Naomi Wood is the Managing Director of the core team in McAllister & Quinn’s growing Research Universities Practice. In this role, Naomi manages the day-to-day operations of the practice and oversees the team building and management of the RUP staff. She also implements best practices to support capacity building and consulting services by strategically collaborating with firm members to deliver high-quality services and programs for R1 & R2 clients.
Prior to joining McAllister & Quinn, Naomi spent five years in Research Development in the Division of Research and Innovation at the University of North Texas in both the Assistant Director and Director roles. Naomi implemented new strategic initiatives and programs in collaboration with the Vice President and Associate Vice President of Research & Innovation. Key programs she oversaw included the limited submissions program, hiring and co-managing a team of seven in-college grant proposal managers, and developing and delivering a bi-weekly research education series. In addition, Naomi built out federal sponsor information sessions, resubmission workshops, and grantsmanship programs. Annually, she facilitated a UNT Faculty Fellows cohort visit to Washington D.C., mentoring nearly 20 early investigators in understanding the federal funding landscape and best practices for engaging with federal program managers. Before this, Naomi served as a funding opportunity analyst in the central research office and held a prior position as a research analyst in the College of Engineering, where she provided funding prospecting and pre-award level support to her faculty. Prior to this, Naomi served as a teaching assistant for many years in the College of Information.
Naomi earned an M.A. in International Affairs and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Texas. She is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar with the UNT 2010-2012 cohort. She is the founder of the UNT IGNITE chapter and served as staff advisor for 7 years thereafter. She has been a member of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) since 2017.