Liezl Mae Breitwise
Grants Manager
Liezl Mae Breitwise is NRI's Grants Specialist. Some of her duties include grant proposal preparation and submission, post-award administration, budget preparation and reconciliation, and other general office/clerical duties. Liezl lives with her husband in Davidson. Prior to joining the NRI staff, Liezl was a Research Service Analyst at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University at Buffalo.

Jo Carothers
Administrative Assistant
Jo earned her BS in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University. Jo provides administrative support to several members of the NRI staff. She is a busy mother of two. In her spare time, she is a Girl Scout Leader, President of the Iredell County Chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina and an active member of the Mooresville Page Turners.

Brandi Childers
Office Manager/Human Resources Manager
Brandi Childers serves as the office manager for the NRI administration. She has more than eight years experience in administration and community partnership management. Prior to coming to work for the Nutrition Research Institute, Brandi worked in local government. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she is a native of Kannapolis, where she has chosen to raise her young family.

Shena Cunningham
Accounting Technician
Shena Cunningham joined the NRI in December 2011 as an Accounting Technician. She supports the financial entity of the NRI. She began her professional career with the State of New Jersey, serving for over five years with The New Jersey Civil Service Commission. Upon completion of her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from The College of New Jersey; she relocated to North Carolina with her family. She has most recently held roles with the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Carolinas Healthcare System.

Ryan Dayvault
Facilities and Special Projects Coordinator
Ryan Dayvault joined the NRI in May 2008, where he serves as the Assistant to the Deputy Director and Special Projects Coordinator. A native of Kannapolis and 2008 graduate of Catawba College, Ryan holds a B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in public administration and a minor in business administration. An avid supporter of the efforts at the North Carolina Research Campus, Ryan has served in various capacities throughout the development of this project while in college and maintaining his residency in Kannapolis.

Carolyn Harris
Administrative Assistant to the Director
A Kannapolis native, Carolyn Harris is the administrative assistant to Dr. Steven Zeisel, Director of the Nutrition Research Institute. She has over 15 years providing administrative support and office management in the healthcare field with the Department of Defense, as well as in the private sector. She received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Montreat College.

Scott Jaworski
Applications Analyst
Scott Jaworski joined the NRI in May 2008, where he serves as the Applications Analyst and IT Consultant. Scott brings years of experience in the University IT field, having worked in the IT Technical Support field both as a student and staff member at UNC Charlotte, where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in 2001.

Beverly Jordan
Director of Community Outreach
Beverly Jordan joined the Nutrition Research Institute in July 2007 as the Director of Community Outreach. Before coming to NRI, she served as the Director of Government Affairs and Community Relations for Eckerd Youth Alternatives, a large, multi-state nonprofit serving at-risk youth, and as the Executive Director of the Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, Inc. Beverly earned a B.A in Political Science/History from Brenau Women's College and a M.P.A from North Georgia College and State University.