Melinda Coffman has been the USDA Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program coordinator with NIFA since September 2020. In this role, Coffman manages the program, which administers Phase I and Phase II grants and works closely with the Small Business Administration.

Prior to this position, Coffman spent much of her career working at the University of Kansas, where she worked in social science research, consulting/training and program evaluation. She was able to develop her research skills with both quantitative and qualitative data. She also expanded her program evaluation knowledge and became the primary evaluator for the evidence-based and emerging practices for her division. Coffman served as the lead research associate for a national study organized by Dartmouth University. Through her research and evaluation projects, she became proficient in multiple evidence-based and emerging practices. She co-authored multiple fidelity instruments and academic publications.

Coffman holds a bachelor of science degree in agriculture from Northwest Missouri State University and an MBA from Benedictine College. She pursued her MBA to further her interest in applying business principles to social problems. She is a strong proponent of data-driven decision making, project management tools and techniques and results-based management. The SBIR program combines agricultural research, business principles, and public service—all of which are strong interests of hers.