The ultimate trouble-shooter

Thursday, May 2, 2002

Vol 8, Issue 9

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Ten-year grants veteran Bre Jefferson wins center's T. Evans Wyckoff award

By BARBARA BERG

Photo by Clay Eals

"I've had few boundaries placed on me," says Wyckoff award winner Bre Jefferson. "People have let me take risks and had faith I'd get the job done."

Keeping the center's lifeblood flowing smoothly is no small task, even for a "make-it-happen" person like Bre Jefferson.

The manager of administration and operations for Grant and Contract Administration does whatever it takes to ensure that the more than $200 million in research money overseen by the office is managed with the highest level of quality and customer service.

Those characteristics garnered her this year's T. Evans Wyckoff Esprit de Corps Award. The honor, named for the late founding member of the Board of Trustees, is given to a center staff member who exhibits dedication, outstanding team work, enthusiasm, the ability to get the job done and a commitment to the center and its mission.

Jefferson, a 10-year center veteran, views those qualities as part of her job, which is to serve as chief problem-solver if there is any hint of a snag in the grants system.

"I guess I would describe my position as the ultimate troubleshooter," she said. "If the process flow isn't working smoothly or there's a problem with expenditure tracking, for example, I'm the one (whom) people come to in order to find and fix whatever's wrong.

"People often refer to the center as an institution that conducts first-rate science. The administration here must be first-rate as well."

The Grant and Contract Administration office tracks every grant awarded to center investigators from the moment an award is made. That includes overseeing expenses and making sure research groups stay within their budgets. What's more, the office plays a key role in ensuring a researcher's grant application is properly processed before it is submitted to a funding agency. During fiscal year 2001 (July 1, 2000, through June 30, 2001), the office reviewed almost 700 such applications.

Jefferson has direct responsibility for managing eight staff in the administrative arm of the office. She works closely with the general counsel's office and the finance department to assure that details of the center's contracts and grants are managed according to increasingly complex government regulations.

But her duties extend beyond the walls of the sixth floor of the Yale building. As part of her commitment to customer service, she works closely with division administrators to ensure that program coordinators in the scientific divisions are properly trained in grants management.

Marcea Kato, Basic Sciences Division administrator, described Jefferson as one who never strays from a new challenge.

Works toward a 'yes'

"Bre always tries to work toward a 'yes' answer," she said. "If we have a divisional grants-related issue come up, I can tell her, 'Here's where we need to get to,' and she explores the options needed to make that happen, even if the solution isn't easy or obvious."

Kato also praised Jefferson's willingness to provide training and assistance regarding budgets for the division's coordinators.

"I asked her to help my group with budget training," Kato said. "Bre took the ball and put together a package of materials for us and even provided hands-on training. Her upbeat, positive attitude makes it seem as though it's never a burden to call on her, even if it's something mundane."

Shannon Lysen, grants manager who has worked with Jefferson for 10 years, echoed the praise.

"Bre is always willing to step in and help resolve a problem regardless of how it may relate to her job, and she's made a great effort to get involved with the center outside of her job duties as well," Lysen said, noting that Jefferson serves on the Diversity Council, has served on the Administrative Managers Forum and participates in Hutch High.

Jefferson's willingness to get immersed in every step of a process is a hallmark of her problem-solving abilities, said Kim Moreland, director of Grant and Contract Administration. She cites a project Jefferson led to simplify a complex financial relationship that enables researchers at the University of Washington to collaborate on center grants.

"This project had been a headache for everyone," she said. "But Bre got in there from the bottom up, doing routine aspects of the work that weren't part of her job. She did this so that she could see for herself how the entire process worked. Because of her efforts, we've made a significant amount of progress and have been able to automate the process in ways we couldn't before."

Moreland also praised Jefferson's insight into the importance of working closely with those who have a stake in a problem.

"Bre always seeks to be inclusive," she said. "She readily welcomes anyone who might contribute to a solution to the discussion."

Jefferson attributes much of her success to the fact that she's held multiple positions in Grant and Contract Administration since she came to work at the center in 1992.

Initially hired as assistant to Joann Cahill, former director of the office, Jefferson was quickly promoted to fellowship specialist, grant and contract specialist and commercial agreements specialist. She became manager of administration and operations in 2000.

"I think I've done almost every job in this department," she said. "I don't think someone could handle my current position without having experienced all of those roles."

After returning to work after the birth of her first child, Jefferson set her sights on working at the center because of its reputation for providing excellent benefits.

Supportive environment

She found a supportive work environment and quickly devoted herself to the center, which she said has grown considerably from what felt like a "mom-and-pop" kind of place a decade ago.

"I have such a huge commitment to this institution," she said. "I've been lucky to have a group of people take an interest in me and foster me. I've had few boundaries placed on me. People have let me take risks and had faith I'd get the job done."

Her dedication is legendary, said colleague Ginny Tanner, the manager of contract administration who nominated Jefferson for the Wyckoff award, who noted that Jefferson rescheduled vacation time and family obligations to shepherd the center's core-grant application to the National Cancer Institute this year.

"The application faced extraordinary pressures, given the decision to submit as a consortium with the University of Washington," Tanner said.

"While our office did not have primary responsibility for the submission, Bre realized that the core-grant team would need assistance. Not only did she offer collaboration throughout the process, she produced complex, detailed reports for the application. Given the short time frame, she worked weekends and late into the night to generate and refine data to meet the grant requirements."

'Part of the job'

Jefferson said some questioned why she postponed a vacation and worked extended hours to take on a task outside of her responsibility.

"To me, it's part of the job," she said. "I do what it takes to get things done."

Still, she said, she's never felt like the center has asked her to choose between family and work. Confronted with a family medical emergency two years ago when her new position was being created, she worried about taking time off.

"The only questions I got from my colleagues were, 'Do you need any help?' and 'Can I bring you dinner?'" she said. "It's those examples that make the center a really special place to work."

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