Meet Kristi Reynolds
Kristi M. Reynolds, CFRE, CFRM | Principal Project Manager, Research Development & Strategic Interdisciplinary Research
Kristi Reynolds serves as a Principal Project Manager in Purdue University’s Office of Research, working across Research Development and Strategic Interdisciplinary Research to help faculty identify funding opportunities, navigate research resources, and move complex initiatives forward. Her work includes funding discovery, limited submissions, research development programs, faculty outreach, and supporting large-scale strategic projects.
A Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) with a Certificate in Fundraising Management (CFRM), Reynolds brings a background in grant development, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, and strategic project management to her work in research development. She is particularly focused on helping faculty navigate funding-discovery tools, identify opportunities aligned with their research interests, and understand the resources available to support them as they pursue external funding.
Before joining Purdue, Reynolds served as president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Boone County and later worked in Purdue’s Office of Industry Partnerships. Across those roles, a common thread has been connecting people, resources and strategy around complex goals.
Making Research Support Easier to Navigate
A major focus of Reynolds’ work is making Purdue’s research infrastructure easier for faculty to find, understand and use. That means looking beyond individual programs or offices and thinking about the faculty experience: What is the researcher trying to accomplish? What resources already exist? And how can Purdue connect those pieces more effectively? One of Reynolds’ current priorities is expanding the use of Pivot-RP across Purdue. By helping researchers build and strengthen their Pivot profiles and use the platform effectively, faculty can discover funding opportunities aligned specifically with their research interests.
Her approach combines project management with a systems-level perspective — anticipating what comes next, translating complex processes into clearer paths, and connecting people with the opportunities and expertise they need. That philosophy also helped shape the Office of Research’s Research Starts Here campaign and its emphasis on organizing research support around faculty needs rather than organizational structure.
“Faculty shouldn’t have to understand our organizational chart to get the help they need. Tell us what you’re trying to accomplish, and we’ll help connect the pieces.” – Kristi Reynolds
A Few Questions with Kristi
What are you currently reading, watching or listening to?
I’m almost always reading three books at once — one on paper by my bed, one on my Kindle app, and an audiobook for my commute. My choices are all over the map, from leadership and MBA books like Good to Great, to memoirs, thrillers and historical fiction. I like learning something new just as much as I like disappearing into a really good story.
What was your very first job?
I grew up on a large crop and hog farm in Delphi, so technically it would be helping make and take dinner to my dad in the fields in the middle of the night during harvest and feeding my 4-H pigs before school. But my first “real payroll job” was filing invoices and watering & planting flowers in the greenhouse at Pearson’s of Delphi – A Propane Delivery Company
What is a favorite Purdue memory or experience?
I met my husband here in the “grassy knoll” between the buildings at 1010 N. Salisbury. He and his roommates bought meat from the back of some guy’s truck; my roommates and I had a keg. We combined parties, then combined lives. Swoon.
What is a hobby or interest you have outside of work?
I love making, refurbishing, and tinkering with things — especially projects where I can take something old and worn and turning it into something completely different. One of my recent projects was restoring an old cigarette vending machine to dispense art and jewelry I make. On the weekends you will find me sewing, painting, or convincing my husband to drive 2 hours to grab someone’s Facebook Marketplace trash!
What is a place you’ve visited that you would happily return to tomorrow?
Europe! Two of my favorite travel experiences were a private tour through the Netherlands’ tulip fields at peak bloom and seeing Taylor Swift Eras Tour twice in Hamburg, Germany. Completely different experiences, both unforgettable.
Need help finding the right opportunity? Purdue researchers have access to funding-discovery tools, curated opportunities and research development support to help identify funding that aligns with their work. Explore available resources — or tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll help connect you with the right next step.
