Sally Rockey

Rockey's career in research and grants administration began in 1986 at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service where she held a variety of positions prior to appointment as the head of the Competitive Grants Program and finally the agency's Chief Information Officer in 2002. She moved to NIH in 2005 to apply her skills in research administration to the large biomedical research portfolio. She oversaw many complex initiatives while at NIH and gave special attention to workforce issues, as promoting the next generation of scientists has been a linchpin of her career.

Rockey is the third of four children of Ann Kaserman Rockey and Lee Cady Rockey. She moved often as a child as her father was transferred through his job at General Electric. When she was ten, her family settled in Lake Lucerne in Bainbridge, Ohio. She graduated from Kenston High School in 1976, attended Bowling Green State University for two years and transferred to the Ohio State University where she received three degrees, a BS in Zoology and a Masters and Ph.D. in Entomology. After graduation she held a postdoctoral position at the Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin.

Sarah (Sally) Jean Rockey (born February 13, 1958) is the inaugural Executive Director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, where she funds innovative agricultural research efforts through private/public partnerships. Prior to this position, Rockey was Deputy Director for Extramural Research at the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), overseeing research administration for the largest research program in the world.