After spending her entire career working with and helping program leads and researchers as the Director for Contracts and Grants at the University of Guam (UOG) Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Janet Dirige took a leap into the ocean known as EPSCoR and has been swimming since.
Following her retirement from UOG in the summer of 2020, Dirige made her return to the workforce and is now the Associate Director/Project Administrator of Guam NSF-EPSCoR.
According to Dirige, her main goal is to make sure that the program and all its components stay on track.
“I work with project management,” explained Dirige. “I ensure that Guam EPSCoR stays within the rules and regulations of the National Science Foundation to ensure we are in compliance with expenditures and project scope of work.”
When the mother of two is not spending time with her children or two grandchildren, you can find her listening to music, catching a movie or spending time outside gardening.
Her strong connection to the environment and sense of family leaves her hopeful for the future and thankful for the work the EPSCoR research team is conducting.
“I hope with all the research our research team is doing they find the solution to the coral bleaching problem,” said Dirige. “(They can) make it better for Guam and the region so we can have a better ecosystem and better environment for everyone.”
Dirige says that she is excited to work with team members to accomplish tasks and make things happen as efficiently as possible.
“I like to get things done,” said Dirige. “Tomorrow there is going to be another project or event that we need to take care of, so as long as it is within our budget and in compliance, let’s get it done.”
Dirige can be found in the main EPSCoR house in Dean Circle alongside the administration team and can be reached via email at <jtdirige@uog.edu>.