Our Staff

Administration

Kacie Flynn

Kacie Flynn

Executive Director

Kacie earned her Bachelor's Degree in Art Education from Cal Poly Humboldt with a Certificate in Gallery Studies, and her Masters of Science in Research Administration from Johns Hopkins University. She has earned the designation of Certified Research Administrator (CRA) from the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC).

She has been with the Cal Poly Humboldt Sponsored Programs Foundation in a number of roles since August 2010, currently serving as the Executive Director and Chief Campus Research Officer. Kacie has been actively involved with the CSU Auxiliary Organizations Association (AOA) for several years. She served as the 2020 AOA President and currently serves as a member of the Past President’s Committee. 

Kacie focuses on building a strong and customer service focused organization that enables Cal Poly Humboldt to increase the number of proposals to a wide range of research, scholarly and creative opportunities; develop processes and practices that enhance data tracking and management of awards; and expand Humboldt’s outreach to other stakeholders, including other CSUs and institutions of higher learning, and community and industry partners.

Executive Support

Sam Caudill

Sam Caudill

Executive Support Coordinator

Sam is a Certified Research Administrator who graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt with a Bachelors in Economics and a minor in Photography. Since 2014 she has worked for the Sponsored Programs Foundation as a part of the Front Office, Compliance, and Post-Award teams. Her favorite part of the job is receiving research reports with photos of cute animals, but she also enjoys a well designed spreadsheet.

Research Development & Pre-Award

Pia Gabriel

Pia Gabriel

Sr. Pre-Award Specialist

Pia was born and raised at the edge of the Alps in southern Germany. She studied biology at University of Munich, and came to Humboldt County for the first time in 2001 as a visiting student to Humboldt’s Wildlife Department. In 2005 she moved to Humboldt permanently to pursue a PhD in Behavioral Ecology in cooperation between Humboldt’s Wildlife Department and Technical University of Munich. During her studies and since completing her degree in 2012, Pia has gathered extensive experience preparing and administering grants in cooperation with Humboldt faculty, government agencies, and consultancies. She has worked as an ecological consultant on local ecological issues, and as a biologist with Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. She joined the SPF team in the Pre-Award office in July 2015.

Cara Peters

Cara Peters

Pre-Award Support & Marketing Coordinator

Cara received her bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University, majoring in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations. As a student, she worked on campus at the Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Center, the Student Marketing Center, and for El Leñador, Humboldt's student-run bilingual newspaper. She joined Sponsored Programs Foundation’s Pre-Award team in April 2021, and is happy to be working for the campus community once again. When she's not at her desk, Cara enjoys movie nights with her partner, good books, and homemade tortillas.

Jocelyne Takatsuno

Jocelyne Takatsuno

Pre-Award Specialist

Jocelyne moved to Humboldt in 2021 after living and working overseas for over 15 years. During that time, she was a humanitarian aid and development worker in communities affected by war and natural disaster, including Syria, Myanmar, Uganda, Sudan, Nicaragua to name a few. Through that work, she has extensive experience in pre- and post-award, as well as implementation and evaluation. She holds a BA in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College and an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Though a native to California, Jocelyne has not spent much time in and around Humboldt and enjoys exploring and learning about the rich cultures and environment the area boasts.

Kaz Wegmuller

Kaz Wegmuller

Pre-Award Specialist

Kaz was born in Japan, studied anthropology at UC Berkeley, served in the Swiss army, and has previously worked as a research administrator at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  In addition to being a grant administrator, he is also a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, martial artist, woodcarver, knifemaker, and nature lover. Kaz and his wife Annette fell in love with Humboldt while visiting their daughter Sara, who attended Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theater in Blue Lake, and moved here in 2022.



Erika Wright

Erika Wright

Research Development Lead

Erika Wright was born and raised in Eureka, California and is a graduate of Humboldt where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Ethnic Studies. She moved to London in 2002 and completed a Master's degree in Postcolonial Literature at the University of London, School of Advanced Studies. She lived in Berlin for a year and then went to China to teach at Xi'an International Studies University through a program with Humboldt. An avid traveler, her next move was to Perth, Western Australia where she lived for five years; volunteering for Oxfam and Slow Food and teaching full time at Murdoch University. She moved back to Humboldt and has been with SPF since November of 2014.

Post-Award Grants Management

Christiana Frye

Christiana Frye

Grant Analyst

Christiana started working at Cal Poly Humboldt in 2016 for the Center for International Programs, and later moved into a Department Coordinator role. Prior to moving to Humboldt, she lived in New York for eight years, where she worked in community outreach and nonprofit management. After receiving her B.A. in Anthropology from Oregon State University, she served in Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer, creating sustainable farming projects. She loves travel, dogs, and adventure. She is grateful to be able to bike to work on the Hammond Trail.

Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson

Sr. Grant Analyst

Anthony Johnson started with SPF in 2004 working in Purchasing and has served as the Lead Grant Analyst in the Post-Award Office since 2010. He received his Bachelors from Chico State University in 1993. Anthony served 8 years in the U.S. Army and previsouly worked for the former Humboldt Bank for 4 years. Anthony is an avid fly fisherman and devoted baseball fan.

Pauline Neira

Pauline Neira

Grant Analyst

Pauline joins the Post-Award team after working for our local community non-profits for the past six years. She earned her Bachelors in Business Administration from Cal Poly Humboldt, with an accounting emphasis. Pauline's previous work gave her a passion for inspiring an environment of equity, sustainability, and growth. Her professional style places an emphasis on attention to detail and effective communication, which she picked up while working in public accounting and the insurance industry for 15 years. When she isn’t working, you might find her hiking, paddling a kayak, or catching some sun on the coast.

Leslie Rodelander

Leslie Rodelander

Grant Analyst

Leslie has her MBA degree in Management from San Diego State University and a Bachelors in Physiology from University of California, Berkeley. She worked for 4 years in finance in biotech and for 11 years as a research grant administrator for the San Diego State University Research Foundation. Leslie and her family are recent (and grateful!) transplants to Humboldt County and she has been with SPF working in the Post-Award office since July 2014.

Angela Turner

Angela Turner

Grant Analyst

Angela moved to Humboldt County in August 2017 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Angela has a Bachelors in Anthropology and a Bachelors in Liberal Arts from Northwestern State University. She served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Maine before obtaining her Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford. Angela was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to New Zealand in 2002, where she volunteered with Amnesty International New Zealand while doing postgraduate work in International Development. Since then, Angela has worked with non-profits throughout the United States through grant writing and grant management. Angela returns to Sponsored Program after briefly serving as a Grant Support Coordinator in 2017.  Angela enjoys travel, hiking in the redwoods, and all things dog-related

Compliance

William Cook

William Cook

Compliance Officer

William is a Humboldt graduate, where he received his Bachelors of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting.  He has over seven years of local accounting experience working in both the public and nonprofit sectors. He is active in the community in various volunteer roles. William joined Sponsored Programs as a Compliance Officer in June, 2015.

Front Office & Operational Support

Ruben Antilla

Ruben Antilla

Student Assistant

Ruben is a current Cal Poly Humboldt undergraduate psychology student. who was born and raised in Banning California, a small town on the south side of Riverside County. Where he learned the aspects and importance of building a strong community through the employment of Beezy Beez Childcare/Preschool and Banning Broncos Youth Football. He is ecstatic to be a part of the SPF team as of March 2024. Outside of the SPF office, you can mainly find Ruben Volunteering at Branches church in Arcata, or studying on the second floor of the Cal Poly Humboldt library.

Raven Arnold

Raven Arnold

Accounts Payable Coordinator

Raven is a Humboldt County local who joined the SPF team in late 2023. She has earned her B.A. in Language Studies, with a concentration in French and a minor in dance from UC Santa Cruz. Her previous professional experience includes library services, teaching French, and teaching dance. In her career with SPF, she is most excited about supporting Humboldt's local and academic community. In her free time, Raven enjoys dancing, reading, crochet, cooking Indian food with her partner, and frequent family game nights.

Brittany Bauserman

Brittany Bauserman

Grant Support Coordinator (GSC)

Brittany was born and raised in McKinleyville, California, and is a graduate of Humboldt where she earned a Bachelor of Art degree in Art Studio with an emphasis in Photography with a minor in Journalism. In addition to her position with SPF, she has a photography business in which she specializes in lifestyle and documentary style family portraiture. She has been with SPF since November of 2014.

David Caudill

David Caudill

Grant Support Coordinator (GSC)

David is a Humboldt County local who started working for the Sponsored Programs Foundation in 2021. He is a former Humboldt student and a lifetime learner. He is also a Cross-Utilized Supervisor at the Humboldt County Airport. If you fly out of ACV on a weekend, you might catch him there! In his free time, he enjoys traveling, woodworking, gaming, and spending time with family. 

Amber Gillespie

Grant Support Coordinator (GSC)

Amber graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Vermont University after receiving her Associate's Degree in Accounting from the Community College of Vermont. She moved to Humboldt five years ago to enjoy more predictable weather, her family, and friends. Amber has worked in highly regulated industries including organic agriculture and cannabis for the past 15 years and has recently set her sights on the non-profit industry. Her first foray into the nonprofit world was working with the local Norcal SBDC as a Small Business Client Coordinator. She is looking forward to learning more about all of the programs that the Sponsored Programs Foundation supports and how she can best support the teams.

Lizzy Peterson

Lizzy Peterson

Human Resources Coordinator

Lizzy was born and raised in Sonoma County and relocated to Humboldt in 2018. After working in the beauty industry as a licensed Esthetician for 10 years, she entered the healthcare field, working for St. Joseph Primary Care & Specialties for 4 years. During her time at Primary Care, she was instrumental in orchestrating COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing clinics for the community. She considers this one of her proudest achievements and finds fulfillment in helping the community in any way she can. Lizzy and her husband fell in love with Humboldt while she was pregnant with their daughter, and feel lucky to be able to raise her here. She joined the SPF team in 2022, and when she's not working you can find her taking ballet class or hiking with her family.

Meagan Razo

Grant Support Coordinator (GSC)

Meagan was born and raised in Indio California. She moved to the greater Los Angeles area where she received an Associate of Science in Histologic Technician Training from Mt. Sac Antonio College in June of 2015. She continued her education at Cal Poly Humboldt where she received a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology in the Spring of 2018. She returned to southern California to work at a biomedical research lab at City of Hope Hospital. Her lab focused on health disparities and luminal B breast cancer in women of color. She joined Sponsored Programs at CPH in November of 2023 and supports her alma mater remotely. She also volunteers for the CPH chapter of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority as a Chapter Advisory Board member. She visits Humboldt County whenever possible to admire the beauty and splendor of the redwoods. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, yoga and running.

Jody Rundel

Jody Rundel

Administrative Support Assistant

Jody moved from Southern California up to Humboldt County in 1989 and promptly fell in love with the natural beauty of the area. She graduated from College of the Redwoods with a 2 year degree, focusing on Business Administration. After working in the accounting and real estate fields for over 30 years, she  joined Sponsored Programs Foundation in January 2021. She loves interacting with people and her favorite thing in life is to be able to help in any way that she can, so her position with the SPF team suits her perfectly.

Sarah Sanders

Grant Analyst

Sarah grew up experiencing all four seasons in New England. After graduating from Northern Vermont University with a degree in Environmental Science, she began her career as a consultant, specializing in environmental due diligence, and traveling widely throughout the western United States. She eventually settled on the Humboldt coast, telling friends and family that “t-shirt running weather” in the middle of December just could not be beat. Sarah spent almost ten years in the environmental health field and remains passionate about empowering all people everywhere to be healthy, safe, and strong.

Mailani Souza

Mailani Souza

Grant Support Coordinator (GSC)

Mailani was born and raised in Hawaii where she received a Bachelor of Science in Agroecology and Environmental Quality from University of Hawaii at Hilo. She also attended Humboldt as a part of the National Student exchange program and fell in love with the redwoods. Mailani has experience working with a variety of schools and nonprofits throughout Hawaii, teaching sustainability courses and managing grants for local and national organizations. She returned to Humboldt in 2021 and joined the SPF team in August 2022. In her free time, you might find her hiking in the forest or bundled up in a
sweater on the beach.

Binta Wright

Binta Wright

Office Manager

Britney “Binta” Wright is an Humboldt alumni, Class of 2018, with a BA in French & Francophone Studies and a minor in Dance Studies. In 2017, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Sénégal as part of a pilot program started by Dr. Joseph Diémé. Following graduation, she worked for the County of Humboldt, Department of Health and Human Services for 1 ½ years before joining SPF in January 2020. She can be spotted in the community performing in a variety of art forms, whether it be singing, dancing or acting. In the near future, she hopes to pursue her Masters in Diplomacy.  

Pachia Yang

Pachia Yang

Grant Support Coordinator (GSC)

Pachia was born and raised in Arvada, Colorado and moved to Humboldt County in 2014. She is a Cal Poly Humboldt alumni with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Pachia is currently pursuing her Masters of Arts in Diverse Community Development Leadership from CSU Northridge. She has been with Sponsored Programs since June 2021. In her free time Pachia enjoys gardening, hiking and exploring Humboldt County.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Jennine Crane

Admin. Analyst/IRB Coordinator

Coming Soon...