Officers

Jeanne Viviani-Ayers | University of Central Florida
Region III 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 at the Director level of 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 Development at Florida Atlantic University.

She is a National Science Foundation Co-PI on aGERMINATION 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 at 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.

 

Carpantato (Tanta) Myles | Georgia Institute of Technology
Immediate Past Chair

Tanta is a Senior Issues Contributing Editor of NCURA Magazine. She currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Research Integrity Assurance at the Georgia Institute of Technology, overseeing IRB, IACUC, IBC, export controls, COI, research security, and research misconduct.  She recently served as the PRA Conference Co-Chair in NOLA. She is also an NCURA Peer Reviewer and serves on the N&LDC. She is also a Lecturer in Johns Hopkins University’s Master of Science in Research Administration degree program. Tanta has served Region III in various ways, including serving as Public Relations Coordinator (2016-2018). Tanta received the Region III Distinguished Service Award in 2019.

Celeste Rivera-Nunez | University of Central Florida
Chair-Elect

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 grant business systems implementation and workforce development initiatives, demonstrating a commitment to advancing best practices in research administration.

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, editing of proposals, strategic funding searches and faculty matching, connecting faculty with resources within the university to fulfill broader impacts and outreach, and coordination proposal and teaming development. She has over 15 years of sponsored award experience at the University of South Carolina including roles in the Sponsored Awards Management Office as well 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 Start Award.

Savannah Britz
Treasurer-Elect

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. 

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 and recipient of the 2022 Region III Distinguished Service Award. She is an active volunteer with NCURA in Region III and at the national level.  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.