January 8, 2024 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu

“I love being able to help people in any way I can, from assisting people in finding out why their budget is out of balance to correcting things that are posted incorrectly,” says Kimberly Durden, grants coordinator for the Arnold School’s Office of Research. “The challenge of solving problems and finding errors has always been my passion. Not for recognition but just for helping someone who has already exhausted their efforts and providing that support.”

Durden found her calling more than two decades ago. A friend who worked at the USC Aiken campus let her know about an opening in her department. Once in the position, Durden helped a co-worker with grant budgets, and she fell in love with the area.

She worked a total of 18 years at USC Aiken – first as a fiscal technician in the Business Office and then as the grants coordinator for ten years. During this time, she traveled to Columbia to complete the Gamecock Research Administrative Network Training to receive her Research Administrator Certificate, though she would take the course again in 2021 as a refresher.

When a co-worker at Aiken made the move to the Columbia campus several years ago, she let Durden know about an opening in the Arnold School. Five years later, Durden still loves her job and finds it is worth the commute.

“I see that as an opportunity to prepare myself for the day ahead on my way in and to decompress on my way home,” she says.

Her primary role involves guiding and assisting Arnold School faculty and staff with grants and post-awards. She manages and disseminates post-award information for the school and provides grant support and training for the departments who do not have grant managers or are hiring new staff.

Throughout this process, Durden helps ensure that all grant processes are completed on time. As a member of the Office of Research, she assists the director, Charlotte Stalvey, and associate dean for research Alan Decho, with any post-award and USC-related policy questions and concerns.

"We are so fortunate Kim found us!" Stalvey says. "If you've talked with Kim in person, she sounds like sunshine. Kim keeps a positive attitude and loves to dive into what we call her forensic accounting to help fix any financial problems that arise in our school's system. She is more than accommodating when assisting other departments that need temporary assistance when short-staffed. She helps me understand the post-award side of grants while learning pre-award from me. We make a great team, and I feel lucky to work with her."

The feeling is mutual.

“I genuinely enjoy my job at USC and could not ask for a better school/department to work for,” Durden says. “I love how everyone is willing to help others and provides that team effort.”

The Staff Spotlight Series is sponsored by the Arnold School's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.