Officers

Celeste Rivera-Nunez | University of Central Florida
Chair

Celeste Rivera-Nuñez serves as the Director of the Sponsored Programs Pre-Award Office within the Office of Research at the University of Central Florida. With over 25 years of experience in research administration, Celeste has developed expertise across various domains, including grant and contract management functions encompassing pre-award processes, contract negotiations, post-award management, and subaward oversight. She has also contributed significantly to the implementation of grant business systems and workforce development initiatives, demonstrating a commitment to advancing best practices in research administration.

Jeanne Viviani-Ayers | University of Central Florida
Region III Immediate Past Chair

As the Associate Director of Research Training and Outreach at the University of Central Florida, she will develop and oversee all research administration education University-wide through various programming and outreach. Jeanne has served as a Director in several sponsored research and research development offices over her 20+ year career. She was responsible for the full “life cycle” of grants and research administration from the research development function, including workshops, training, and finding funding for individual and institutional proposals through close-out of all requirements, ensuring compliance.

She established TWO sponsored research offices from the ground up—first at New College of Florida and then again at Florida Polytechnic University. She also managed and expanded the Office of Research and Development at Florida Atlantic University.

She is a National Science Foundation Co-PI on a GERMINATION grant and has started two businesses focusing on research administration coaching, team formation (including two books), and professional and career coaching. She has been an active member of NCURA since 2003. She has served on many committees and presented extensively at the Annual Meeting and Regional Meetings. She currently serves as the Chair of Region III (2024-2025). Her passions are training, educating, and coaching executives, colleagues, and faculty in their careers, developing research analytics, and leveraging AI to support the next generation of research administration professionals.

Ford Simmons, MLIS | Medical University of South Carolina
Chair-Elect

Ford Simmons, MLIS, is Grants & Contracts Administrator III for the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs at the Medical University of South Carolina. Ford manages pre- and various post-award Federal grants, Corporate clinical trial contracts, confidentiality agreements, and data use agreements. Ford previously served as Region III Website Coordinator. He has presented and participated in several Region III Conferences as part of the Planning and Program Committee and has been published in NCURA Magazine. In 2024, Ford received the 2024 Sandy Barber Volunteer Award.

Erika Cottingham | Auburn University
Incoming Chair-Elect

Erika Cottingham is the Director of Research Program Development, Contract & Grant Administration at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. A Certified Research Administrator since 2007, she has demonstrated leadership in both pre- and post-award research administration and financial management across a range of distinguished institutions. Erika’s career highlights include executive positions at United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, Columbus State University, Emory University, UNC Charlotte, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and University of Cincinnati, as well as consulting for Morehouse School of Medicine.

Rebecca Wessinger | University of South Carolina
Secretary

Rebecca Wessinger is the Director of Research Operations in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing at the University of South Carolina. Her current roles include pre-award services, proposal editing, strategic funding searches and faculty matching, connecting faculty with resources within the university to fulfill broader impact and outreach goals, and coordination of proposal and teaming development. She has over 15 years of experience in sponsored awards at the University of South Carolina, including roles in the Sponsored Awards Management Office and as Director of Grants and Contracts in the College of Education. Rebecca has been a member of NCURA since 2015. She has served as Public Relations Coordinator and Program Book Coordinator since 2022. In 2023, she was awarded the Pam Whitlock Rising Star Award.

Savannah Britz is the Director of Finance and Business Operations for Research Facilities and Infrastructure at the University of South Carolina. She oversees the administration of all the centralized research cores, including financial reporting, user engagement, and direct core support. She has nine years of experience in research administration, most of which was spent in post-award administration at the College level. Savannah has been volunteering with NCURA in various roles since joining in 2017. She became a Certified Research Administrator in 2022 and is currently enrolled in the MBA program at the University of South Carolina. Savannah enjoys reading, traveling, crafts, and music, and often attends concerts with her husband, Will. 

Vacant 
Treasurer- Elect

 

Danielle McElwain | University of South Carolina
Regionally-Elected National Board Member

Danielle McElwain serves as the Assistant Dean for Research Enhancement and Operations at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing at the University of South Carolina (USC), providing professional guidance to principal investigators for the acquisition and management of externally funded programs and projects. Danielle holds a national Certified Research Administrator Certification (CRA) from the Research Administrators Certificate Council andis a  recipient of the 2022 Region III Distinguished Service Award. She is an active volunteer with NCURA at the regional and national levels.  Her NCURA volunteer activities include Region III Chair (2015-2016), R3 Volunteer Committee Chair (203-2014), R3 Chair Appointed Executive Board Member (2018-2019), R3  Co-Chair of Program Committee (2018, 2019), Nominations and Leadership Development Committee (2019-2020), Chair of On-line Programing Subcommittee (2018-2019), Professional Development Committee (2017-2018), and frequent presenter at national and regional NCURA conferences. 

To contact any EC Officer or standing committee coordinator, please email ncuraregion3@gmail.com.