UA Administrator Elected Chair of Federal Demonstration Partnership 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Members of a national initiative designed to reduce administrative burdens associated with federal research grants and contracts elected a University of Alabama administrator as its chair in results announced last week.

The Federal Demonstration Partnership, a cooperative initiative among 10 federal agencies and 119 institutional recipients of federal research funding, elected Cindy Hope, UA assistant vice president for research and director of the Office for Sponsored Programs, as its chair for the initial three years of its next emphasis, known as Phase VI.

The number of institutional members will increase to 155 in this new phase.

“I have the utmost respect for Cindy,” said Dr. Susan Wyatt Sedwick, the outgoing chair of the Federal Demonstration Partnership. “She is a valued colleague and friend. I know the leadership of the FDP is in great hands for Phase VI.”

Federal Demonstration Partnership members of all sectors cooperate in identifying, testing and implementing new, more effective ways of managing the more than $15 billion in federal research grants, according to the group’s website. It is sponsored by the Government, University, Industry Research Roundtable of the National Academies.

Hope, who holds bachelor degrees in both accounting and psychology from UA, has worked at the University for more than 15 years and has served as the University’s administrative representative in the Federal Demonstration Partnership since 2008. She will begin her chair responsibilities in September.

Her daily UA responsibilities include contract and grant accounting, sponsored programs administration and cost analysis.  Prior to joining UA, Hope worked with UAB and Coopers and Lybrand, now PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Hope serves on the board and the costing policies committee of the Council on Governmental Relations and is a member of the National Science Foundation advisory committee for business and operations. She has served as workshop faculty, presenter, committee member and regional officer in the National Council of University Research Administrators.