Updates from OSP: Coffee with Colleagues & New Faces

Coffee with a Colleague

A couple members of OSP have taken advantage of the “Coffee with a Colleague” program.  Tammy Sutton, a new accountant in post-award, met at Greenberry’s recently to discuss different perspectives on grants with Whitney Richardson, Laboratory and Research Specialist who runs the Fan Mountain Telescope in Nelson County under Rick Patterson in Arts & Sciences’ Astronomy Department.  The two shared “how grants effect each one of us in our positions here at the University.  Her [Whitney’s] job is dependent on grant money; no funding, no job.”  Tammy helped Whitney understand that OSP’s job of preparing financial reports is required by the sponsor for oversight so the sponsor will continue to send payments for reimbursement. While visiting the Astronomy Department, Tammy also met Rick Patterson, Senior Scientist, and Barbara Johnson who is General Administrative Supervisor and who for more than a decade has handled grants administration for Astronomy. Tammy noted “…. we talked about her position versus mine.  It was an interesting view of grants management from a different position.”

Kobby Hoffman, Assistant Director for Accounting in post-award, met with Charles Kidd, Transactions Manager in Procurement and Supplier Diversity Services regarding open commitments on purchase orders in relation to grants. Purchase orders which are open cannot be closed by OSP, and when the PO is open, the vendor can still invoice and be paid. Therefore, it is important that open commitments be “finally closed” or moved off by departments. If the amount is larger than $5,000 or split between multiple accounts, OSP often needs the Procurement Office’s assistance.  Kobby was impressed by the situations in which Procurement (and Charles, in particular) has unraveled and straightened out accounts so OSP could produce accurate financial reports.

New Faces 

Welcome to Elizabeth Jackson, Administrative Assistant at OSP’s front desk, who hails from Virginia Beach but moved here when she started going to Mary Baldwin College.  A Library Assistant while in college, she spent time as a ski-lift attendant after graduation.  She joined OSP after a temp assignment at UVA for the School of Medicine’s Summer Medical and Dental Education program—essentially a “boot-camp” for prospective medical students. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the gym (she lost 60 pounds over the course of a year!), reading, playing mystery computer games and playing with her dog Katie.