NKU Announces New Director of the Office of Research, Grants and Contracts

January 20, 2022 - Northern Kentucky University announces that Craig Holloman has been hired as the new director of the Office of Research, Grants and Contracts. Holloman will also serve as executive director of the NKU Research Foundation Board. 

Holloman will help guide the research initiatives of NKU in an effort to foster increased collaborations with federal, state and local funding agencies, as well as promote innovative research efforts with regional business and industrial organizations. 

“It's great to be a part of the NKU family and to be in this position to support faculty in expanding the research enterprise of the university,” Holloman said. “There are so many opportunities available to secure research funding for the northern Kentucky area, and I look forward to working alongside the RGC staff and NKU faculty to develop innovative ways to explore those opportunities and increase our research funding in this region.” 

Holloman joins NKU from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he served for 10 years as research administrator within the College of Engineering. There, he spearheaded the development of its Engineering Research Office and oversaw an annual portfolio of approximately $20 million in research funding. 

A native of Hopkinsville, Ky., Holloman previously served approximately 12 years through the Pennyrile Area Development District and the West Kentucky Workforce Board in administering workforce training programs and assisting economic development initiatives funded through the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the U.S. Department of Labor. He received his bachelor's degree with a major in business administration from Murray State University, a master's degree in interdisciplinary administration from Western Kentucky University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a master's degree in higher education administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. 

Through his leadership and vision, Holloman plans to expand and enhance research administration support of the RGC to NKU faculty, staff and students by providing a streamlined, holistic approach to secure increasingly competitive research funding for the northern Kentucky region.