Colorado Mesa University Hires New Director of Sponsored Programs

Grand Junction - People who know her well joke that Cheryl Green is a money magnet. That’s because she is a nationally renowned figure in the fields of research and development, and research compliance issues. Green knows how to acquire and manage major public and private grants, specifically navigating the unique needs of institutions like CMU. This skill is one of the reasons she is CMU’s latest hire in a string of strategic additions meant to elevate the university’s ability to engage in robust research and sponsored programs.

“We joke about Cheryl being a money magnet, but in all seriousness she is among the nation’s best when it comes to building campus research enterprises that works for faculty and students while also complying with the challenges of federal regulations,” said Sonia Brandon, CMU Institutional Research and Sponsored Programs assistant vice president. “Cheryl is one of the more exciting hires I’ve been involved with because she brings with her an ability to write the next chapter in CMU’s growth story as we build research capacity on campus.”

Building an organization’s capability to execute complex research and pursuing federal monies requires organization and management of policies, procedures, processes and systems that are necessary to compete for sponsored programs.

Prior to her appointment as director of sponsored programs, Green was director of sponsored programs at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, director of grants and resource development at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, dean of resource development at Richland College in Dallas, Texas, and dean of resource and community development at Eastfield College in Mesquite, Texas.

Green built sponsored programs and research enterprises at each of these institutions where collectively they went from securing less than $5 million to more than $200 million in stable, sponsored program funding during her tenure. Prior to her career in higher education, she was a program officer at two private foundations where she reviewed, recommended funding and oversaw a portfolio of more than $50 million in funded grants to a diverse array of nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in health, education and human rights/social equity.

“I opted to join CMU because I believe in the institution's desire to compete and be successful in securing external funding — not just faculty research, but to support programs and services to first generation populations and disadvantaged students," said Green. “I believe my skills and experience fit the strategic goals of the University and the needs of the larger community — together we can transform the lives of the students and communities we serve.”

Green has personally written and secured $80 million in public and private external funding and sponsored programs throughout her career in higher education. She has served as director of three student retention sponsored projects while at Eastfield College and developed early college, cybersecurity, veterans services, workforce development and campus violence prevention sponsored programs while at Prince George’s Community College. During her tenure at Marymount University, she oversaw development and research administration and compliance of multi-million-dollar cybersecurity and aging grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and Health and Human Services Agency on Aging. She has received numerous college awards during her over 15 years in higher education, including Innovator of the Year, Administrator of the Year and the Student Development Leadership Award.

Green received her BA in psychology from Yale University, where she focused on experimental, quantitative research in attitudes and persuasion in social psychology. She also received an MA in psychology from Ohio State University where she focused on experimental, quantitative research in social identity and social cognition research, and a PhD in international psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, where her mixed-methods research focused on organization development of non-governmental organizations and transformative organizational change in South Africa. Her research has been supported by Yale University, the Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute for Mental Health, US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice.

“The fact that someone of Cheryl’s experience and stature chose CMU is a reflection of the reputation the university has earned around the nation through the hard work of our faculty and staff,” said CMU President Tim Foster. “Cheryl is a consummate research professional and our institution is fortunate to have her.”