Georgia Tech is built by people who turn vision into reality, many of whom work behind the scenes. Now, they’re taking center stage.

The Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) is proud to announce the inaugural recipients of the Research Administration & Support (RA&S) Spotlight Awards.

The Spotlight Awards honor staff, research faculty, and postdoctoral scholars who exemplify Georgia Tech’s core values, strengthen collaboration, and contribute across teams and departments to advance Georgia Tech’s research mission.

“In a field where we often measure success through data points and outcomes, we should remember our greatest asset has always been our people,” said Georgia Tech EVPR Tim Lieuwen. “These awards are a tribute to the extraordinary talent and unwavering dedication of our staff who propel our research.”

The awards are a direct result of Georgia Tech’s Research Next initiative, launched in 2020 to chart a bold future for Georgia Tech research. Monique Tavares, special assistant to the EVPR, brought the concept to life.

Winners were selected based on nominations highlighting service, partnership, innovation, and commitment to Georgia Tech’s research mission. Each award comes with a $500 prize for contributions made during the 2024 calendar year.
 

Congratulations to the 2025 RA&S Spotlight Award recipients:

• Mary Balsor, Mgr-Accounting, Grants, and Contracts
• Angela Barros, Dir-Financial Admin II, IBB (EVPR)
• Mary Beran, Research Associate II, Office of Research Integrity Assurance
• Lee Broxton, Research Ed & Comm Mgr, Research Operations & Infrastructure
• Gay Burchfield, Accountant III, IRI and Role
• Glenn Campopiano, Dir-Sponsored Research Accounting, Grants and Contracts
• Thomas Capitano, Research Associate II, OSP
• Pawel Chmielniak, Research Scientist I, School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
• Kevin Dalmeijer, Senior Research Associate, AI4OPT/ISyE
• Kotryna Diktonaite, Research Technologist I, Center for Advanced Communications Policy
• Lesley Easley, Grants Administrator, Ivan Allen College
• Rusty Edwards, Sr Dir-Budgeting & Finance, Provost & Executive VP for AA
• Doug Feller, Mgr-Financial, Grants and Contracts
• Vanessa Franco Carvalho Dartora, Postdoctoral Fellow, Biomedical Engineering
• Patrick Fraser, Mgr-Grants, College of Design
• Curtis Gee, IT Support Engineer, Engineered Bioscience Building
• Julienne Gloster, Accountant, GTRC/GTARC
• Evan Goldberg, Principal Research Scientist, BME
• Xuanwen Hua, Postdoctoral Fellow, BME
• Lauren Hunter, Grants Administrator, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
• Renair Jackson, Financial Admin III, College of Computing-School of Interactive Computing
• Brian James, Research Development Mgr, Office of Research Development
• Jordan Johnson, Research Administrative Manager I, Center for Advanced Communications Policy
• Katie Kuo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics
• Hyeyeon Lee, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Teaching and Learning
• Laura Letbetter, Research Associate II, Office of Sponsored Programs
• Dannie Lyvers, Research Associate II, GTRI-Research Security
• Linda Mazzeo, Program Mgr L4, AVP-ROI
• Krystal McNally, Project Support Spec, AVP-ROI
• Siri Melkote, Assoc Dir-Research Admin, COE
• Ziqin (Grace) Ni, Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemistry and Biochemistry/Aerospace Engineering
• Sharina Richardson, Financial Mgr I, School of Interactive Computing
• Susan Roche, Dir-Research Administration, AVP-ROI
• Dan Sibble, Research Associate II, Office of Sponsored Programs
• Ashley Smith, Research Associate II, Office of Sponsored Programs
• Gail Spatt, Sr Dir-Research Ops & Admin, AVP-ROI
• Allison Tapp, Research Associate II, Office of Sponsored Programs
• Joseph ("Joe") Tesoriero, Dir-Financial Admin II, GTRC/GTARC
• Lisa Tuttle, Asst Dir-Admin Ops, Office of the Executive Vice President for Research
• Yaras Yusuf, Research Engineer II, School of Mechanical Engineering