Research Institutes

Jill Brasher

  • Principal Contracting Officer
  • OSP Export Specialist, OSP Export Committee Co-Chair
  • Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Committee Chair
Office of Sponsored Programs
200 Innovation Blvd., Suite 110 University Park, PA 16802
Email: 
jtf140@psu.edu
Phone Number: 
814-863-3655
Fax Number: 
814-863-3413

 

 

 

 

 

As a Principal Contracting Officer, Jill reviews RFPs for contractual issues and negotiates and processes grants, subawards, contracts, subcontracts, non-disclosure agreements, and various other research-related agreements. Jill has been a member of OSP’s Export Compliance Team since 2007 (conducts export reviews under the guidance of the University Export Compliance Officer) and is currently Co-Chair of the Committee.  Jill has also been Chair of ther Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Committee since 2012 (overseeing the committee's efforts to review new FAR clauses and maintain PSU’s FAR Matrix). In addition, Jill has been a Penn State ACES Instructor since 2011. Jill also participates in OSP’s New Negotiator Training.

Jill joined OSP in 2005 as a Junior Negotiator after working at SAIC as a Subcontract Administrator. Jill holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Minor in the Legal Environment of Business from The Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business. Jill also holds a Master’s Certificate in Government Contracting from Villanova University.

 

  • Jill negotiates the following special agreements:
    • Texas A&M Experiment Station (University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH) actions)

       

Sarah Kronenwetter

  • Associate Director
  • Agreement Templates Chair
Office of Sponsored Programs
200 Innovation Blvd., Suite 110 University Park, PA 16802
Email: 
smf199@psu.edu
Phone Number: 
814-863-3411
Fax Number: 
814-863-3413

 

 

 

Sarah 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.

Sarah serves as Chair of the Templates Committee, which is responsible for maintaining and updating PSU’s library of industry templates. She also has an extensive background in FAR Contracts and serves on Penn State’s FAR Committee, assisting with maintaining PSU’s FAR Matrix. Additionally, she is responsible for managing the bi-weekly OSP Negotiator Trainings. Sarah has also presented at the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and is a Penn State ACES Instructor.

Sarah began her career in negotiation in 2004 as a Contract Specialist working with the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2007, she came to Penn State as a Subcontracts Administrator in Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory, and in 2010 accepted a position as Negotiator in the Office of Sponsored Programs. Sarah was subsequently promoted to Senior Negotiator and then Associate Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs in 2021.

 

Sarah also negotiates the following special agreements:

  • PLCB Wine and Beer Grants (multiple sponsors)
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Lindsey Rogers

  • Contracting Officer
Office of Sponsored Programs
110 Technology Center Building University Park, PA 16802
Email: 
les13@psu.edu
Phone Number: 
814-865-3308
Fax Number: 
814-863-3413

 

 

 

 

 

 

As an OSP contract negotiator, Lindsey reviews RFPs, processes gifts and grants, and negotiates contracts, subawards, NDAs, and modifications and amendments thereto. Lindsey currently serves on three committees within the Office of Sponsored Programs: the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Committee, the Federal Research Terms and Conditions Committee, and the OSP Diversity & Events Committee.  

Lindsey began her career at Penn State in 2006. Her early years were spent working as a Financial Assistant, entering Research Administration in 2018. Lindsey joined the Office of Sponsored Programs in 2020 as a Junior Negotiator and was subsequently promoted to full Negotiator.

Melissa Brannen

  • Senior Contracting Officer
Office of Sponsored Programs
200 Innovation Blvd., Suite 110 University Park, PA 16802
Email: 
mlr28@psu.edu
Phone Number: 
814-863-1553
Fax Number: 
814-863-3413

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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)

Jessica Wenrich

  • Contracting Officer
  • Data Use Agreement (DUA) Specialist
Office of Sponsored Programs
110 Technology Center Building University Park, PA 16802
Email: 
jlm5326@psu.edu
Phone Number: 
814-863-4428
Fax Number: 
814-863-3413

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a Contracting Officer, Jess serves the Penn State research administration community by reviewing requests for proposals, processing gifts and grants, and negotiating contracts, subawards, and modifications.  She has completed the ACES course and is a member of the OSP Policy Committee.

Jess began her professional tenure with Penn State at the College of Medicine. She served as the post-award supervisor for the grants team and was a super user during the SIMBA conversion. Prior to joining the University, she spent several years in hospital billing and coding with Penn State Health, worked as a health insurance customer service representative for Highmark, and was a Marketing and Public Relations Manager for a professional baseball team.

Jess earned two Bachelor’s degrees from Penn State, in Advertising/Public Relations and English.