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Lesley Mitchell

Grants Specialist
Headshot of Lesley Mitchell
110 Hutcheson Hall
250 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Lesley Mitchell has been employed by Virginia Tech for 20 plus years, and has served in her present position for more than seven years. She received her bachelor of science in psychology from Radford University.

She completed her course work and research for her Master of Science in Experimental Psychology; completed the Office of Sponsored Programs Research Administrator Certifications I and II, and the National Council of Research Administrators course on the Fundamentals of Sponsored Project Administration

Mitchell is a member of NCURA (National Council of Research Administrators).

She is the initial contact within the college for grant-related questions. She assists college faculty and staff with the following responsibilities:

  • Reviews, interprets, and explains sponsor guidelines and procedures,
  • Explains Virginia Tech and Office of Sponsored  policies and procedures,
  • Assists with downloading and assists with the completion of sponsor and university forms,
  • Reviews completed proposals for accuracy and compliance with sponsor and university policies,
  • Obtains college administrative signatures, 
  • Assists in preparing forms and reports for USDA/NIFA funded research and Extension grants.
  • Advises faculty when annual and final reports are due for USDA/NIFA Research and Extension Grants
  • Submits  forms and reports to USDA and provides appropriate documentation to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP),
  • Searches for funding opportunities, and
  • Serves as college liaison with the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Contact Mitchell for assistance with your efforts to submit proposals. Given the high volume of grant proposal submissions, timeliness is critical.

At the outset, provide Mitchell with a copy of the sponsor’s guidelines/request for proposals so she can review them for terms and conditions, unique constraints, sponsor forms, indirect cost policy, cost sharing requirements, and budget restrictions.

If you need assistance with downloading and completing sponsor or university forms, contact Mitchell five days prior to the deadline to give her adequate time to assist you with completing the forms.

Submit final completed proposals to Mitchell three to four days before the submission due date.   

Visit OSP’s Proposal Submission Policy to insure timely submission of your proposals to OSP and the College. Because of unexpected events, including the failure of Electronic proposal submission systems, or the closure of the university, we ask that you avoid last-minute submissions.  

Electronic proposal submission can become backlogged on deadline days, and in some cases, proposals may be returned with a submission error message. Avoiding last minute submissions can help assure that your proposal is accepted by the sponsor on deadline date.