Presenters

• Carol A. Burdsal, Ph.D. (M&Q)
• Emily Cunningham (M&Q)
• Susan Faulkner, Ed.D. (M&Q)
• Jessica C. Gerrity, Ph.D. (M&Q)
• Kathryn McGirk (M&Q)
• Scott Sheffler, Esq. (FTLF)
• Ted Waters, Esq. (FTLF)

Carol A. Burdsal, Ph.D. (M&Q)

Dr. Carol Burdsal is Managing Director of Grants and Federal Affairs at McAllister & Quinn, where she assists clients to strategically pursue federal funding opportunities. Dr. Burdsal leverages her experience as a former faculty researcher, university grants administrator, and program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide clients with advice and support to develop relationships, identify appropriate funding opportunities, and apply for funding at federal agencies.

Prior to joining McAllister & Quinn, Dr. Burdsal was Assistant Provost for Research at Bucknell University, where she was instrumental in elevating the profile and efficiency of the Office of Sponsored Projects. As a principal investigator of numerous extramurally funded projects from agencies such as the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Dr. Burdsal offers a unique perspective to clients – that of a grant-seeking faculty member and an experienced grants administrator at both large, research-intensive institutions and smaller, predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs). [Full Bio]

Emily Cunningham (M&Q)

Emily Cunningham is a Director of Grants and Federal Affairs in the Higher Education Practice at McAllister & Quinn and has been with the firm since 2014. Emily strategically works with higher education clients to identify, apply for, and secure millions of dollars in federal grant funding for a wide range of projects, including student scholarships, faculty-led research, retention efforts, and curriculum development. Emily works collaboratively with clients from the first stages of the conceptual development through grant submission, managing the entire grant process. During her tenure at McAllister & Quinn, Emily has developed an expertise across agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education. Emily also helps manage business development efforts for the Higher Education Practice, where she assists with the development of marketing and client materials and strategic communications.

Prior to serving as a Director, Emily was the Federal Grant and Foundation Research Analyst for the Higher Education Practice. In this capacity, Emily supported the higher education team and its clients by conducting prospecting research and monitoring and analyzing federal funding trends including the federal budget and appropriations process, agency priorities, and grant competitions. Emily was also responsible for organizing, moderating, and managing quarterly workshops for clients. [Full Bio]

Susan Faulkner, Ed.D. (M&Q)

Dr. Susan Faulkner serves as Executive Director of Grant Services at McAllister & Quinn. She is responsible for identifying and assisting in securing federal agency funding for the firm’s college and university clients. Dr. Faulkner provides clients with advice and support in developing relationships, identifying appropriate funding opportunities, and moving forward with applying for funding at federal agencies. Before joining McAllister & Quinn, Dr. Faulkner was Associate Director for Research Development at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University. She also held a similar position at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech, where she was the Education and Outreach Officer.

Dr. Faulkner has spent the past 25 years working on and/or leading extramurally funded projects and has served as a principal investigator, Co-PI, or administrator of numerous extramurally funded projects that were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and United States Department of Education (ED), as well as from private foundations. [Full Bio]

Jessica C. Gerrity, Ph.D. (M&Q)

Dr. Jessica C. Gerrity is a Vice President at McAllister & Quinn. In this role, she manages a broad range of the firm’s higher education clients, and helps to develop and implement the practice’s strategic goals.

Before joining McAllister & Quinn, Dr. Gerrity was the Research Manager for the Congress and Judiciary Section in the Government and Finance Division at the Congressional Research Service (2010-2014) where she led research and consultative work on congressional administration, legislative branch appropriations, federal elections, and judicial nominations and administration for members of Congress, congressional staff and committees.

Prior to her work at the Congressional Research Service, she was Assistant Professor of Political Science at Washington College (2007-2010) where she taught courses in American politics and public policy. During her tenure as a faculty member, she authored or co-authored over 30 presentations, book chapters, and referred journal articles in political science. She was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of Senator Jack Reed, specializing in healthcare policy. Dr. Gerrity has received several competitive grants and fellowships and her research is published in a number of scholarly journals and books such as The British Journal of Political Science, Politics and Gender, Politics and Policy, and Congress and the Presidency. She worked as a Research Assistant at the Center on Congress at Indiana University and as a Research Verifier and Senior Research Assistant at The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. [Full Bio]

Kathryn McGirk (M&Q)

Kathryn McGirk is a Director of Grants and Federal Affairs at McAllister & Quinn. In this role, Kathryn works with colleges and universities to identify viable funding opportunities and guide them through developing a competitive grant proposal. Kathryn’s specific areas of interest include the Department of Education (ED), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Economic Development Agency (EDA). Kathryn brings a diverse set of expertise in appropriations and legislative analysis, federal funding research and proposal development. Prior to serving as a Director, Kathryn was a Research Analyst at McAllister & Quinn. In this role, Kathryn supported various practices by conducting prospecting research, proactively contacting federal agencies to monitor and analyze federal funding trends and providing proposal support for clients ranging from institutions of higher education, nonprofits, health care organizations, and municipalities. She also helped place nationally prominent researchers on Federal Advisory Committees within various federal agencies. [Full Bio]

SCOTT SHEFFLER  (FTLF)

A Partner with the firm in the Federal Grants and Health Law practice groups, Scott advises clients on matters of federal grant law, government contract law, and health care law.  Scott assists clients with the myriad requirements that apply upon acceptance of federal grant funding, including the administrative requirements and cost principles established in the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars that preceded the Uniform Guidance, and program-specific statutory and regulatory funding conditions. [Full Bio]

TED WATERS (FTLF)

Serving as Managing Partner of the firm since 2003, and a member of the Health Law and Federal Grants practices since 1992, Ted is a national authority in the area of federal grants, particularly in the health and community service spheres. He advises clients on all aspects of program requirements, including issues such as cost-based reimbursement, governance, grant administration, cost reporting, and administrative issues and routinely handles challenging issues such as government audits, internal investigations, and litigation. Ted's priority is to help each organization carry out its mission by offering practical, down-to-earth counsel and to ensure that legal challenges do not distract from that focus. [Full Bio]