Our People
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Meet the Team
The Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative (SPARC) has established an institutional hub to position the University of Minnesota’s faculty, staff, and students for innovative projects and global opportunities. The SPARC core staff is made up of individuals who are experienced in administratively complex and unique projects and programs. Our Advisory Board also plays a key role in SPARC activities.
Leadership Team
Kim Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., SPARC Interim Director
Research and Innovation Office - Associate Vice President for Research Capacity Building
Kimberly (Kim) provides leadership in development, enhancement, management, and review of academic institutes and centers that report to RIO. She also supervises RIO-managed research infrastructure and resources including the Research Animal Resources facilities and Biosafety Level 3 program. She more broadly oversees University shared research resources, core research services, and related infrastructure. She emphasizes initiatives that enhance interdisciplinary collaborative funding and research opportunities between the health sciences and other units across the UMN system.
Prior to coming to the University, Kim was a Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences and Director of the Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity Center at Kansas State University. She has served as the PI on over $30 million in extramural grants from the National Institutes of Health and other agencies. Her primary line of research examined the neurobiology of impulsive behaviors in rodents. She has 12 years of experience directing animal facilities and over 30 years of research experience with preclinical animal models.
SPARC Team
Project Management
Cami Connell, M.P.P., P.M.P., Project Manager
Cami joined SPARC in late 2021 and brings expertise in project management to strategic and proposal development efforts. A self-proclaimed chaos wrangler, Cami helps research teams organize and complete complex requirements for large-scale proposals. She also has experience using a variety of approaches and tools to assist leaders and stakeholders navigate the strategic planning process. Prior to joining SPARC, Cami led multidisciplinary business and strategic planning projects for county human services and public health programs.
Expertise: Project Management, Business and Strategic Planning
Cami Connell | conne295@umn.edu
Matthew Golembeck, Project Manager
Matt joined SPARC and Research Computing in July 2024 and brings expertise in agile project management with over 6 years of experience in leading complex and innovative projects in the tech industry. He also has experience using a variety of project management tools streamlining projects with impact and purpose to meet stakeholder goals. Prior to joining SPARC, Matt performed duties as a Senior Consultant for Modern Campus providing higher education institutions with agile project management expertise for the entire life cycle of ERP software integrations. Matt also brings experience as a Secondary Education Teacher, United States Airforce Veteran and an advocate for people with disabilities through work with Covenant Abilities of Minnesota.
Expertise: Agile Project Management, Strategic Planning
Matthew Golembeck | golem030@umn.edu
Amanda Krueger, Project Manager
Amanda has been with SPARC since its launch in January, 2019. She brings expertise in coordination and project management to the SPARC project portfolio. Her work focuses primarily on supporting teams across the University of Minnesota plan and execute complex large scale proposals. She also supports teams in navigating their strategic planning process through benchmarking, environmental scanning, workshops and reporting. Prior to SPARC, she was the Office Coordinator for the UMN Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI), where she managed the FPDI IT project tools and acted as the office manager.
Expertise: Project Management, Proposal Development, Reporting, Organization, Attention to Detail
Amanda Krueger | amandak@umn.edu
Melissa Mueller, M.P.H., Project Manager
Melissa is a SPARC project manager, bringing expertise in project organization, management, and execution. She has experience implementing surveillance and research projects along with leading strategic planning processes. Melissa enjoys working on cross-cutting projects with diverse personnel and challenging timelines. Melissa has previously worked in other departments at the U of MN, the MN Dept of Health, and the World Health Organization. She is currently working on a PhD in the School of Public Health.
Expertise: Project Management, Applied Public Health, Strategic Planning
Finance and Operations
Crystal King, Grant Administrator
Crystal joined SPARC and Research Computing in August 2024 and brings expertise in grant administration with almost 10 years at the University of Minnesota. Her experience is primarily budgeting, approvals, and in the pre and post-award management of proposals and funding from a multitude of government agencies, industry stakeholders, and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining SPARC, Crystal performed duties as a Research Accountant providing pre and post-award expertise for the entire life cycle of the award. Crystal holds an Associates in Accounting from Tarrant County College, a BS in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and is currently working on her Masters in Accounting. She is a UMN Community Fund Drive ambassador, and an UMN Mental Health Advocate.
Expertise: Grants, Approvals, Budgeting, Budget Justifications, Proposal Development, Crochet, Baking, and Creative Writing
Crystal King | king0727@umn.edu
Brittany Mader, Finance Manager
Brittany Mader is the Finance Manager for the University of Minnesota's Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative. She has led the fiscal management of over $100M in sponsored funds and external sales, which includes partnerships with domestic and foreign universities, nonprofit organizations, industry partners, and federal and local government agencies. Her experience is in the pre and post-award management of proposals and funding from a multitude of government agencies, industry stakeholders, and nonprofit organizations utilizing a large range of funding mechanisms, including grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and external sales.
Strategy and Grants Management
Urszula Parfieniuk, Grants Navigator
Urszula Parfieniuk joined the Great Lakes TCTAC in November 2023 as the Grants Navigator and is housed within SPARC. Urszula brings almost 10 years of experience preparing grant applications for federal, state and foundation funding as well as years supporting nonprofit departmental operations. Prior to joining the Great Lakes TCTAC and SPARC, Urszula earned her master's degree in public health with a concentration in environmental health in May 2023. She has worked at the UMN Medical School Family Medicine and Community Health Department as well as in the nonprofit sector in Minneapolis. Outside of work, she has been involved in environmental justice advocacy work in East Phillips and is an avid gardener. She brings a range of experience working and volunteering in organizations from the healthcare industry to community based organizations to academia.
Urszula Parfieniuk | parfi004@umn.edu
Stephen Streng, Research Development Strategist
Stephen Streng leads SPARC efforts to identify and evaluate research funding, partnership, and impact opportunities. He helps UMN research teams with long-term strategic planning as well as developing effective projects and proposals to secure funding. Prior to SPARC, Stephen performed similar duties for the UMN Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI), where he also engaged in research on cybersecurity risks in the food and agriculture sector. He continues to engage in UMN-wide efforts on securing research cyberinfrastructure. Stephen co-chairs the UMN Highly Restricted Data Standing Committee and is a past National Science Foundation Trusted CI Open Science Cybersecurity Fellow.
Expertise: Strategic Intelligence and Analysis, Strategic Planning, Open Science Cybersecurity, Group Facilitation, Proposal Development, Science Writing and Editing
Communication and Evaluation
Ian Allen, M.A., Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist
Ian manages monitoring & evaluation efforts for the University of Minnesota's Strategic Partnerships and Research Collaborative. His work is focused on developing and tracking performance indicators to support organizational learning, informed decision-making, and strategic planning. He also provides project management support for the SPARC CDC Laboratory Capacity Building project in Puerto Rico as well as evaluation support on a number of initiatives across the university. Previously, he worked as an M&E Specialist on the USAID One Health Workforce project, which supported university networks around the globe to build a global workforce aimed at preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious diseases. He is currently working on a PhD in the College of Education and Human Development.
Expertise: Program Evaluation, Indicator Development & Monitoring, Reporting
Ian Allen | allen595@umn.edu | @ian_k_allen
Shelly Gustafson, Communications Specialist
Shelly has managed strategic communications and design efforts for the SPARC since Spring 2021. Her work focuses on using narratives and information design to translate research into compelling and informative content for global initiatives. Her previous UMN work includes managing communications for the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, where she worked with researchers to craft the Fed Annual Report for USDA-NIFA and helped coordinate the First Kiss® apple launch along with other strategic initiatives for various University of Minnesota departments, centers and partners. She holds an BA in English from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.
Expertise: Strategic Communication, Graphic Design, Marketing, Writing and Editing, Website Design and Content Management
Shelly Gustafson | mgustafs@umn.edu
Emeritus Leadership
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