Dr. Li has more than 30 years of experience in science management and research administration, including federal government contract management experience managing and supporting research, scientific peer review, project management, policy development, fundraising, committee management, staff recruitment and development, meeting planning and organizing, and writing and editing. She directs a number of projects, interacting directly with clients, and contributes to the substantive content of deliverables as well as running the company. She currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator of the National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded (U24) Coordinating Center for the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research program. The U.S. Small Business Administration named Dr. Li the 2024 Small Business Person of the Year for Maryland. She was also honored in 2024 to receive small business leadership awards from the International Leadership Foundation and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to founding RLA, Dr. Li served the National Institutes of Health in leadership roles, including as Senior Policy Advisor to the NIH Office of Extramural Research, Special Assistant for Policy Development with the NIH Office of Communication and Public Liaison, Chief of the Population and Social Processes Branch within the NIA Division of Behavioral and Social Research, and Health Scientist Administrator with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She earned her BA in economics and MBA in finance and international business, both from the University of Chicago, and her PhD from Princeton University in public and international affairs, with a concentration in population policy. She completed postdoctoral research in demography, epidemiology, and economics of aging in Asia at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Dr. Li was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to the Maryland Commission on Aging in 2015, named its Chairperson in September 2016, and renewed for a second 4-year term as chairperson beginning in 2022. By appointment of Governor Hogan, she also served on the Maryland State Board of Education (2016-2021), and has been serving since 2021 as an inaugural member on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board Nominating Committee. She is the recipient of the 2019 Award for Service to Princeton, past President of the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni (2010-2012), and Co-Chair of the Asian American Alumni Association of Princeton (A4P)—DC Region (since 2012).
Ms. Curran provides financial strategy, operational direction, and management of corporate administrative functions for RLA. Leveraging over two decades of experience supporting small business in the federal sector, Ms. Curran is adept in the administration of accounting, contracts, human resources, facilities, and information technology functions. She oversees financial reporting and life-cycle contract and grant administration operations, ensuring compliance with federal regulations. She collaborates with RLA executive team members to oversee strategic business initiatives, optimize financial management workflows, and identify and target areas for sustainable growth. With a holistic view of operations, Ms. Curran is dedicated to optimizing processes that promote quality and efficiency while fostering a collaborative environment where talented team members thrive and contribute to RLA’s success. She received her BS in accounting from George Mason University.
Dr. Lee applies his expertise in science management and research administration, including portfolio analyses, program impact evaluations, and grants management process improvement and training. He currently serves as a Principal Investigator on the National Institute on Aging-funded (U24) Coordinating Center for the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research program, and as Senior Project Director of RLA’s support for the HHS Office of Research Integrity. Dr. Lee’s previous experience includes serving as a Program Director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for 12 years in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, leading its bioengineering program, overseeing clinical trials, and managing small business innovation research and translational programs. He also has held leadership roles at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Extramural Science Programs & Division of Discovery Science and Technology, where he led NIBIB interagency initiatives that bridge the life and physical sciences, directed the NIBIB Quantum Grants program, and oversaw extramural research portfolio of biointerface sciences, biocompatibility, medical devices and implant sciences, bioprocessing and manufacturing technology grants. While at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Dr. Lee served as Group Leader for Pressure & Vacuum Metrology in the Process Measurements Division. Prior to government service, Dr. Lee oversaw prototype engine development as an advanced technology engineer with Detroit Diesel Corporation. Dr. Lee earned his PhD in mechanical engineering, with a focus on combustion, from the University of California, Davis and completed his graduate research while serving as a visiting researcher at Princeton University. He also earned an MS in Combustion from Northwestern University Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, and his BS in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He is an avid tennis player with NTRP 4.5.
Dr. Carluccio provides strategic leadership and planning, management oversight, and training for RLA’s science writing team and plays a key role in shaping the strategic growth of the company and driving business development. Dr. Carluccio has 20 years of experience leading communications for interdisciplinary academic communities and general audiences. Prior to joining RLA, she grew and led the first communications team at a professional services firm for nonprofit organizations, helping the company double in size. Dr. Carluccio previously had an extensive academic career. She was Assistant Director of a University of Maryland Honors College program focused on the humanities, life, and social sciences; Assistant Director of the Programs in Professional Writing at the University of Illinois; and Postdoctoral Fellow in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University. Dr. Carluccio earned her PhD in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she conducted and published research on the development of evolutionary models of psychology in professional and lay discourse.
Cheryl Austein Casnoff provides strategic leadership, management oversight, and staff training and supervision for RLA’s Division of Science Management and Research Administration (SMRA). Ms. Austein Casnoff oversees a growing portfolio for SMRA projects in research administration, science management, and process improvement and training. She is known for cultivating effective partnerships and high-performing teams.
Ms. Austein Casnoff is a decisive leader with a record of high performance, exceptional management, business development, strategic planning, program implementation and evaluation. She has designed and managed multi-million-dollar programs for government and private sector clients in key areas, including health reform, Medicaid, telehealth, children’s health, oral health, and systems transformation. Ms. Austein Casnoff is a corporate board member in support of children, health insurance, health information technology and public health.
Ms. Austein Casnoff brings extensive experience in government and not-for-profit organizations. She was instrumental in creating and implementing the original $20 billion State Children’s Health Insurance Program, served as a legislative fellow in the U.S. Senate, and established a new Office of Health Information Technology to promote the adoption and meaningful use of electronic records for safety net providers. Ms. Austein Casnoff has also served in numerous senior positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
After leaving HHS, Ms. Austein Casnoff was selected to be a senior fellow at NORC at the University of Chicago, where she directed numerous studies related to Medicaid, children, and vulnerable populations. She also served as the managing director for Healthcare Payment, Quality and Innovation at MITRE. In that role, she led a team of 90 individuals with a portfolio of $100 million dedicated to Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP, the Marketplace and quality and innovation. She oversaw the vision and analysis of current and emerging health financing and public health policy issues and analytics.
Ms. Lohneis provides management oversight, strategic planning, and staff development to RLA’s Meeting and Event Planning division. With over 25 years of experience managing successful events for government, association, and research organization clients, she is an accomplished leader, project manager and strategist. She has a proven track record of providing exceptional customer service and quality control, as well as building and training cohesive teams. Ms. Lohneis has managed thousands of meetings across her career, including large government contracts while ensuring compliance with federal regulations and guidelines. She is adept at managing complex logistics and budgets, while strategizing with her team to deliver impactful events that support agency and project objectives. Ms. Lohneis received her BS in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
