Share Tweet Share Email

NIU selects Anna Quider for federal relations director position

July 18, 2014
AnnaQuider-Headshot

Anna Quider

Northern Illinois University announced the addition of award-winning policy professional Anna Quider as Director of Federal Relations, reporting to Vice President of Research and Innovation Partnerships Lesley Rigg.

“Not only is research central to NIU’s mission and vision, it is essential to maintaining our country’s ability to educate, innovate, and compete in a global economy,” said NIU President Doug Baker. “With her background and experience in science, research and government at the federal level, Dr. Quider will work towards this shared goal, advancing Northern Illinois University’s mission by building relationships with government agency and congressional leaders involved with all aspects of the university, including education, innovation, industry partnerships and scientific research issues.”

Quider—who most recently was an Innovation Program Manager and an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow for the U.S. State Department’s Office of Science and Technology Cooperation—will represent the university in policy discussions that bear on those key university activities as part of a comprehensive effort to strengthen NIU’s identity and reputation broadly across the various federal organizations and agencies.

She previously served as an AAAS/American Physical Society Congressional Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the role of a legislative assistant in the office of Congressman Russ Carnahan, supporting the congressman’s legislative and policy agenda on diverse issues in the science, technology, and innovation sectors and working closely with Missouri’s higher education community.

“Anna’s experience on Capitol Hill brings credibility to this role, especially given her expertise in science and technology, education, research and innovation matters,” Rigg added. “I know her knowledge of the legislative process and strong relationships in Washington will be invaluable in identifying opportunities and resources to further advance NIU’s research and academic missions.”

Quider’s academic resume is equally impressive, completing degrees in Physics and Astronomy as well as Religious Studies and the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh before earning a Ph.D. in Astronomy at the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar.

Anna Quider“I am excited to join NIU and introduce Congress, the Administration, federal agencies and higher education organizations to our students and world-class faculty while representing the institution in Washington on legislative policy and regulatory issues,” said Quider, noting the numerous opportunities for students and faculty to work together on cutting edge research. “With roles at the Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in addition to numerous other public-private collaborations that foster innovation, NIU is well positioned to participate in these important research, science and education policy discussions.”

NIU’s federal relations efforts were recently moved to the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships in order to be more actively engaged with federal legislation and developments affecting research funding and higher education issues such as financial aid and student support issues. An inaugural Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Innovation and Prosperity University, NIU strives to expand research and economic development, integrate research with instruction and public service, and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration.