With 16 years of research development experience, Kimberly Eck, MPH, PhD, is the Sr. Associate Vice President for Research at Emory University. In this role, she established and oversees the Office of Research Development and Training Grant Support Office, as well as the university’s competitive intelligence function for the research ecosystem. She is the former president of NORDP and is the Sr. Director of the NORDP Consultants Program, which seeks to expand the national research ecosystem by providing research development services to grow research capacity at emerging research institutions at no cost to the institutions. She is a NORDP Fellow, the highest honor bestowed on an individual NORDP member, recognized for her significant contributions to defining the field of research development, and received the rare distinction of the NORDP President’s Commendation for her leadership and expansion of the NORDP Consultants Program. Her BA in sociology is from the University of Notre Dame, her MPH is from Saint Louis University, and her PhD in epidemiology from the State University of New York University of Albany is in epidemiology.