Officer and coordinates Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards. A licensed attorney, Timothy earned his JD from the Charleston School of Law. He has a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications from the University of Florida.

Katrice Green is a Contracting Officer supporting Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). She holds a Master of Applied Social Sciences degree with a concentration in Public Administration from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Her previous research administration and contracting support experience includes service at Emory University and the Florida Department of Education.

Yathurshi (Yadu) Haase is an associate on the Industry and International Contracting team. She has a legal background and previously worked in real estate for a telecommunications firm before joining Georgia Tech in 2018. Yadu earned her JD in 2016 from Georgia State University College of Law, and she holds a bachelor of science in psychology with a minor in religion from the University of Georgia.

Teri Hansen is the Manager for GTRI Other Sponsored Contracts. She has over three decades of experience in subcontract administration and research contracting including Georgia Tech and Boeing . Teri holds a Master of Science in Contract and Acquisition Management from Florida Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Auburn University.

Coming soon.

Bruce Henry is the Senior Assistant General Manager for Finance and Audit. His team oversees Closeout for sponsored projects and supports small business administration. Bruce has served financial operations at Georgia Tech for over two decades. He is an active member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NCUBO).

Allyson Hogan is on the Subaward Team. Among her duties, Allyson monitors subaward invoices for compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kennesaw State University. She started her professional finance experience in the banking industry. Allyson is currently enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program at Georgia College & State University.

Cynthia (Cindy) Hope’s team manages sponsored research agreements with government and not-for-profit entities on behalf of Georgia Tech’s colleges, interdisciplinary research institutes, centers, professional education, and other non-GTRI units. Previously, Cindy was Assistant Vice President for Research and Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs at the University of Alabama.

Coming soon.

Amanda is a Contracting Officer with the Exchange Agreements team. She has an undergraduate degree in biology from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in public health from Emory University.

Coming soon.

Michael Little, GCPA, is the Small Business Administrator for the Office of Sponsored Programs. Michael worked for Georgia’s Tech’s Office of Business and Procurement Services for 18 years before joining OSP. The Small Business Administrator (SBA) is responsible for preparing subcontracting plans on federal contracts that are expected to total an estimated cost of $700,000. The Small Business Administrator also has the oversight responsibility for preparing and submitting the data that documents actual performance in terms of dollars paid to small/disadvantaged business concerns.

Chase McCallum is a contracting officer on our Industry and International Contracting team. His career has included work in private law practice and clerkships for four judges in Superior Courts of Georgia. Chase holds a JD, as well as undergraduate double majors completed at the University of Georgia.

Brenna Muldrow is a Contracting Officer supporting Department of Defense awards for the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).  Brenna has an undergraduate degree in Management, Leadership, and Innovation from Georgetown University.

Morganne Norwood is the assistant to the executive director. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Alabama. Morganne brings previous higher education experience to her role, including the Office of the Provost at Emory University.

Amelia Parr is a senior contracting officer responsible for the negotiation and administration of sponsored research agreements. She has a legal background and previously worked in private practice mass tort litigation before joining Georgia Tech Research Corp. in 2016. Amelia holds a BFA from Winthrop University and a JD from Emory University, with a certificate in transactional law.

Steven Pilcher is the Manager for the OSP team that supports Subawards, including the pre- and post-award support for grants and contracts to subawardees. Additionally, Steven's team supports sponsored program consulting agreements. Steve has a Master of Business Administration from Webster University and an undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Central Florida.

Ashvin Raj is a Contracting Specialist supporting awards for Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). His previous experience includes management of technology-based federal and state-sponsored grants within the Virginia Community College System. Ashvin holds a Master of Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Oberlin College.

Marcia Scott is the Executive Assistant supporting Rebecca Caravati and the Office of Sponsored Programs. She has more than 15 years of executive support experience from professional organizations.

Dana Simpson has more than 25 years of service to Georgia Tech’s Office of Sponsored Programs. As the Director for Operations, she oversees the Institute’s research subawards operations and monitoring, as well as data and enterprise systems and administrative support. Dana has a Master of Public Administration from Kennesaw State University and is a Certified Research Administrator and Certified Federal Contract Manager.

Jamie Turner is a Contracting Officer supporting Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). He has over a decade of experience in financial analysis, accounting, and grants management. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Jamie served as a Senior Grants Financial Accountant within the Corporate Finance office at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Jamie holds a Master of Accountancy from Kennesaw State University.

As head of Industry & International Contracting / Exchange Agreements, Kevin Wozniak is responsible for establishing meaningful collaborations with industry through the negotiation of sponsored research agreements, technology licenses, and other various agreements with companies throughout the world. He has worked in the university technology transfer field since 1999 and is a member of and has served in board positions for the Association of University Technology Managers as well as the Council of Government Relations.