Mary Louise Healy

Number of Years in Research Administration: 33

Institutions: Johns Hopkins University, Towson University

Mary Louise Healy has been a research administrator since 1988, at both research-intensive and predominantly undergraduate institutions, public and private. Since November 2011, she has led the research administration staff of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) at Johns Hopkins University, first as Associate Director and currently (since August 2013) as Director. As such is responsible for pre- and post-award administration of all awards for the School, totaling approximately $78 million per year. She serves as advisor to the Vice Dean for Natural Science on all matters relating to sponsored projects, including funding trends and policy formulation. Prior to her position in KSAS, she worked at Towson University for 21 years, first as Assistant Director of the Office of Research Administration (1990-1994), then as Director of that office (1994-2007), and finally as Assistant Vice President for Research (2008-2011). At Towson University, she was responsible for all pre- and post-award activities of the University, including financial post-award and compliance functions.

During her tenure at Towson University, sponsored projects funding increased steadily each year, most years by 10% or more. As sponsored funding increased, so did compliance issues and thus staffing needs. The office grew and was reorganized several times under Mary Louise’s tenure, to ensure continuing compliance without sacrificing customer service and individualized research development services to investigators.

At Towson University, Mary Louise was the IRB administrator; had responsibility for committing and tracking institutional cost share funds; administered three separate internal funding programs; and was responsible for research and sponsored projects communications as well as for the day-to-day management of proposals and awards.

Prior to joining Towson University in 1990, Mary Louise served first as Research Services Assistant then as Sponsored Projects Specialist at Johns Hopkins University Homewood Research Administration, first concentrating on identifying funding opportunities then moving into day-to-day proposal and award management.

Mary Louise is a long-time member of NCURA and is currently a member of the Board of Directors. She has served as Chair for Region II, co-Chair for the Pre-Award Research Administration conference in 2014, Chair for the Region II Spring Meeting in 2013, co-Chair for the Region II Spring Meeting in 2012, and as a member of the Region II Leadership Development and Nominating Committee (2013-2015). She is currently serving as a member of the Region II Steering Committee, a mentor in the Region II Cheryl-Lee Howard Mentor Me Program, as co-Chair of the Mentor Me Committee, and as a traveling workshop faculty member for Region II. She has presented extensively at national and regional meetings. Mary Louise is a graduate of the NCURA Leadership Development Institute and Executive Leadership Program.

Additionally, Mary Louise is an adjunct faculty member at the Community College of Baltimore County where she teaches a non-credit course on proposal writing and an adjunct faculty member at Towson University, where her courses have included Grant Writing in Education (graduate course), Using Information Effectively, and Seminar in Media and Medicine (undergraduate courses).

NCURA Peer Program engagements are priced as a flat fee, scaled to the sponsored programs total active award dollars in the last fiscal year, regardless of type of Peer Program engagement.