Melinda Coffman

Melinda has been with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), as the USDA Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Manager since August of 2020. She manages the program, which administers Phase I and Phase II grants and works closely with the Small Business Administration.  Prior to joining SBIR/STTR program, she spent much of her career at the University of Kansas working in program evaluation, research, consultation, and training. 

She holds a B.S. in Agriculture from Northwest Missouri State University and an M.B.A from Benedictine College. The SBIR/STTR program combines agricultural research, business principles, and public service all of which are of which are strong interests of hers.