Meet Our Staff

Stephanie Arnold

Stephanie Arnold has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2021. She works as part of our post award team as a senior grants and contracts associate. She holds a B.A. in business administration and marketing.

Main SPA roles: Fiscal award monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting.

Kristin Bigelow

Kristin Bigelow has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2006. She works as part of our post award team as a senior grants and contracts associate. She holds a B.S. in education.

Main SPA roles: Fiscal award monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting.

Carrie Blackwood-Williams

Carrie Blackwood-Williams has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2011. As Director, she oversees Sponsored Programs Administration. She holds an A.S., a B.S. in geography and an M.A. in human services administration. She is a certified research administrator (CRA) and has worked in higher education for 24 years, 22 of them at NIU.

Main SPA roles: Policy and procedures, team support and resource management, campus training, funding compliance, grants modernization.

Linda Carlson

Linda Carlson has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2015. She works as part of our administrative support team as an office support specialist.

Main SPA roles: Postaward intake, time and effort reporting and indirect cost assistance, daily SPA administrative support.

Elizabeth Garcia Ramirez

Elizabeth Garcia Ramirez has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2025. She works as part of our pre-award team as a proposal coordinator. She holds a B.A. in community leadership and civic engagement and an M.P.A.

Main SPA Roles: Proposal preparation, review and submission.

Ashley Golz

Ashley Golz has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2022. She works as part of our award acceptance team as an award coordinator. She holds a B.A. in special education and a B.A. in disability studies.

Main SPA roles: Grant award review and acceptance, non-financial prior approvals and sponsor notifications. Ashley also supports several electronic research administration efforts including agency system support.

Karyn Higgs

Karyn Higgs has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2025. She works as part of our pre-award team as a proposal coordinator. She holds a B.A. in english, a M.A. cognitive psychology and a Ph.D. cognitive psychology.

Main SPA Roles: Proposal preparation, review and submission.

Claire Mogren

Claire Mogren has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2019. She works as part of our pre-award team as a senior proposal coordinator. She holds a B.S. in Earth, society and environment and an M.S. in marine system science.

Main SPA roles: Proposal preparation, review and submission.

Katie Mowers

Katie Mowers has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2019. She works as part of our post award team as an assistant director. She holds a B.S. in economics.

Main SPA roles: Daily team support, portfolio reviews, monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting, indirect cost distribution.

Craig Mulligan

Craig Mulligan has been with Sponsored Programs Administration rejoined SPA in 2025. He works as part of our post award team as a senior grants and contracts associate and previously served in SPA leadership positions. He holds a B.S. in business administration and a M.S. Management Information Systems.

Main SPA roles: Fiscal award monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting.

Rai Nihei

Maria (Rai) Nihei has been with the Sponsored Programs Administration since 2018. She works as part of our pre-award team as assistant director. She holds a certificate in SE Asian studies, a B.S. in elementary education, a B.S. in history and an M.A. in history.

Main SPA roles: Pre-award team lead; daily team operations and pre-award support; proposal intake and review, approval and submission.

Dana Papini

Dana Papini has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2021. She works as part of our pre-award team as a proposal coordinator. She holds a B.S. in community health and an M.P.H.

Main SPA Roles: Proposal preparation, review and submission.

Jeannie Peterson

Jeannie Peterson has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2022. She works as part of our administrative support team as an office support specialist. She holds a certificate in human resources and a paralegal certificate and has an A.A. in general studies. She is pursuing a B.A. in political science at NIU.   

Main SPA roles: Proposal intake and deadline reporting, daily SPA administrative support.

Vanessa Poling

Vanessa Poling has been with Sponsored Programs since 2023. She works as part of our pre-award team as a proposal coordinator. She holds a B.A. in anthropology.

Main SPA roles: Proposal preparation, review and submission.

Melanie Prentice

Melanie Prentice has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2024. She works as part of our post award team as a grants and contracts associate. She holds a B.A. in philosophy.

Main SPA roles: Fiscal award monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting.

Amy Schmidt

Amy Schmidt has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2022. She works as part of our post award team as a grants and contracts associate. She holds a B.A. and M.S. in education.

Main SPA roles: Fiscal award monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting.

Allie Rowland

Allie Rowland has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2024. She works as part of our post award team as a grants and contracts associate. She holds a B.A. in psychology.

Main SPA roles: Fiscal award monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting.

Sarah Senechalle

Sarah Senechalle has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2018. She works as part of our award acceptance team as associate director. She holds an SRAI Introduction to research administration and management (IRAM) certificate, a B.A. in economics and a J.D.

Main SPA roles:  Policy and contractual support, , contract negotiation, award review and acceptance, non-financial post-award, subrecipient monitoring.

Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2022. She works as part of our post award team as a fiscal compliance specialist. She holds a B.B.A. in accounting.

Main SPA roles: Audits, time and effort, and grants accounting support.

Shelli Solfisburg

Shelli Solfisburg has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2023 and with NIU since 2006. She works as part of our pre-award team as a proposal coordinator. She holds a B.A. in project management.

Main SPA roles: Proposal preparation, review and submission.

Caitlin Teague

Caitlin Teague has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2021. She works as part of our post award team as a senior grants and contracts associate. She holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in accounting.

Main SPA roles: Fiscal award monitoring, invoicing and cash management, financial reporting.

Katie Thielk

Katie Thielk has been with Sponsored Programs Administration since 2020. She works as part of our award acceptance team as a senior award coordinator. She holds a B.A. in history and an M.A. in higher education.  

Main SPA roles: Contract review and acceptance, drafting and executing subawards, subaward reporting.