EPSCoR Staff

• Dr. Sherry Farwell, Head, Office of EPSCoR
• Dr. B. Jane Harrington, Program Director
• Mr. Julio E.López-Ferrao, Program Director
• Ms. Karen Sandberg, Program Director
• Ms. Martha L.James, Program Manager
• Ms. Patricia Ferguson, Senior Program Assistant
• Ms. Simona L.Gilbert, Administrative Officer

	Dr. Sherry Farwell, Head, Office of EPSCoR
	Phone: (703) 292-8683 Fax: (703) 292-9047 Email: sfarwell@nsf.gov	National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22230
	top
	Dr. B. Jane Harrington, Program Director
	Phone: (703) 292-8683 Fax: (703) 292-9047 Email: bharring@nsf.gov	National Science Foundation EHR/EPSCoR 4201 Wilson Boulevard Suite 875 Arlington, VA 22230
	Jane Harrington received her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, in Zoology (Systematic Entomology) in 1976, while serving as an Instructor and Assistant Professor of Biology at Seton Hall University. In 1977 she moved to the Entomology Department in the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she taught graduate and undergraduate classes for 15 years. She also conducted research in systematic entomology, soybean insect population diapause, and overwintering conditions for insects. She moved briefly to an insect genetics research position at the USDA Grain Marketing Research Laboratory in Manhattan, KS, and then came to NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) in September 1992. At NSF Dr. Harrington served for 4 years as Program Director in the Systematic and Population Biology Cluster of the Division of Environmental Biology. For one of those years she was also Program Director for the Research Experiences for Undergraduate Sites Program for BIO. In September 1996 she joined the EPSCoR Office at NSF as a Program Director in the position vacated by Bruce Reiss. She managed the EPSCoR Grants competition and co-funding for FY 1997 and developed a structure for the expanded FY 1998 co-funding initiative. She continues to enjoy helping and encouraging scientists to secure research funding.
top
	Mr. Julio E.López-Ferrao, Program Director
	Phone: (703) 292-8683 Fax: (703) 292-9047 Email: jlopezfe@nsf.gov	National Science Foundation EHR/EPSCoR 4201 Wilson Boulevard Suite 875 Arlington, VA 22230
	Julio E. López-Ferrao joined the EPSCoR office as a Program Director in October 2002. A graduate from the University of Puerto Rico (biology) and New York University (science education), before coming to NSF he was a Senior Research and Development Associate with Education Development Center, in Newton, Massachusetts, where he provided technical assistance to several New England states. In addition to this experience, he was a science and mathematics teacher, district science coordinator, science curriculum specialist, and science supervisor at the Puerto Rico Department of Education, where he was appointed as the Science Program Director. His system-wide responsibilities in that position included K-12 curriculum development and implementation; professional development programs for teachers and administrators; coordination of technical assistance to K-12 science teachers through regional supervisors and district coordinators; and special programs for teachers and students, including scientific research academies and state and international competitions. He was also one of the principal investigators of the Puerto Rico SSI. Before joining EPSCoR, Mr. López-Ferrao was a program director with the Division of Educational System Reform, where he managed large-scale reform efforts in states and urban school districts.
top
	Ms. Karen Sandberg, Program Director
	Phone: (703) 292-4828 Fax: (703) 292-9047 Email: ksandber@nsf.gov	National Science Foundation EHR/EPSCoR 4201 Wilson Boulevard Suite 875 Arlington, VA 22230
	Karen Sandberg joined the NSF EPSCoR Office in August, 2000 as Program Director for Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII). As Program Director, she is responsible for conducting the annual Research Infrastructure Improvement competition and administration of the resulting RII awards of up to $9 million over a three-year period. Prior to coming to the NSF EPSCoR Office, Ms. Sandberg worked in the NSF Division of Grants and Agreements for 25 years. For six of those years, she worked in the Policy Office and contributed to the development of numerous NSF policy and procedural documents. For 14 years, Ms. Sandberg was a Grants and Agreements Officer with administrative responsibility for a large portfolio of NSF investments. Ms. Sandberg received her B.A. degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa in 1973. She completed additional coursework at the University of Uppsala, Sweden.
top
	Ms. Martha L.James, Program Manager
	Phone: (703) 292-8683 Fax: (703) 292-9047 Email: mjames@nsf.gov	National Science Foundation EHR/EPSCoR 4201 Wilson Boulevard Suite 875 Arlington, VA 22230
	Ms. Martha James joined the EPSCoR staff as Program Specialist in August 2001. She has worked at NSF since 1985 in the Directorates for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) and Engineering (ENG). She also worked in the old Research Facilities Office and what is now the Division of Grants and Agreements. In EPSCoR, Ms. James will focus her efforts on both the Research Infrastructure Improvement Awards and the EPSCoR Co-funding Initiative. Prior to joining NSF, Ms. James worked with a non-profit organization in Central Virginia. She is a graduate of Trinity College with a B. A. in Business Administration/Management.
top
	Ms. Patricia Ferguson, Senior Program Assistant
	Phone: (703) 292-8683 Fax: (703) 292-9047 Email: pferguso@nsf.gov	National Science Foundation EHR/EPSCoR 4201 Wilson Boulevard Suite 875 Arlington, VA 22230
	Ms. Ferguson is the Senior Program Assistant/Secretary for EPSCoR. She provides clerical support to the office head and five program directors. She also assists the program specialist and aids in program analysis. Ms. Ferguson also serves as timekeeper for the office, and is responsible for ordering supplies; arranging all meetings, travel authorizations, panel reviews, and conferences; and processing all proposals for the EPSCoR program.
top
	Ms. Simona L.Gilbert, Administrative Officer
	Phone: (703) 292-8683 Fax: (703) 292-9047 Email: sgilbert@nsf.gov	National Science Foundation EHR/EPSCoR 4201 Wilson Boulevard Suite 875 Arlington, VA 22230
	Ms. Gilbert has served in various administrative positions at the NSF. She began her NSF career in the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) in May 1992 as a program assistant for one of the NSF's largest global change programs. From August of 1997 until October of 1999, Ms. Gilbert served as Arctic Coordination Specialist in OPP. Ms. Gilbert was selected to serve as the Administrative Manager in the Office of International Science and Engineering (INT) from October, 1999 until May, 2002. Prior to joining NSF, Ms. Gilbert worked in the District of Columbia public school system. She is a graduate of Strayer University with a B. A. in Business Administration.
top