Georgia Institute of Technology

Rochelle Barry is the Manager for the Office of Sponsored Program’s closeout team. Rochelle earned her Master of Social Work from Georgia State University and completed undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Prior to Georgia Tech, Rochelle worked for the federal government for 15 years as State Director for National Services in Georgia.

Roberta Burke’s team manages sponsored research agreements for the Georgia Tech Research Institute, an applied research business division of Georgia Tech that relies on the Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation (GTARC) as its contracting entity. Roberta has served the Office of Sponsored Programs for more than a decade. She was previously a Lieutenant Colonel and Regional Operations Manager for the United States Air Force.

Rebecca Caravati, CPA, is the Executive Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs. She is an alumna of Wesleyan College and is a certified public accountant. Previously, Rebecca served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the University of Georgia Foundation and served the Georgia Tech Research Institute for 23 years, including service as Deputy Director for Finance and Research Administration.

Catherine Cassidy is a Contracting Officer supporting awards for Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). Catherine has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Agnes Scott College. Catherine is also a Certified Research Administrator.

Kamie Cunningham is a Grants Administrator on the closeout team. Kamie manages all deliverables in the Contract Information System (CIS) and coordinates with faculty and staff to ensure compliance. She has more than 20 years of experience supporting research administration.

Vannessa Daniels is the Manager of Grants and Contracts Administration for Colleges of Sciences and Liberal Arts. She has nearly three decades of experience in research administration, including over 20 years of service as a Contracting Officer and Manager at Georgia Tech. She has a Master’s in Applied Social Sciences and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Vannessa is a Certified Research Administrator.

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.

Melinda Francis is the Administrative Professional 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.

Karon Gray is a Contracting Specialist for the Closeout Team. Karon earned a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and completed undergraduate studies at Georgia Southern University earning a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Journalism. She is a Certified Research Administrator, awarded by the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) and has more than 15 years of experience in sponsored programs as well as research and governmental administration.

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).

Cynthia (Cindy) Hope’s team manages sponsored research agreements for Georgia Tech’s colleges, interdisciplinary research institutes, centers, professional education, and other units that rely on the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) as their contracting entity. Previously, Cindy was Assistant Vice President for Research and Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs at the University of Alabama.

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.

Stacey Oliver-Johnson is a Contracting Officer supporting Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). Stacey has more than two decades of experience in federal and non-federal grants and contracts administration, working at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Emory University, and Morehouse School of Medicine. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

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.

Terry Stout has more than three decades of experience in research administration, sponsored programs, and industry relations. Terry currently supports awards from state and local government entities. He has worked at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest University Health Sciences Center, and Emory University. Terry holds a Master of Business Administration from Reinhardt University and completed undergraduate studies in business administration at Mercer University.

David Walker is a Contracting Officer supporting Academic Grants and Contracts Administration (GTRC Awards). Prior to joining Georgia Tech, David developed private sector management experience followed by a position as Assistant Director for Proposal and Award Management with The University of Southern Mississippi, which is also his alma mater.