The annual meeting of the Northeast Management Officers was held virtually on Tuesday, October 20, with 72 participants in attendance throughout the day. UMES was the hosting member institution.
Administrative and financial officers from land-grant institutions in the Northeast region of the U.S. conducted business discussions spanning budgetary, financial and human resource management. The theme of the day expressed the sentiment of each individual: We Can Do Virtually Anything Together!
A highlight of the conference involved a morning address from Dr. Parag Chitnis, acting director of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. He discussed the transition of NIFA from Washington D.C. to Kansas City over the past year, which has been transformational.
Dr. Chitnis expressed his appreciation for the patience displayed by the land-grant universities as NIFA went through a number of changes. Following his brief address in the morning, his team held talks during an afternoon session that were meant to introduce, and re-introduced in a few cases, the agency’s new officers. According to Chitnis, only 28% of the NIFA staff moved to Kansas City.
The day, which included a business meeting, the appointment of new officers and state reports, culminated with roundtable discussions centered mainly on financial reporting, new budget and match requirements for federal capacity grants, indirect costs and subawards, and integrated research and extension.
Suzanne Waters Street, agricultural communications specialist, School of Agricultural & Natural Sciences, 410-621-3850, sstreet@umes.edu.
