The COGR team is staffed by professionals with extensive university and federal agency experience and has deep knowledge of federal policies and procedures affecting the conduct of research. Members of the COGR staff are in regular contact with federal research agencies and keep the membership informed on regulatory developments. They also specialize in designated ares of research administration and compliance and are a resource to the membership to answer questions, provide networking contacts, and consult and clarify on policy and procedural issues.
The staff team works closely with the association's Board of Directors, committees, and working groups and provides information about the work of these groups to the membership through a variety of communications and the association's in-person and virtual meetings throughout the year.
601 13th Street, N.W. 12th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 289-6655
| Name | Title | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Owens | President | X 2 |
| Kevin Wozniak | Director, Research Security & Intellectual Property | X 3 |
| Cynthia Hope |
Director, Costing and Financial Compliance |
X 4 |
| Krystal Toups | Director, Contracts & Grants Administration | X 5 |
| Kristin West | Director, Research Ethics & Compliance | X 6 |
| Toni Russo | Chief Operating Officer | X 7 |
| Mary Deans | Administrative Officer | x 8 |
| David Kennedy | Senior Fellow | x8 |
| Member Services | memberservices@cogr.edu | |
| ERI Services | ERIservices@cogr.edu |
To email staff directly, click their picture below:
M. Matthew Owens (Matt) is the President of COGR. Prior to joining COGR in March 2023, he worked at the Association of American Universities (AAU) for over 20 years serving two different times in several roles, including: Interim President, Executive Vice President & Vice President of Federal Relations, and Vice President for Federal Relations & Administration. Prior to his second stint at AAU, he was the Associate Director for Government & Community Relations for Stanford University. Mr. Owens earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California at Davis, and an Associate of Arts in English from Santa Rosa Junior College. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
Kristin (Kris) West is the Director of the Research Ethics and Compliance Committee at COGR. Prior to joining COGR, Kris first worked as a a trial attorney in the Department of Justice, and then had a long career with Emory University. She began at Emory by working as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel for 15 years. Kris then went on to lead the Office of Research Compliance before being selected as Emory's first Chief Compliance Officer. Kris has extensive experience in navigating the federal regulatory framework for the ethical conduct of research involving humans and animals and in working with the various oversight committees in these areas (e.g., IACUCs, IRBs, Biosafety Committees). Kris has a B.A. from the University of Maryland, a J.D. from Mercer University and an M.S. from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in drug regulatory affairs. Kris is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. Connect with Kris on LinkedIn.
Krystal Toups is the Director for Contracts & Grants Administration at COGR. She leads COGR’s research policy efforts related to the administration of sponsored research from proposal preparation and submission to terms and conditions of awards, monitoring the regulatory landscape. Prior to joining COGR, Krystal served as the Assistant Vice Provost for Sponsored Projects and Research Compliance at Rice University leading the university’s operations for pre-award administration (e.g., grants and contracts) and research compliance (e.g., COI, export controls, IRB, IACUC, IBC/SCRO). Before Rice, Krystal worked at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in various pre-award capacities including leading pre-award administration as the Director for Grants. She has over 17 years of experience in Research Administration including management, strategic planning, business development, process improvement, policy research and development, grants and contracts, research compliance, and accounting and finance. She is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) received in 2011, holds a certificate in Public Health from UTHealth, a B.S. from Xavier University in Louisiana, and an Executive MBA from Texas Woman’s University. Connect with Krystal on LinkedIn.
Kevin Wozniak is the Director of Research Security & Intellectual Property at COGR. Kevin leads COGR’s policy efforts related to university technology transfer and research security programs. Prior to joining COGR, he served as an Executive Director at Georgia Institute of Technology with responsibilities in technology transfer and licensing, industry and international contracting, foundations, subawards and consulting agreements, and philanthropic gifts in the support of research. He has over 25 years of intellectual property, commercialization and research administration experience at multiple universities within the University System of Georgia. Kevin is a Registered Technology Transfer Professional, holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Georgia. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.
Cindy Hope is the Director for Costing & Financial Compliance (CFC) and leads COGR’s efforts to address federal policies impacting financial management of research programs. Prior to joining COGR, Cindy served as Associate VP for Research Administration at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Assistant VP for Research at The University of Alabama, Assistant Controller and Indirect Cost Specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and audit associate at Coopers and Lybrand, now PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she participated in and led engagements of various University Federal (Single Audit) and Financial Statement audits. Cindy has over 25 years of research administration experience and has served as chair for the COGR Costing Policies Committee (now CFC) and for the Federal Demonstration Partnership. She is a CPA (inactive) and holds a BS degree in Accounting and a BA degree in Psychology from The University of Alabama. Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn.
Toni Russo is the Chief Operating Officer at COGR and supports the President by managing daily operations, coordinating internal and external communications, managing membership matters, acting as the Secretary to the Board of Directors, and helping to ensure the alignment of the association’s activities with its mission and priorities. In addition, Toni also supports the policy work of the Directors, Board, and Committees. She has supported projects such as the NIH Data Management and Sharing, F&A Rate Survey, F&A White Paper, Cannabis & Hemp Research Working Groups, the COVID-19 Response, and others. Prior to joining COGR in September 2015, Toni was a Contracts Specialist and Research Compliance Officer at the George Washington University where she negotiated grants and contracts on behalf of the university and assisted in research misconduct inquiries and investigations. Toni has a BA in Public Administration, and an MA degree from GW in Strategic Public Relations. Connect with Toni on LinkedIn.
Mary Deans is the Administrative Officer at COGR. Mary has over 17 years administrative management experience, and oversees the day to day administrative operations of the organization. Prior to joining COGR in April 2022, she served an Administrative Officer at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality where she provided administrative management support for property management, financial services, facility operations and capital project contract management for the Department. Connect with Mary on LinkedIn.
David Kennedy is a Senior Fellow at COGR. Prior to that, he was COGR’s Director of Costing & Financial Compliance (CFC) for over 18 years. In his new role, he supports COGR initiatives and special projects at the direction of the COGR President. David joined COGR in 2006 and before that, he worked as a consultant for 16 years, specializing in F&A reimbursement, F&A rate negotiations, and other areas of financial compliance at colleges and universities. David earned his BS in Economics from Lehigh University and his MS in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago, and a MTS in Theological Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. Connect with David on LinkedIn.
