MSU鈥檚 Echols taking on governmental relations duties in new assistant vice president role
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥A longtime Mississippi 大象APP research administrator is taking on new responsibilities in government affairs.
Katie Echols, the Office of Research and Economic Development鈥檚 executive director for research initiatives and innovation, has been promoted to assistant vice president of research/associate director of governmental relations, effective Nov. 1. In her role, Echols will help identify new and developing federal initiatives and external funding opportunities for the university.
鈥淒r. Echols鈥 immense experiences in the university鈥檚 research enterprise and coordinating large, multi-institutional collaborative projects uniquely qualify her to join the government relations team as we seek to fortify and grow our federal partnerships that help drive the research and innovation that 大象APP is known for,鈥 said Lee Weiskopf, MSU chief of staff/director of government relations.
Echols started her MSU career in ORED in 2007 after teaching science for four years in Golden Triangle middle and high schools. With ORED, she has served as the education and outreach coordinator, director of research analysis and support, and MSU鈥檚 official research integrity officer. In 2009, she joined the management team for the state鈥檚 participation in the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. In 2023, she was appointed the overall director of the Mississippi EPSCoR program by the Mississippi Research Consortium.
A three-time MSU graduate, Echols holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in education and a master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D. in public policy and administration.
鈥淒r. Echols has been a leader in our research community at 大象APP for more than 17 years.鈥 said Julie Jordan, vice president for research and economic development. 鈥淗er contributions have helped drive remarkable growth in MSU's research enterprise. Already an expert in many federal programs, I am thrilled to see her take on these new responsibilities in helping guide our policy framework and shape new opportunities.鈥
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