Rhonda Kloss, Director of Sponsored Research Administration, College of Engineering
Rhonda Kloss is the Director of Sponsored Research Administration in the College of Engineering. In June 2025, Rhonda Kloss was the recipient of the Finance Center of Excellence Key Ambassador FAndy Award. This annual award recognizes an individual or group outside the Finance Division who are active partners in the ecosystem of the Finance Center of Excellence. Partnering with the Finance Division, they advocate for their units and help advance key financial initiatives and solutions.
Q: What department(s)/ areas in the Finance Division have an important upstream/downstream connection to your work?
A: As director of the Sponsored Research Administration in the College of Engineering, I engage the most with Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA), Cost Analysis, Accounts Payable (AP) and Payroll. Here are a few examples of those interactions:
Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA): As research administrators, SPA is the Finance Division department we work with most frequently. We collaborate with SPA on account creation, expense monitoring, evaluating cost sharing, closing awards, and interpreting federal and sponsor regulations. Both of our areas play critical roles in ensuring administrative compliance for sponsored awards, and by working collaboratively and proactively, the process becomes much more efficient.
Cost Analysis: While we also work with Cost Analysis on interpreting regulations, the focus here is more on understanding the broader impact a specific regulation may have on the university as a whole. I particularly value the opportunity to discuss upcoming regulations and share insights on how they might affect departments. The Cost Analysis group does a great job of managing audits for sponsored projects, so we only have minimal interaction about this, but there have been a few. Recharge centers (an internal service center that provides goods or services to other CMU departments on a cost-recovery basis) are another area where our paths cross.
Accounts Payable (AP) & Payroll: We work with AP and Payroll when we need to apply or adjust effort or for payments to vendors. Also, our researchers often collaborate with other universities and institutions, requiring us to monitor and pay sub-awardees. It’s critical that these payments are made timely and are compliant with federal regulations.
Q: Which Finance Center of Excellence value do you best exemplify and how?
A: While all of these are aspirational, I think I contribute to the Strengthen Trust value the most. Having worked in both central and departmental research administration (prior to my role in the College of Engineering, I was with the Finance Division!), I make a deliberate effort to bridge the gap between the two—explaining the “whys” to each side. Even after years in central research administration when I thought I knew all there was to know about research administration, moving into a departmental role gave me a completely new perspective. The phrase, “I didn’t know what I didn’t know” perfectly captures that there is always more to know, and that each departmental area of research administration has its own unique expertise that complements the broader expertise of central administration. That shift has deepened my understanding and enriched my work, and I now strive to share both the insights I’ve gained and the knowledge I carried with me with colleagues across both areas.
Q: Can you share a success story or significant achievement not previously mentioned that you have accomplished in conjunction with the Finance Division and/or other members of the university financial community?
A: Helping to create and develop the Research Administration Apprenticeship Program (RAAP) has been a truly rewarding experience. Established in late 2024, this program provides an opportunity for incoming cohorts, Research Administration Apprentices, to gain knowledge in the ever-growing field of research administration. The cohort rotates through the participating departments (the Sponsored Projects Accounting and Cost Analysis units within the Finance Division, the Mellon College of Science, the School of Computer Science, and the College of Engineering), which offers apprentices valuable insight and hands-on experience across these diverse areas and creates a pool of candidates for open positions who are trained in general research administration, with the goal of helping newly hired employees make an immediate impact within their respective hiring departments.
I was excited about the benefits the RAAP program would bring to both the university and the apprentices, but I hadn’t anticipated the added reward of connecting with colleagues from across these units. Our regular meetings not only kept the program moving forward, but also sparked valuable discussions on broader research administration topics. I’ve come to genuinely enjoy this consistent, inter-college exchange between academic and administrative colleagues.
Q: How do you keep your skills sharp and continue to learn and grow in ways that positively impact your role/team, the CMU financial community, and/or university?
A: I often say that part of my job within the college is to facilitate communication. While it sounds basic, in my opinion, communication is the key to efficiency. I talk a lot--with faculty, my group, research administrators from other departments and central units, and colleagues at other universities. These conversations are where I learn the most. I stay informed by reading news and updates in the research administration field, but it’s the discussions about those developments that I find most valuable. People often share insights, tools, or resources they’ve discovered, many of which we can adapt to improve our own processes in the College of Engineering.
Thank you, Rhonda, for participating in the spotlight and congratulations on your 2025 FAndy award!