Blog
Celebrating the 2026 Connect Awards
It’s hard to believe that another Connect by Cayuse Virtual Conference is already behind us! As always, we are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of the research administration community through the annual Connect Awards presented at the live conference.
Read our full breakdown of this year’s winners and honorable mentions, and help us congratulate the teams and individuals who made an incredible impact in 2025!
2026 Sheri Pulis Award for Outstanding Service in Research Administration
In honor of Sheri Pulis, a cherished Cayuse customer who passed away in 2019, the Sheri Pulis Award recognizes individuals who have an incredible impact and drive progress in the area of research administration, both within their organizations and the broader research community. Those who receive the award demonstrate service to the research community, make significant contributions within their own institution’s research program, are collaborative, dedicated, and love to drive results within their institution.
The 2026 Sheri Pulis Award winner is Zolicia Abotsi, Director in the Office of Sponsored Programs & Research (SPAR) at Baruch College.
As Director of SPAR, Zolicia plays a critical role in supporting faculty, staff, and the institution as a whole, guiding complex proposal development, ensuring compliance with sponsor and university requirements, and strengthening Baruch’s research infrastructure. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, stewardship, and service, and she navigates that space with exceptional skill and tirelessness.
What truly sets Zolicia apart is her commitment to service. She is known as a trusted partner to researchers, someone who brings clarity to complicated processes, solutions to challenges, and calm leadership to high-stakes situations. Her colleagues consistently praise her responsiveness, her integrity, and her ability to translate policies into practical guidance that empowers others to succeed.
Beyond day-to-day operations, Zolicia has made a lasting impact through her leadership within the SPAR office and across the Baruch and CUNY research community. She is dedicated to improving business processes and systems at the university. Her commitment to excellence has made her a champion of best practices, fostering collaboration and helping to create an environment where research can grow responsibly and sustainably.
In short, Zolicia exemplifies what outstanding service in research administration looks like: excellence behind the scenes, unwavering professionalism, and a genuine dedication to advancing the mission of higher education.
Congratulations, Zolicia!
2026 Transformation Award
The Transformation Award recognizes individuals or organizations engaged in updating and reimagining their systems across the research lifecycle.
The 2026 Transformation Award goes to the Office of Sponsored Programs at Florida Institute of Technology.
The Office of Sponsored Programs plays a pivotal role in advancing Florida Tech’s research mission. The team supports the acquisition and administration of externally funded research, guiding faculty through complex awards and contracts while strengthening research competitiveness and ensuring compliance across the university.
When Florida Tech set out to grow and modernize its research enterprise, the focus was on streamlining processes, centralizing communication, and empowering faculty through intuitive, efficient tools. The Office of Sponsored Programs recognized that relying on manual systems such as email chains, spreadsheets, DocuSign, and other disconnected processes was creating delays and limiting visibility.
With a bold commitment to transformation, the team implemented a full suite of Cayuse solutions, fundamentally reimagining how research administration operates on campus.
Their execution was exceptional. Multiple solutions were implemented successfully, each delivered on time and within budget, a remarkable accomplishment for a project of this scale. One team member even served simultaneously as project manager, change manager, and lead trainer, guiding stakeholders through every phase with clarity, patience, and an unwaveringly positive attitude.
Through strong leadership, thoughtful change management, and deep dedication to their campus community, the Office of Sponsored Programs ensured not just a smooth transition but enthusiastic adoption across the university. Today, they are trusted Cayuse champions at Florida Tech, empowering faculty and staff while driving lasting operational improvements.
Their work exemplifies true transformation, strengthening institutional partnerships, accelerating research success, and building a modern foundation for continued growth.
Congratulations to everyone in the FIT Office of Sponsored Programs!
Honorable mentions:
- Alicia Swanson, Director of Research & Sponsored Programs at Bowling Green State University
- Leah Vargas, Research Integrity and Compliance Officer at the California State University in Sacramento
2026 Productivity Award
The Productivity Award is presented to individuals who have engaged in reducing burden for their research staff and improving productivity.
The 2026 Productivity Award goes to the Research Informatics & Research Administration Office at Cook Children’s Healthcare System.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the Research Informatics & Research Administration Office at Cook Children’s supports a robust pediatric research mission by empowering investigators, research staff, and clinical teams to conduct high-quality, compliant research—work that ultimately improves health outcomes for children and families.
Like many growing research organizations, the team faced challenges, including fragmented clinical trial workflows, disconnected teams, and gaps in existing systems. Recognizing that these barriers were limiting efficiency and collaboration, they identified a clear need for a more integrated, scalable solution, one that could reduce administrative burden while delivering measurable productivity gains.
After careful evaluation, the team selected a suite of Cayuse solutions, anticipating 10-20% or greater gains in workflow productivity across the entire research enterprise, which was historically still paper-based and supported by homegrown databases.
The results speak for themselves. This implementation has enabled Cook Children’s to expand research administrative capacity and confidently support a targeted 50% growth in corporate-sponsored research over the next three years without increasing staff. That is productivity in action.
Congratulations to everyone in the Cook Children’s Healthcare System Research Informatics & Research Administration Office!
Honorable mentions:
- Lora Passetti, Evidence-Based Practice Center Program Director, and Kelli Wright, Scientific Grants Administrator at Chestnut Health Systems
- Charna Howson, Director of Sponsored Programs at Appalachian State University
2026 Community Champion Award
Finally, the Community Champion Award celebrates individuals who demonstrated leadership and a commitment to supporting the research community by sharing their insights, advice, and expertise with their peers.
The 2026 Community Champion Award goes to Carrie DePetris Duell, Grants & Contracts Specialist at Quinnipiac University.
As a member of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Quinnipiac University, Carrie works closely with principal investigators and campus partners to support the full lifecycle of sponsored research. Her work spans the full range of pre- and post-award administration, including proposal and budgeting support, compliance with internal and external requirements, and education for principal investigators and campus partners. Through this work, Carrie helps advance Quinnipiac University’s mission to foster innovation, collaboration, and excellence.
Beyond Quinnipiac, Carrie goes above and beyond to share her experiences and help support the greater research community. She regularly meets with colleagues at other institutions to answer questions, share lessons learned, and support peers through their own Cayuse implementations.
Carrie led an insightful Cayuse webinar on maximizing research ROI, where she shared a practical, data-driven approach to demonstrating the value of administrative software in strengthening research operations, and conducted a follow-up workshop, guiding peers through the process of customizing ROI calculators for their organizations.
Through her leadership, openness, strategic insight, and commitment to shared success, Carrie has empowered others to act in their own institutions and strengthened the collective knowledge of the research administration community.
Congratulations, Carrie!
Honorable mentions
- Amber Hood, Director, Regulatory Compliance and Research Facilities at the Oklahoma State University – Center for Health Sciences
- Ashlee Kupilik, Executive Business Analyst at the University of Wyoming