Meet The Region IV Faculty

Sandy Fowler

University of Wisconsin Madison

Assistant Dean for Research

College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

I do it all, or at least it feels like I do. This is what I love about sponsored reach. Every day seems to be different and working through a complex challenge gives me a rewarding sense of accomplishment. My main responsibility is to lead a group of outstanding RAs (that truly are the experts) that do research development, preaward, postaward, compliance, and training. My first love and expertise I feel is postaward compliance. I learned everything I know because of cost transfers. To know if a cost transfer was allowed, I read lots of award terms and conditions and asked a lot of questions. Learning all the 'it depends' was rewarding, fun, and challenging. As a instructor I want to pass on that feeling to others by making session engaging and fun.

Katherine Durben

Marquette University

Executive Director

Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Katherine Durben, MSW, is the Executive Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Marquette University. She began her career writing proposals for a non-profit organization and now has over 30 years of research administration experience. Kathy’s current responsibilities include management of pre-award and post-award activities as well as other compliance issues such as conflicts of interest and responsible and ethical conduct of research. Her true passion is taking an idea, getting it funded, and watching it grow.

Roger Wareham

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Director

Office of Grants and Research

Roger Wareham has been the director of the Office of Grants and Research at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay since August 2019. He has been in research administration since Nov. 2000, primarily at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs). During 2014-15, he served an Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignment as a Grant Policy Specialist in the Policy Office at the National Science Foundation. Roger’s focus is on the full Research Administration lifecycle. He is a 2025 recipient of NCURA’s Julia Jacobson Distinguished Service Award, a graduate of the NCURA Executive Leadership Program and serves as an NCURA Peer Reviewer.

Kelly Andringa, PhD, MBA

University of Iowa

Research Manager

Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation

As a PhD trained Research Administrator my areas of interest revolve around full life cycle at the department level. My expertise lies in the college of medicine and clinically based departments. I have NIH and DOD federal experience as well as foundational research grants. I’m learning more within my current role about clinical research and industry sponsored clinical trials.

Hang McLaughlin

University of Minnesota

Grants & Contracts Manager

Department of Surgery

I am the Grant & Contracts Manager for the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota. I have over 18 years of research administration experience in the department doing cradle-to-grave service and in a central sponsored projects office role. I like being a traveling faculty for the basics workshop because I get to help ease the transition for newer research administrators.

Heather Offhaus

University of Michigan Medical School

Director, Grant Services & Analysis

Office of Research

She has responsibilities that include overseeing proposal compliance, training in research administration pre- and post-award, serving on project lead teams for improvements in the research administration processes, crafting school policy, serving on governance of the university electronic system, and leading the initiative to develop research metrics within the school. At the school level, she serves as the main liaison with the departments for research administration situations that go beyond the ordinary and require creative solutions. Her favorite answer is always "It depends."

Heather began attending NCURA in 1995 and since has been active in both region and national activities. She has been a regular workshop and session presenter at many NCURA conferences. Her presentations span pre-award, post-award, research metrics, staff hiring/training issues, and professional development. She has also had the privilege of supporting several international universities in their research administration capacity building.

Past Faculty

Shannon Sutton, CPA

Georgia State University

Associate Director

University Research Services & Administration

As the Director of Sponsored Projects at Western Illinois University I was responsible for the full research lifecycle from research development to grant close-out. including compliance (human, animal, intellectual property, and technology transfer). Before entering research administration, I worked as a CPA which laid the groundwork for my expertise in post-awards management. I have taught fundamentals for eight years and always enjoy sharing practical insights, mentoring new professionals, and helping them gain the knowledge and confidence to succeed in this rewarding field.

Diane Hillebrand

University of North Dakota

Assistant Director

Research & Sponsored Program Development

Diane has been with the University of North Dakota since 1994. Prior to joining Research & Sponsored Programs Development, she worked in Research Affairs at the School of Medicine & Health Sciences as the Grants Manager. She has also been in the central Grants and Contracts Administration office and various other departments on campus all in the research arena. Diane holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Information Management from UND.

Diane has been active in NCURA activities at the National and Regional level for many years. Currently she is the Secretary for the National Board of Directors for 2024-2025 and is traveling workshop faculty for Departmental Research Administration. Recently she was one of the PRA Co-Chairs for 2022. Diane is a member of the 2018 ELP Program and also holds her CRA.

Want to be a part of the faculty team?

Each fall, Region IV invites applications and nominations for traveling workshop faculty. The Professional Development Committee (PDC) will conduct candidate interviews in early December, with new faculty appointments made in January.

Eligibility & Selection:

Faculty will be selected by the PDC based on their expertise, teaching experience, and commitment to NCURA’s mission. Region IV values diversity of skills, background, and perspective, and seeks to reflect this in all appointments.

Membership & Terms:

Applicants must be Regular Members of NCURA Region IV.
Faculty serve a 3-year term, with the option to renew for an additional 3 years.
Terms are staggered to ensure experienced faculty are available to mentor new appointees.

Experience Requirements:

Minimum of 5 years in research administration (or equivalent relevant professional field).
Prior teaching/presenting experience at NCURA conferences or in similar professional settings.
Preferred qualifications include 7+ years of experience, workshop teaching experience, and professional certifications or advanced degrees.

Training & Onboarding:
Selected faculty will attend an onboarding session at the NCURA Region IV Spring Conference and will co-teach with current faculty before teaching independently.

If you have any questions, please contact NCURA.RIV.PDC@gmail.com