Growing up in Atwood, Illinois, Kierra Fonner didn’t know what career path she wanted to pursue. Although she tried her hand at many things, including law, accounting, nursing, and computer science, she wasn’t drawn to any of these choices.

“I thought that most of these were pretty boring and weren’t for me,” Fonner said. “In college I decided to take a few business classes and I realized that I had a knack for numbers. Sometimes you can figure out what you want to do based on what you’re good at.”

Fonner obtained an undergraduate degree in organizational development from Eastern Illinois University and was the first in her family to graduate college. She also earned her associate’s degree in business administration and bookkeeping from Parkland College.

Before joining the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology in 2016 as an account technician, Fonner pursued her passion for business in different avenues. “Previously I had worked in hospitality, banking, and manufacturing companies. It wasn’t until I came here that I realized what I wanted,” Fonner smiled. “I love what we work on and I can see myself doing this until I retire.”

The IGB Grants team broadly oversees grant applications and manages the funding after the grants are awarded. As the Assistant Director of Budgeting and Research Planning, Fonner is in charge of the latter.

“Once we get the grants, we have to deal with reviewing purchases and approving them to ensure that the researchers are spending their money in accordance to the guidelines. It’s usually like corralling cats,” Fonner laughed.

Most grants are accompanied by several strict terms and conditions, which can be hard to navigate. While the private ones tend to be more flexible, the guidelines for the federal grants constantly change, requiring the team to always be on their toes.

“To give you an example of what we do, sometimes research facilities like RIPE will need to purchase a tote box. For an outside auditing entity, this purchase makes no sense. It’s up to us to document the connection of how it benefits the research because the boxes are used to ensure that the seeds won't sprout during storage,” Fonner explained. “There aren’t many college courses that teach you how to be a research administrator.”

Even though the work is challenging, Fonner loves doing it and managing her team. “I never get bored here. I joke that I love even the things that I dislike because it’s fulfilling to know that we have a small part in IGB’s research,” Fonner said. “I also have a great team and I love working with them.”

In her free time, Fonner spends time with her 15-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son. “You can usually find me sitting on the sidelines of sporting events since my daughter is in a cheer team and my son plays basketball, baseball, and flag football,” Fonner said. She also enjoys going to the farmer’s market and enjoying the restaurants in Urbana-Champaign.

“The university is like its own little community. It’s so diverse and it has many different aspects that aren't always represented outside,” Fonner said. “That’s why I like living here; it always feels lively.”