WAPA colleagues -- 

I'm posting this at the suggestion of Gemmae Fix.

Rob Winthrop

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Our NIH center will soon accept applications for Scientific Review Officer (SRO). I am happy to answer questions about the SRO job and working in the current NIH climate. Kristin Kramer (below) would be a good contact for questions about the specific position and requirements.

Please forward to anyone you think might be interested. 

Best, 

Lauren Penney

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• Federal hiring is done through USAJobs.gov

• The required application materials are very different from what’s required by a university or industry. It’s critical to pay close attention the guidance in the job announcement. For example, the resume is limited to 2 pages – the content of it is important and the layout and style of it is not.

• The announcement is expected to open September 24 and will be labeled “Biologist Scientist Administrator (Scientific Review Officer)”.
• It will likely be open for 10 days.

• Questions during the application process can be directed to the agency contact listed in that announcement. Questions about CSR, the SRO role, or general application questions can be addressed to Kristin Kramer (Kramerkm@csr.nih.gov), Senior Advisor to the CSR Director. She’s happy to chat with potential applicants.
• To aid you in considering the role and preparing an application, please look at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/881149400. The SRO announcement will be similar. 

Lauren Penney, PhD

Scientific Review Officer

Center for Scientific Review

National Institutes of Health

6701 Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD

301-496-1968 (office)

240-220-8656 (cell)

Lauren.Penney@nih.gov

Gather for Good for Guatemalan Children on Sept. 12   at Immigrant Food @ Ballston for an afternoon filled with community, connection, and purpose. . Every dollar raised helps provide two nutritious meals each school day to more than 350 food-insecure students.  Get Your Tickets Here

September 19, 2026 Faith in Peace Interfaith Concert honoring the UN International Day of Peace. Celebrating our shared humanity through music from various cultures and traditions at Trinity Church  1316 G St. NW. Proceeds go to humanitarian causes, https://FaithinPeace2026.eventbrite.com

The annual DC Day of Archaeology Festival gathers archaeology organizations in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia together in one location to inform our community about local archaeology resources. The event is organized by Archaeology in the Community and held in June as part of DC Archaeology Month. ​Find hands-on activities for all ages at this free, fun, family-friendly event!

2026 Festival

Saturday, June 6, 2026
10 AM-3 PM
Catholic University of America
University Lawn outside the Pryzbyla Center
620 Michigan Ave NE
Washington, DC 20064

Peace Week Sessions are free and open to all. Most of them are online. See the program and Register Here: https://carterschool.gmu.edu/news-events/carter-school-peace-week

Peace Week Theme: Sustainable peace requires transforming the underlying structures, relationships, and institutions that sustain conflict. Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions entail connecting peacebuilding and conflict resolution with inclusive governance and development. When integrated, these fields provide a comprehensive framework for addressing root causes of violence, strengthening institutional legitimacy, and cultivating resilience within divided societies. Carter School's Spring 2026 Peace week will investigate innovative and evidence-based approaches to peacebuilding that align with the pursuit of just and effective institutions. Through a series of seminars, workshops, and collaborative dialogues, participants will examine how transformative practices in mediation, reconciliation, and participatory governance can support societies emerging from conflict and polarization. Key themes will include local and hybrid peacebuilding approaches; inclusive dialogue and reconciliation processes; institutional design for conflict prevention; community resilience and social trust; post-conflict reconstruction, transitional justice and collective memory; and the role of education and technology in sustaining peace.

Networks play a vital role in building links for peace and conflict resolution. This panel showcases

several types of peace networks ranging from global to local.

Moderator: Mari Clarke, Chair, Rotary District 7620 Peace Committee, President elect Rotary Club of

Washington Global, and Affiliate Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Panelists:

• Tijana Ristic, Chair, Rotary Action Group for Peace Board
• Binalakshmi Nepram, Rotarian and Founder of the Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice

and Peace, Peace Chair, Rotary Satellite Club for International Peace

• Jeff Helsing, Executive Director of the Better Evidence Project at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict

Resolution

• Rebecca Crall, Rotary International Focus Area Manager for Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention
• Manuela Cordoba, President Rotary Club Bogota Centanario, Colombia
• Arthur Romano, Rotary Peace Fellow and Founder and Director of the Program on Urban Peace Building,

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Concluding Remarks: Alpasian Ozerdem, Dean of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and

Conflict Resolution, UN designated Education Hub Chair for Social Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and

Strong Institutions

Register: https://carter-school.ticketbud.com/networks-building-links-for-peace-from-global-to-local

Speaker: Rose Cardarelli, Rotary UNICEF Representative, District Governor Nominee
Date/Time: Thursday, February 19 @ 7pm
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85785874705?pwd=5TaMqih0v2deycbSkvu5gOetXyraqi.1
Topic: The Rotary Representative Network: Creating Global Impact and Reach

The Rotary Representative Network increases Rotary’s impact around the world by working with international organizations to facilitate further collaboration and support on shared priorities such as polio eradication, food security, peace, health, the environment, and the alleviation of poverty. As official liaisons to the United Nations and other international organizations, the Rotary Representative Network (RRN) serves as a vital component of RI’s brand building and outreach efforts – enhancing Rotary’s international profile while strengthening the organization’s ability to share Rotary’s perspective with global forums and entities. The RRN also exists to facilitate strategic meetings with key personnel and to develop relationships that help advance their work within Rotary’s areas of focus

Mari Clarke, Past WAPA president, Past NAPA Secretary,  Affiliate Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, GMU

Please join me in a Grassroots Comedy fundraiser supporting the people of Gaza with food and shelter on Saturday February 28th, 2026 at 6:30at the Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Road NW. This is sponsored by my Rotary Club- the Rotary Club of Washington Global, and Gaza Champions.  The venue is located between Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. Tickets are only $28.52. I hope you can join me. Snacks will be provided. When institutions fail, community steps in. Get your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eMDGfVzZ . If you can't make it to the event, but still want to contribute, you can donate directly to Gaza Champions via Venmo @gazachamps with the memo 'comedy night' or to funds linked here: https://lnkd.in/e77Ve7Yt 100% of all funds sent to the Venmo are wired directly to families in Gaza in need of assistance.

Mari Clarke, Past WAPA President, Past NAPA Secretary. Affiliate Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

The Department of History and Anthropology at the Catholic University of America presents...

Sam Holley-Kline, University of Maryland

Totonac Labor in the Shadow of El Tajín

How does a landscape of pre-Hispanic mounds become an archaeological site? In the case of El Tajín, Mexico, the answer is "with more than a century of Indigenous labor." Totonac workers played crucial roles in excavating, reconstructing, and guarding the archaeological site since the 1920s, but are typically excluded from written accounts and overlooked in favor of the site's ancient past. This presentation centers Totonac narratives to reconsider the history of El Tajín, and draws out the implications of this analysis for sites elsewhere.

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 5:00 pm

CUA McGivney Hall, Room 106

This is an in-person event with a catered reception following the talk

SUPPORTED BY THE REGINA FLANNERY HERZFELD MEMORIAL FUND