ORAU announced the election of new members to its board and to its joint board/nominating committee and welcomed four new institutions to its 161-member university consortium. The announcement was made during the ORAU Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Lara Ferry, Ph.D., vice president for research at Arizona State University, was elected to the ORAU board of directors representing the Council of Sponsoring Institutions and will begin serving in June. Re-elected to the board representing the Council are Julie Jordan, Ph.D., vice president for research and economic development, Mississippi State University, and Robert Nobles, Ph.D., vice president for research administration at Emory University.
Harold Conner, Jr., Ph.D., principal engineering specialist at Strata G; Charlie Williams, Jr., president, PACE LLC; and Martin Williamson, Ph.D., senior director, global security and strategic partnerships, at CNS Y-12, were elected as at-large members of the ORAU Board of Directors. Alan Icenhour, Ph.D., nuclear technology consultant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Ret.), and Lt. Gen. John Regni, strategic planning consultant, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), were re-elected as at-large members of the board.
The following leaders were named to the joint board/nominating committee: Cosima Boswell-Koller, Ph.D., executive director of research engagement at the University of Alabama, and Aleister Saunders, Ph.D., executive vice provost for research and innovation at Drexel University.
ORAU also announced the addition of the following universities to its consortium as sponsoring institutions:
- Saint Louis University, is a private, non-profit institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a Carnegie Research University.
- Texas Southern University, is a public, non-profit institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a Carnegie Research University.
- University of California, Davis, is a public, non-profit institution accredited by the Western Association of Schools & Colleges, Senior College and University Commission and is a Carnegie Research University.
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, is a public, non-profit institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a Carnegie Research University.
“Adding four new members to our University Consortium this year demonstrates that the value proposition for members continues to be as strong as ever,” said Andy Page, ORAU president and CEO. “ORAU’s Research and University Partnerships Office is mission-directed to advance national priorities and serve the public interest by integrating academic, government and scientific resources globally. Our new board and consortium members will build upon the momentum our team has created to strategically position ORAU for the future.”