Fostering Future Leaders: My NCURA Conference Experience

By Jeremiah Thompson

My overall experience attending NCURA 65th Annual Conference and NCURA Region VI & VII Conference consisted of educational opportunities, overcoming challenges, and networking. The training sessions offered helped increase my interest and skills in Research Administration. I was lucky enough to be chosen as the 2023 Catherine Taylor-Core Minority Travel Award recipient, which allowed me to travel to Washington, D.C. It was inspiring to speak with new and experienced members who shared much of their Research Administration knowledge. These connections are continuous in helping support our institutions with weekly meetings about advice and challenges we face. The Conferences allowed me to train in Pre-Award, Research Misconduct and Noncompliance, Effort, Research Development, and many more. The Educational part was informative and helped me support my Center with new pathways. Challenges were some of the key points in how to support Sponsored projects better. NCURA members were able to bring real-life scenarios on different topics. This helped me overcome many challenging obstacles within my Center. After attending these conferences, I came up with career goals, personal goals, and goals for the Center/Institution.

I’m very grateful to have a supporting Team that has allowed me to grow professionally. Special Thanks to Alexus Robertson, my supervisor, and Dr. Kimberly A. Scott, the Executive Director of CGEST, for their unwavering support in my professional development.