In-Person Workshop: Outreach to Policymakers – April 24, 2023

This in-person workshop, “Outreach to Policymakers,” was hosted by the Center on KTDRR on Monday, April 24th, 2023, at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. This is the same venue where the NARRTC Annual Meeting and Conference took place on April 25-26, 2023.

About the Workshop

Learn about which strategies are best for sharing research information with state and national policymakers, in a free in-person workshop, “Outreach to Policymakers.” The workshop is designed for grantees funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

• Mary Louise Healy from Management Concepts opens the session to discuss restrictions on lobbying for federal grantees.
• Mark Bayer of Bayer Strategic Consulting leads this updated workshop presenting proven and research-based strategies for networking and sharing research results with representatives on Capitol Hill and in grantees’ home states.
• A panel of NIDILRR Fellows/researchers will present their experiences with outreach activities on Capitol Hill.

Date and time: Monday, April 24, 2023 (9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. ET)

Location: Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, 1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington, VA.

About the Presenters

Mary Louise Healy has been a research administrator since 1988, at both research-intensive and predominantly undergraduate institutions, public and private. Since November 2011, she has led the research administration staff of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) at Johns Hopkins University, first as Associate Director and currently (since September 2017) as Assistant Dean for Research Administration. As such is responsible for pre- and post-award administration of all awards for the School, totaling approximately $85 million per year. She serves as advisor to the Vice Dean for Natural Sciences on all matters relating to sponsored projects, including funding trends and policy formulation.

Prior to her position in KSAS, she worked at Towson University for 21 years, first as Assistant Director of the Office of Research Administration (1990-1994), then as Director of that office (1994-2007), and finally as Assistant Vice President for Research (2008-2011). At Towson University, she was responsible for all pre- and post-award activities of the University, including financial post-award and compliance functions. Before joining Towson, Mary Louise served first as Research Services Assistant then as Sponsored Projects Specialist at Johns Hopkins University Homewood Research Administration, first concentrating on identifying funding opportunities then moving into day-to-day proposal and award management.

Mary Louise is a long-time member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), is a past member of the NCURA Board of Directors, and is currently a Peer Reviewer and Traveling Faculty member. She is a 2021 recipient of the NCURA Julia Jacobsen Distinguished Service Award. Mary Louise is currently serving as a mentor in the NCURA Region II Cheryl-Lee Howard Mentor Me Program. She has presented extensively at national and regional meetings. Mary Louise is a graduate of the NCURA Leadership Development Institute and Executive Leadership Program.

Mark Bayer is an international keynote speaker, course presenter, and workshop provider specializing in strategic communication, legislative strategy, and the art and science of persuasion.

A former Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives during a 20-year career working in the U.S. Congress, Mark helps researchers get funding, advance their careers, and effectively communicate the real-world importance of their work to their most important stakeholders, including policymakers and the public.

Mark has appeared in Science, Forbes, The New Yorker, Barron’s, TeenVOGUE and other publications. He serves as a guest lecturer in the Science Policy Bootcamp course at Cornell University's Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering.

Since 2018, Mark has hosted the weekly podcast When Science Speaks, where he explores communications, science policy, and career issues affecting grad students, PhDs, entrepreneurs, and senior scientists.

Mark earned his Bachelors degree at Cornell University and Master in Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.