College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

As a Senior Contracting Officer, JoZane reviews RFPs, processes gifts and grants, and negotiates contracts, subawards, and modifications thereto. JoZane joined the university in 1999 with the inception of the School of Information Sciences and Technology as a Staff Assistant to the Faculty. She transitioned to the IST Research Administration unit in 2003 and then joined the College of Agricultural Sciences Research Administration office in 2007. JoZane joined OSP as a Negotiator in 2015 and is now a Senior Contracting Officer. JoZane is a RACC Certified Research Administrator (CRA). JoZane has also taught Proposal Preparation for Penn State's ACOR Certification and Education Series (ACES).

Melissa’s research administration career at Penn State began in the Office of Research Information Systems (ORIS) which sparked her interest in the field. She now leverages over 15 years of  pre- and post-award research administration experience at the college level in her role as a Senior Contracting Officer at Penn State. She engages with various sponsors in the Office of Sponsored programs to negotiate terms and conditions appropriate for an educational institution. Melissa is also a member of the Research Security Compliance Data Use Team.

Prior to her career in research administration, Melissa gained over ten years industry experience that encompasses project management, leadership in management roles, and creating new business models and infrastructure in small growing businesses. This experience has given her a solid base on handling change, growth, and pressure in dynamic business settings. Melissa currently chairs the SharePoint Committee where she is collaborating with colleagues on new document management systems and knowledge sharing processes.

Melissa has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Organization Development and Change from Penn State.

• Melissa negotiates the following:
  • Data Use Agreements (I-L)
  • Data Security Reviews (DUA & Non-DUA)
     
• Melissa also negotiates the following special agreements:
  • Pratt & Whitney (additional agreements not included in Mech Eng T-Z)

Melissa Long is a Senior Contracting Officer with a focus on industry sponsored research contracts. In coordination with units across the university, Melissa negotiates and processes agreements from a variety of external sponsors, concentrating primarily on those from for-profit partners.
 
Originally from California, Melissa received a Bachelor of Science in Genetics from the University of California at Davis. Melissa attended graduate school at Penn State and holds a Master of Science in Cell and Developmental Biology. Prior to joining the Office of Sponsored Programs, Melissa focused on the protection and commercialization of inventions developed at Penn State. Melissa started her professional career in the Eberly College of Science Office for Innovation, where she connected inventors/entrepreneurs with needed resources and coordinated innovation-focused events. She then transitioned to the Office of Technology Management, where she facilitated technology transfer through the protection, marketing, and licensing of inventions developed at the university.

• Melissa also negotiates the following special agreements:
  • College of Earth & Mineral Sciences - Industry NDAs

Stacey serves the PSU Research Administration community by leading a team of Negotiators who are each responsible for diverse negotiation portfolios. She provides training and guidance to assist Negotiators with negotiating terms and conditions appropriate for an educational institution.  In addition to her management responsibilities, she also has her own negotiation portfolio. Stacey is returning to Penn State after working as an Interim Manager and Senior Sponsored Programs Specialist at a major Health Care Research Institute.

Stacey has over twenty-five years of research administration experience, having worked in Penn State's Office of Sponsored Programs as a Negotiator, Senior Negotiator, Export Compliance Specialist, and Data Security Compliance Specialist. Stacey previously chaired the OSP Policy Committee, OSP Agreement Templates Committee, OSP Subcontracts Committee, OSP Data Security Compliance Committee, and the Data Acquisition Working Group (DAWG). Stacey has served as a Penn State ACES Instructor of Data Security, Grants and Contracts, and Subaward/Subcontracts. Additionally, Stacey has presented on multiple topics for the National Council of University Research Administrator (NCURA) at both the regional and national levels.  Currently, Stacey serves as Co-Chair on OSP’s Process Efficiency Committee.

Earlier in her career, Stacey worked as a Grants and Contracts Negotiator in the Office of Research Affairs at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine, as a Senior Buyer in the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine Purchasing Services, and as a Buyer at The Pennsylvania State University's Office of Purchasing Services, University Park. Stacey holds a Bachelors of Arts in English from Rider University.

Olivia joined Penn State as a Contract Administrator in OSP in 2023.  Prior to coming to Penn State, she spent several years as a Contract Specialist in the pharmaceutical industry, where she developed and practiced a variety of skills across the contract negotiation and data privacy spaces. 

Olivia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts and Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University. 

Olivia negotiates subawards for the following business areas:

• Liberal Arts
• VPR - Social Sciences Research Intitute (SSRI)