Say hello to @AmandaPaveglio, April’s GrantZone Member Spotlight!
Amanda is the Manager of Grant Services for Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Amanda has been a member of GPA since 2015, earned her GPC in 2018, and just ended a term serving on the GPF Board of Directors.
I asked Amanda a few questions about her experiences, which I’m sharing below so you can get to know her a little better. If you learned something new, liked something about her story, or just want to say hi, please comment below to let Amanda know!
Please tell us a little bit about how you got started in the grants profession and what you like most about your role.
Was hired into my current employer to coordinate/manage a federal math-science partnership grant. That grant came to end-of-life in 2014-15, and coincidentally there was a staff vacancy in our fund development office, so they transitioned me into managing all our competitive grantseeking activities (including researching opportunities, writing/submitting applications, tracking successes, reporting). I enjoy working collaboratively with my colleagues to prepare applications... I like training my colleagues on how to "do grants"... I like learning something new with every application I work on... and OF COURSE I like getting notices of awards!! :)
What is your biggest career highlight to date?
2018 was probably my biggest year so far: submitted 24 grant requests that brought in over $12.6M (some of these were multi-year state or federal awards, including one federal award that got a perfect 100/100 score from the reviewers).
What advice would you give to someone who is new to the grants profession?
Be patient with yourself -- there's too much in this field to learn it all at once. And join GPA!
What do you enjoy most about being a member of GPA?
The networking opportunities, the delightful people I've met through the group, and the GPA Annual Conference (my people!!)
What makes you happy (travel, hobbies, family, pets…whatever makes you smile).
Playing in an Irish rock band, knitting, reading (you should see my Stephen King collection!), Star Trek, bad puns, my cats, and traveling/exploring new places.