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March 26, 2025 | Tom Ballard

ORAU welcomes four new universities, names new or reelected board members

The consortium now total 161 members.

ORAU has announced the election of new members to its board and to its joint board/nominating committee and welcomed four new institutions to its 161-member university consortium. The announcement was made during the ORAU Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions.

Lara Ferry, Ph.D., Vice President for Research at Arizona State University, was elected to the ORAU board of directors representing the Council of Sponsoring Institutions and will begin serving in June. Re-elected to the board representing the Council are Julie Jordan, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University, and Robert Nobles, Ph.D., Vice President for Research Administration at Emory University.

Newly elected or reelected at-large members of the board are:

  1. Harold Conner Jr., Ph.D., Principal Engineering Specialist at Strata G;
  2. Charlie Williams Jr., President, PACE LLC;
  3. Martin Williamson, Ph.D., Senior Director for Global Security and Strategic Partnerships at Consolidated Nuclear Security, managing contractor for the  Y-12 National Security Complex;
  4. Alan Icenhour, Ph.D., Nuclear Technology Consultant and retired Deputy for Operations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and
  5. Lt. Gen. John Regni, Strategic Planning Consultant, U.S. Air Force (Retired).

ORAU also announced the addition of the following universities to its consortium as sponsoring institutions:

  1. Saint Louis University , a private, non-profit institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a Carnegie Research University.
  2. Texas Southern University, a public, non-profit institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and also a Carnegie Research University.
  3. University of California, Davis , a public, non-profit institution accredited by the Western Association of Schools & Colleges, Senior College, and University Commission and also a Carnegie Research University.
  4. University of Nebraska Medical Center, a public, non-profit institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and another Carnegie Research University.

“Adding four new members to our University Consortium this year demonstrates that the value proposition for members continues to be as strong as ever,” said Andy Page, ORAU President and Chief Executive Officer. “ORAU’s Research and University Partnerships Office is mission-directed to advance national priorities and serve the public interest by integrating academic, government and scientific resources globally. Our new board and consortium members will build upon the momentum our team has created to strategically position ORAU for the future.”



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