Keri Lemasters

keri Keri joined the sponsored finance team at IQSS in February of 2019 and has worked in sponsored administration for nine years. Keri supports several principal investigators affiliated with IQSS in pre-award and post-award services for federal and private foundation awards.

Prior to IQSS, Keri worked for five years as a Financial Analyst with the Office for Sponsored Programs at Harvard. While at OSP, Keri was a key contributor in managing the Financial Reporting Application Portal (FRAP) which drastically increased monthly automation of financial reports and invoices to over 60%. In 2016, Keri assisted HUIT/FSS with the FIRST project, which successfully transitioned FRAP automation into GMAS in April of 2018, with this transition new applications were developed in GMAS for sponsored compliance and financial reporting (Transaction monitoring and Financial Dashboard). Keri also contributed to university wide financial award set up and revisions of thousands of funded projects which fed into Harvard’s peripheral financial systems. Keri was nominated as a Harvard Hero for remarkable sacrifice for co-workers, departments, and the University in 2015. Keri has a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Michigan State University.

My Current Work

Pre-Award Responsibilities

Assist with proposals in the budgeting, compliance aspects, and drafting of documents to conform to federal and non-federal sponsor guidelines. Acting intermediary between the PI, Office of Sponsored Research, and sponsors to organize the documents into a successful proposal package.

Post-Award Responsibilities

Once an award is funded, assist with the onboarding of staff by updating the HR department of costing and effort for each employee associated with the award. Monthly reconciliations of actual and encumbered expenses while monitoring compliance issues via Harvard financial systems and sponsor agreements. Monitoring the life cycle of the award and requesting supplements, no cost extensions, continuations, transfers, and early terminations. Actively review reimbursement requests from Harvard and non-Harvard employees that get charged against sponsored awards. Facilitate the meeting of report deadlines for PI’s by the scheduling of non-financial reports in GMAS. Navigate the close out of the award by making sure financials are up to date, costings have ended for active staff, and all expenses are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award.

Keri Lemasters

Senior Sponsored Research Administrator

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Where I Fit at IQSS

My Current Work

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