The designation of Certified Research Administrator (CRA) indicates that an individual has met the Research Administrators Certification Council's eligibility requirements and has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary for a person to be a professional research or sponsored programs administrator. Turbeville and Jordan are two of eight people in Alabama with the certification.
Candidates must pass the written examination developed by the Council and administered by the Professional Testing Corporation. The examination tests a broad base of fundamental information required to meet the demands and responsibilities of the profession.
As CRAs, Turbeville and Jordan will give advice, service and direction to the Research Administrators Certification Council, an independent non-profit organization based in New York. The certification is valid for five years.
Turbeville has been a USA employee for over 17 years. She began her career in radiology administration and later worked in cell biology and in the office of sponsored programs. She served as associate director of the office of grants administration before her appointment as director in 2007. Turbeville completed her undergraduate degree and her master’s in business administration at USA.
In 2009, Turbeville also completed the Research Administration Management Program with Huron Consulting, a management consulting firm. The training program is designed to allow research administration professionals to enhance their knowledge and ability to deliver high-quality service to the research community. Grants administrators from seven institutions of higher education completed the one-year program.
Jordan, who has been working with the USA College of Medicine for close to 20 years, was first hired in the division of pediatric cardiology and then transferred to the department of pharmacology. When the Center for Lung Biology was established in 2002, she served as the center’s coordinator and was later chosen as the financial operations specialist. Since 2005, Jordan has served as the director of PERCIPIO, the Art and Science program sponsored by the Center for Lung Biology to increase community awareness about ongoing biomedical research performed at USA.
The Research Administrators Certification Council was formed in 1993 as an independent non-profit organization. The council is composed of active certified research administrators whose role is to certify that an individual, through experience and testing, has the fundamental knowledge necessary to be a professional research or sponsored programs administrator.
Dr. Maggie Pyle, director of sponsored programs at USA, and Steve Croft, associate director of sponsored programs at USA, also completed the Certification Examination for Research Administrators.
