Kristina is the Associate Director of Strategic Collaboration at ASU’s Advanced Capabilities for National Security Institute (ACNSI). ACNSI convenes interdisciplinary researchers and experts around mission-critical areas in support of national security (AI, bioengineering, secure communications, cybersecurity, and STEM education for national security). Kristina oversees ACNSI’s pre-award efforts, namely to Department of War (DoW) federal sponsors. She supervises ACNSI’s proposal management team, collaborates with ASU faculty engaged in defense and security research, leads trainings for faculty and staff across ASU, and identifies new strategic funding opportunities.
Kristina joined ASU and ACNSI in 2015, and has served in program management and supervisory roles to build ACNSI’s pre-award portfolio and contribute to the creation of ACNSI’s research centers. (https://nationalsecurity.asu.edu/) She has managed tens of millions of dollars in proposal activity for ACNSI’s investigators and affiliates across the university, and is adept at guiding complex proposal teams from various national and international organizations. Kristina enjoys presenting workshops across campus, and collaborating with dozens of ASU’s innovative researchers and leaders every year.
Before joining ASU, Kristina was the Publications Lead at an international optics and photonics scientific society, where she oversaw the team’s production of 17,000 research manuscripts annually. Prior to that role, she was the Professional Services Operations Manager at a Seattle-area software development/Agile consulting company, where she earned ScrumMaster certification and was a liaison to the department’s Fortune 500 customers.
Kristina has more than two decades of experience in fast-paced academic, industry, government, and nonprofit environments. She hopes her skills in relationship management, scientific research development, Agile project management, technical communication, team facilitation, training, and public speaking elevate her colleagues at all levels of the organization.