SUU SPARC Office Employee Receives NCURA Emerging Excellence Award
Published: October 08, 2024 | Author: Jacob Carr | Read Time: 3 minutes
Cedar City, UTAH -
SUU employee and alumna Katie Gomez Freeman has been honored as one of three inaugural recipients of The National Council of Universities Research Administrators’ (NCURA) Emerging Excellence in Research Administration Award.
NCURA is a professional organization established in 1959 to support research administrators. The Emerging Excellence in Research Administration Award is designed to honor and celebrate the outstanding contributions and achievements of individuals who are newer to research administration and have demonstrated exceptional promise and innovation in the field.
“I am honored to have been selected to receive this award,” said Gomez Freeman. “It is incredibly rewarding to know that the work I am passionate about is making a positive impact in the field of research administration. The existence of this award reassures me that the field has an exciting future, and I am grateful to be recognized as part of that future.”
Gomez Freeman graduated from SUU in 2020 with a double major in Human Nutrition and Spanish and a minor in chemistry. A native of Mapleton, Utah, she now works full-time as Assistant Director of Education and Special Projects in SUU’s Sponsored Programs, Research, Agreements, and Contracts (SPARC) office where she is making a difference in the lives of faculty, staff and students alike.
“My primary motivation has always been the desire to make a meaningful difference through my work,” said Gomez Freeman. “The impact we achieve in SPARC inspires me to continually learn and improve. Additionally, I am deeply committed to advocating for young professionals in the workplace, and my volunteer work with the NCURA has reinforced the importance of this cause.”
Gomez Freeman, now a certified research administrator, is currently the longest standing employee at the SPARC office, having worked there as an undergraduate intern for four years and as a full-time team member since 2021. She has served on the NCURA Young Professionals Committee for the past two years, including participating in a sub-committee that curates content for the NCURA Young Professionals Newsletter. She also recently presented in the Young Professionals Webinar, where she addressed misconceptions about young professionals within the field of research administration. Since January 2024, she has been a co-contributing editor for the NCURA Magazine, specifically for the New and Young Professionals Track. Beyond her work with the Young Professionals Committee, she has presented at five national and regional conferences with NCURA.
Principal investigators, faculty, staff and students that have been impacted by Katie’s work agree that her professionalism, immense knowledge, multi-tasking skills and much more make her an invaluable asset to SUU.
“Katie is undeterred,” said SPARC Director, Sylvia Bradshaw. “She extends herself in service and is dedicated to the profession, even in her young years of her career. She likely has 30-35 more years to continue to grow and serve in the many capacities that will undoubtedly come her way and she will do it efficiently, with a smile, and with a sense of genuine gratitude, making SUU proud. The future is bright.”
For more information on SUU’s SPARC Office and the assistance it provides to faculty, staff, and administrators seeking external funding for their projects and programs, please visit https://www.suu.edu/sparc/.
Tags: SPARC T-Bird Stories Community
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
435-586-5400
brookeheath1@suu.edu