NIH Grant Closeout Process: Administrative and Financial Essentials

<p>As Communications Director for the NIH Office of Extramural Research, Ms. Megan Columbus is responsible for leading strategic planning and communication activities pertinent to the management of NIH’s extramural program. She enjoys connecting scientists and administrators to information and tools in support of their research programs, helping the broader public learn how NIH-supported research contributes to health advances, and supporting the ongoing dialog between NIH and the research community. Ms. Columbus’ office is responsible for the NIH Grants and Funding website, the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts, the Extramural Nexus newsletter and “Open Mike” blog, eRA system communications, extramural staff training, media and legislative relations, and a host of other resources. She especially enjoys her outreach responsibilities that involve more personal engagement with the NIH extramural research community, such as live webinars and the NIH Virtual Conferences.</p>

<p>Kasima Garst is the Director of the Division of Grants Systems Integration (DGSI) within in the OER’s Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA). Prior to her appointment as Director of DGSI, she served as the DGSI Deputy Director and was a Systems Policy Analyst within DGSI’s Systems Policy Branch. She represents NIH on systems policy initiatives at the HHS and Federal-wide levels and works with key NIH stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of critical systems, policies, and compliance requirements across the NIH. Prior to joining OPERA in 2019, Mrs. Garst was a Grants Management Officer at the NIH Fogarty International Center and a Grants Management Specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Middlebury College and a Master of Forensic Sciences degree in Forensic Molecular Biology from the George Washington University.</p>

<p>Alan Whatley is the Lead Grants Financial Analyst for the FFR Reconciliation and Financial Closeout Support Center (FFR-C), located within the NIH Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA). Joining in 2022, Mr. Whatley's team focuses on the review of all NIH Federal Financial Reports (FFRs) and ensures timely financial reconciliation and closeout of all award documents within the HHS Payment Management System (PMS).</p><p>Prior to joining OPERA, Mr. Whatley had worked in the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR) since May 2021 as a budget analyst. The OAR is responsible for allocating and maintaining the entire NIH HIV/AIDS budget. There, Mr. Whatley worked with the NIH institutes and centers within his portfolio to ensure they successfully reported totals for their HIV/AIDS categories in the required systems for each budget cycle within the fiscal year.</p><p>Mr. Whatley began his journey with NIH in December 1998 with the Office of Financial Management (OFM), General Ledger Branch (GLB) where he worked as an accountant. He worked in the GLB from 1998–2006 performing various financial duties such as Interagency Payment and Collection, interagency agreement processing, fund balance with Treasury cash reconciliations, and Intra-Departmental Delegation of Authority fund transfers with other Department of Health and Human Services operating divisions. In 2006, Mr. Whatley transitioned to the Government Accounting Branch (GAB) of OFM. While in the GAB, he worked with all financial aspects of NIH grants with a focus on the processing of FFRs. There, he led a team of 6–9 accountants and financial management analysts in their daily duties.</p><p>Mr. Whatley graduated from Morgan State University in 1996 with a B.S. in accounting.</p>