ORPA Welcomes New Contracts Manager, Liz Powell

Jan. 17, 2023

Liz joined ORPA on January 3rd and most recently was the Director of Contracting in the Office of Sponsored Programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC conducts more than one billion dollars of sponsored research from all sources annually, making it the 13th largest US research university in research volume and annual expenditures. As the Director of Contracting, Liz oversaw daily operations related to inbound and outbound contracting and negotiation process for confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements, clinical trial agreements, master service agreements, data use agreements, subawards/subcontracts, and other research-related agreements with a variety of sponsors including industry, federal, and non-profit organizations. She also directed a staff of twenty-eight employees performing all aspects of research administration contracting, including negotiation and execution activities, budget review, change orders/amendments, etc. Additionally, she guided staff on operational issues and the interpretation of contract clauses to assess business risk.

Prior, Liz was a Contract Manager in the Office of Industry Contracting at UNC and a Post-Award Financial Analyst in the UNC Office of Sponsored Research. Liz has been in research administration since 2009.

Liz is a licensed attorney and received her J.D. from the North Carolina Central University School of Law. She graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting.

You can contact Liz at [email protected] or (609) 258-1635.