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Member Spotlight

A Conversation with NACRO member Rachel Dresbeck, Senior Director, Research Development, Oregon Health and Science University

Rachel Dresbeck

April 6, 2023

Give us your top 5 reasons why it’s important to you to be a member of NACRO.

  1. I love the collegiality and collaborative spirit of NACRO
  2. NACRO members give me so much insight and new perspectives on my role and work
  3. NACRO has influenced what I do at work, how I engage, and who I partner with.
  4. NACRO has given me exciting new professional development opportunities.
  5. NACRO meetings are the BEST!

How long have you been a NACRO member and why did you decide to become a member?

I actually came to NACRO via another professional society, NORDP, when I was on their board and we were establishing a formal strategic alliance. My first NACRO meeting was 2017 in Seattle, and I found it so engaging that I kept going to the meetings! (I think I formally joined in 2019). 

Can you give us an example of how NACRO membership has helped you or your corporate relations team grow in your careers?

The insight I have gained from NACRO has prompted me to catalyze teams to apply for federal funding that otherwise seemed out of reach. These teams have involved not just my institution, but they have also involved inter-institutional efforts with complementary universities. None of these would have been successful without the perspectives I have learned through NACRO - in particular, knowing how to tap into the interests of companies, economic development and business associations, the state government, and our university partners. Learning to understand their needs has made our partnership efforts so much more successful, ultimately leading to new resources for the university and new leadership opportunities for the team. 

Are there NACRO membership resources that you regularly refer to or take advantage of? 

I love data, and so I really appreciate the benchmarking, case studies, white papers, and other reports. I use these for all kinds of things: landscape analysis, troubleshooting, to inform presentations, and more. I also like the webinar series - it’s really been enjoyable. I also just joined the Slack channel, though I’ve just been lurking so far. But it’s very useful even if I’m quiet!