Program Leadership
Kimberly Eck, MPH, PhD
Senior Director
Kimberly, a former President of NORDP, launched the NORDP Consultant Program in 2021 and continues to serve as the Senior Director. At Emory University, she is the Senior Associate Vice President for Research at Emory University, leading the Office of Research Development and the Training Grant Support Office. Beginning in 2009, her research development career includes many roles across several organizations.
She served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, the Associate Vice President at Geisinger Health System, Manager of Collaborative Proposal Development at the Research Foundation for the State University of New York, and as a consultant at a small private firm.
Erica Pitre
Program Manager
Recognized as a 2024 NORDP Rising Star, Erica serves as the Program Manager. She is the Director of Research Development at Emory University where she supports strategic initiatives, mega proposals, seed funding, and other research development initiatives. Previously, Erica worked in the University of Louisiana's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) office and has extensive proposal development experience, formerly specializing in the construction and energy industries.
Japera Hemming, PhD
Project Director
Japera is the Project Director for the Expanding NORDP Consultants Program to Sixteen Minority Servicing Institutions funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF OIA – 2331578). She's worked to expand participation in STEMM for under-recognized and minoritized students and faculty at the University of Georgia, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Georgia State University.
Her published work on the topic can be found in several journals including Academic Medicine, Ethnicity & Disease, PloS One, Higher Education, Health Services Research, the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, and in the following books, Critical Research on Sexism and Racism in STEM Fields and Setting a New Agenda for Student Engagement and Retention in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
