Marcia Donnelson has joined the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute senior administrative team as director of proposal development.

Donnelson has more than 10 years of experience serving in research administration within several universities, including Colorado State University, the University of Nebraska, and East Tennessee State University. 

While most recently at Colorado State University, she served as managing director of the Center for Multiscale Modeling of Atmospheric Processes, one of only 15 National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers in the country.

At Colorado State University, she not only oversaw annual reports, project development, and grant awards and submissions, she also embraced outreach. She was integral in developing a new non-profit called Reach and organizing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-focused programs that serviced thousands of high school and undergraduate students. 

Prior to joining Colorado State University, Donnelson managed more than 40 active projects at the University of Nebraska, starting in 2006. During her four-year term at the University of Nebraska, grant funding increased by 45 percent annually.

Donnelson will oversee the proposal development team, which is instrumental in sustaining the $45 million (and counting) in annual expenditures conducted by the institute. 

“Marcia’s experience and spirit will help us achieve our goals and continue to support our mission of saving lives, time, money, and protecting the environment,” said Roderick Hall, senior associate director for administration at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

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