17
Oct
She laughs when I call her a “grant dreamweaver,” but that’s how I see Amanda Decker and her superhero role at Virginia Western. Amanda is currently the Workforce Student Services Team Lead and Career Navigator. She’s my go-to contact whenever I have grant-related questions involving the Workforce division … and those questions are multiplying, especially… Continue Reading Amanda Decker, Workforce career navigator, is really a grant-weaving superheroRead More
So I’m writing this just a few days since CityWorks (X)po 2017, while it’s still fresh. I’m still processing all of the stories and ideas and heavy subject matter — including institutionalized racism — that we discussed during the annual conference in Roanoke’s Grandin Village, but I thought I would focus on my concrete actions… Continue Reading CityWorks (X)po: 5 ways I’m turning ideas into ACTIONRead More
Last week, I received the following email from a faculty member here on campus: I am reaching out to you for direction regarding finding grant opportunities. This is a completely new process for me and I have no idea where to begin! I’m so happy when faculty and staff step forward with this humble question,… Continue Reading Help! I have no idea where to begin with grants!Read More
I’ve been thinking a lot about the “community” part of community college lately. I light up every time I hear community-service ideas in our college forums, like the idea of building a Habitat for Humanity house (heard that one at a strategic planning brainstorm). Or forming a Relay for Life team (Staff Senate). Or establishing a… Continue Reading Soft skills and service learning: Can Virginia Western do more?Read More
06
Sep
Last week was a good one for the grants office, as we learned one of our projects was funded by the state. (Yay!) For the second year in a row, we helped secure a $40,000 grant to the college’s Educational Foundation to develop Virginia Western programming at RAMP, the new business accelerator in downtown Roanoke.… Continue Reading Sam Steidle can talk entrepreneurship for hours (and other fun facts about Virginia Western’s Innovation Officer)Read More
28
Aug
As I’ve noted before, I do A LOT of reading in the grants office. Today, I wanted to call attention to a few enlightening reports that I spelunked while working on our latest grant proposal, a three-year plan for the Claude Moore Health Professions Academy, which has launched in Roanoke city and Roanoke County high… Continue Reading 3 reports that could change the way you think about Virginia Western and our healthcare economyRead More
I’ll never forget one of the lessons of “Working Girl.” Tess McGill, played by Melanie Griffith in this 1988 film, weaves a brilliant Wall Street deal because of her reading habits, and *spoiler alert*, she crafts a winning merger based on information she learned from a gossipy entertainment column. I spend most of my time… Continue Reading 5 reading habits of a creative grant championRead More
I dutifully scribbled down all of the tips from this workshop for Roanoke grant writers, which I attended shortly after starting my “Grant Specialist” job at Virginia Western last year. I was confident about my writing skills — I had been practicing for 15 years at the local newspaper — but I was new to higher education and… Continue Reading Let’s grow ideas (and grants) together in the Green HouseRead More
About Shelley
Shelley Lyons is glad to be back on campus as she is a Virginia Western alum, and has served as the Administrative Officer for Grants Administration at Virginia Western since early 2022. Prior to VWCC, her career focus was within the Human Services and Arts fields. She wrote her first grant in 1996 on a whim and has continued to plan and learn since that time. She most enjoys seeing a well-planned project come to fruition, where funder, project manager and beneficiaries can all feel success and see impact.
Recent Posts
- Grant Nerds Unite! March 12, 2024
- The Power of Collaboration November 17, 2023
- Time to Innovate October 4, 2023
- How to tackle grant season? August 14, 2023
- Welcome to Grantology February 3, 2023