NCSA Welcomes Tamara Roosevelt to the Center Stage!

Center Stage is a new profile series focusing on the many talented people at NCSA. This month, NCSA spotlights Tamara Roosevelt. Tamara recently came back to NCSA to lead the Proposal Development Office (PDO). The PDO has been working hard to improve the proposal development process at NCSA, and Tamara has been a proactive voice in communicating these changes. Let’s all give a hearty round of applause as we pass the mic to Tamara Roosevelt to answer some questions and share a few pictures (captions provided by Tamara).

What are your title and team?

I am lucky to lead the new Proposal Development Office that will be one year old this April. My rockstar team consists of Janessa Gentry, Nikki Kopmann – both are proposal coordinators – Jason Mierek keeps us in check as the Project Manager, and we will soon announce our new Research Development Coordinator. 

Why NCSA? What attracted you in terms of what you can bring?

I worked at NCSA previously in the business office and left for a position at the School of Information Sciences and was there for four years in Research Services. When I was approached with the idea of coming back to NCSA to lead the new Proposal Development Office it really was a no-brainer. Being familiar with the tools NCSA has and the people I knew here, I was confident I could bring my ideas to the new office and make it successful. Stay tuned, more PDO announcements coming your way!

What are your hopes for the future here?

In this new role, I can think outside of the box on ways to improve our proposal submissions to a variety of funding agencies, collaborate with others on campus and externally to match-make with NCSA PIs on research collaborations, and mentor new NCSA staff on how to submit a successful submission – just to name a few of my ideas! My hope is for the PDO to provide services needed and exceed expectations of those thinking we only submit proposals. We are “More Than” just a proposal team.

What would you consider your superpower?

This was a hard question, so I asked my 9-year-old, he says cleaning is my superpower!

What might people find you doing outside of work?

Being a mom of five kids who range in age from almost 28 down to 9 years old, you will see me at multiple sporting events. Currently, all my children are involved in some sort of sport, and this spring, I will be running to baseball, softball, soccer, and volleyball games. And I cannot forget to mention my beautiful granddaughter, who turns 2 in August. I love being a Nana and spending time spoiling her.

Who’s your hero?

I could never pick one person as my hero, I admire first responders, a selfless person who helps a stranger in need, the family that fosters numerous kids over the years to provide them a safe space – pretty much any individual who genuinely wants to make a difference, whether small or big.

Thank you, Tamara, for coming up to the stage to answer our questions. We look forward to seeing who will step into the spotlight next month!