Susan Sedwick

Dr. Susan Wyatt Sedwick is a consulting associate for Attain, LLC with over 25 years of experience in research administration.  She retired in 2015 as associate vice president for research and director of the Office of Sponsored Projects at The University of Texas at Austin, where she was responsible for both pre- and post-award financial administration units with oversight of over $630 million in annual sponsored projects expenditures. Prior to her tenure at UT Austin, she served in a similar capacity at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.  She received her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Texas A&M University and is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) and a Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM) . She has held academic appointments as a clinical professor in the Department of Educational Administration for the Higher Education Administration Program at The University of Texas at Austin and as an adjunct professor for Rush University in Chicago and The University of Oklahoma, Norman. Dr. Sedwick is a frequent speaker on the topic of research data security, export controls as they apply to universities, human capital development, and strategic planning. She authored the chapter on export controls included in the NCURA/AIS publication, Sponsored Research Administration: A Guide to Effective Strategies and Recommended Practices. 

Dr. Sedwick has extensive experience in the management of change and in developing processes and information systems in response to new regulations and reorganization.  She successfully led the merger of pre-award research administration units with post-award financial accounting units at both the University of Oklahoma, Norman and The University of Texas at Austin.  Both mergers involved changes in organizational reporting and physical relocation of staff.  Dr. Sedwick has been responsible for the development of electronic information systems including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. 

Dr. Sedwick served as chair of Phase V of the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) and in 2014, testified before Congressional subcommittees on the issue of reducing the administrative burdens on Federally-funded researchers.  She was active in the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) having served on the Board of Directors, Research Compliance and Administration and Contracts and Intellectual Property Committees, Uniform Guidance working group, nominating committee and chair of the export controls working group.  She received the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) Distinguished Service award in 2012 and the NCURA Region V Distinguished Service Award in 2014.  She has served that organization as an at-large representative to the national Board of Directors, as chair of the Professional Development Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee. She is frequently engaged as a workshop and webinar faculty member and presenter at both regional and national meetings for NCURA and the Society for Research Administrators International (SRA).  She is a graduate of Leadership Texas, a past trustee for the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Foundation, and founding president of the FDP Foundation.  She is co-chair of the National Science Foundation Business and Operations Advisory Committee.  She was recognized as the 2012-2013 distinguished alumnae by the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Hall of Honor.