Chief Officers

Dr. Sharon Paynter, Interim Chief Research Officer / Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer

In July 2022, Dr. Sharon Paynter was appointed Acting Chief Research and Engagement Officer for ECU’s Office of Research, Economic Development, and Engagement (REDE). Following a restructuring of REDE in June 2024, Paynter became Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer, leading the new Office of Innovation and Engagement, while also serving as Interim Chief Research Officer, leading the Office of Research.

Paynter joined ECU’s Department of Political Science in 2009 and currently holds positions as associate professor of Political Science with tenure and adjunct professor in the Miller School of Entrepreneurship. She served as interim director of the Office of Public Service and Community Engagement from 2014 to 2016, assistant vice chancellor for Community Engagement and Research from 2016 to 2019, and assistant vice chancellor for Economic and Community Engagement from 2019 to 2022.

Paynter received a BS in Biology and MPA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MS in Legal Administration from the University of Denver, PhD in Public Administration from North Carolina State University, and completed postdoctoral training at Brown University.

Paynter’s scholarly activities and publications span across the disciplines of public policy, public administration, innovation, entrepreneurship, and community-engaged scholarship. She has received over $4.4 million in grants and contracts from diverse sources, including federal, state, and private sponsors. The funding has supported more than 250 assistantships for undergraduate and graduate students at ECU.

As assistant vice chancellor for community engagement and research, Paynter implemented faculty development programs to build interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships. Programs such as the Engagement and Outreach Scholars Academy, institution-wide symposia on innovation, faculty writing retreats, an annual bus tour of eastern North Carolina, and workshops on topics including grant writing and publishing engaged scholarship have connected faculty with community partners and extramural sponsors.

Paynter has been a strong advocate for ECU at the national level. Under her leadership, the university was designated as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), maintained its Carnegie elective classification for Community Engagement, and received recognition as a national finalist for the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement award in 2016, 2017, and in 2021 as exemplar university for community engagement scholarship by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Fewer than 50 campuses nationwide hold both the APLU and Carnegie designations, which signals the depth of structure, focus, strategic direction, and scholarly work anchored in mutually beneficial partnerships with industry and the public sector. Paynter currently serves as the vice chair for the Council on Economic and Community Engagement and serves on the Board of Directors for APLU.

About the Office

On May 13, 2024, ECU announced an exciting step forward in its research, innovation, and engagement journey by restructuring the Office of Research, Economic Development, and Engagement (REDE) into two dedicated teams, each led by its own leader: (1) The Office of Research, led by a chief research officer, will house the research administration, compliance, and development teams; and (2) The Office of Innovation and Engagement, led by a chief innovation and engagement officer, will house the teams that lead continuing and professional education, commercialization, economic development, community engagement, and national security and industry initiatives.

Office Mailing Information
Office of Research /
Office of Innovation and Engagement
Uptown 209
209 East Fifth Street, Mail Stop 157
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858-4353