A seasoned researcher and grant writer whose resumé includes previous stints at the Bronson Health Foundation, Grand Valley State University, and Western Michigan University has been named the new director of Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed).
John Risley, PhD, officially began his new role at the medical school on April 20. Risley is an alumnus of Pennsylvania State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1992. He later attended The American University in Washington, D.C., where he earned his master’s degree in political science with a concentration in American government in 1995, and then attended WMU where he earned his PhD with a concentration in public policy in 2008.
At WMed, Dr. Risley provides direction and administrative oversight for all core components of SPA, including the development and implementation of program goals and objectives, grants and contracts administration, education and training, and quality assurance and improvement. He replaces Christopher Schneider, MS, who served as the director of SPA for more than a decade before being named senior director for Research Compliance in October.
Before coming to the medical school, Dr. Risley served as a grant writer for the Bronson Health Foundation for nine years. In that role, he developed and submitted proposals to advance the mission of the foundation and assisted staff in identifying federal, state, corporate, and foundation funders, among other duties.
Prior to his work with the Bronson Health Foundation, Dr. Risley worked for five years as a research and program officer in the Office of the Vice President for Research at WMU and, prior to that, he was a senior researcher for the Community Research Institute at GVSU from 2009 to 2012 and a community investment associate for the Greater Kalamazoo United Way from 2007 to 2009.
Dr. Risley also has previous experience as a research associate for the College of Health and Human Services at WMU and as a research assistant and doctoral associate at WMU’s Evaluation Center.