Strategic Leadership Team
Professor Grisobelle Virella-Corujo
Chancellor’s Assistant for External Resources, University of Puerto Rico, Ponce
Chancellor’s Assistant for External Resources, University of Puerto Rico, Ponce
Professor Grisobelle Virella-Corujo is an experienced educator and university administrator having dedicated over 30 years in leadership roles related to sponsored programs, such as regional director, counselor, counseling component coordinator, trainer, grant writer and research administrator in private and public institutions. She has a BS in Mathematics from the UPR-Mayaguez Campus, a MSEd in Counseling from University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and 21 doctoral credits in Counseling from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Metro Campus.
Professor Virella-Corujo has been in charge of the Office of External Resources at the UPR-Ponce since 2002, making significant progress in promoting and supporting research projects. She was directly involved in developing several projects encouraging researchers, faculty and administrative staff to foster integrated competitive funding opportunities. She has served on the Executive Committee of the Society of Research Administrators for Puerto Rico, Inc. (SAIPR), showing the same outstanding commitment, while working and providing assistance and support to others. She has been the President of the Nominations Committee and of the Communications and Membership Committee, the SAI Webmaster and member of the Professional Education Committee and of the Communications and Membership Committee. She is the President Elect of SAIPR and the President of the Professional Education Committee.
A personal goal of Professor Virella-Corujo’s is to exploit untapped resources and inspire others to do the same. Under her leadership, UPR-Ponce was awarded over fourteen projects in a single fiscal year, the first time since its founding in 1970, receiving more than one million dollars, including external funds from federal, state and private sources. Currently, she is working towards the achievement of two proposals to strengthen the development of virtual education at UPR-Ponce by obtaining over $250,000 in funding from USDA-NIFA and $13 million in a proposal submitted to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to develop the UPR-Ponce Smart Hub. She has been the Secretary of the Administrative Board of the Municipal Port of Ponce since 2009.