Our Staff
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
EMAIL: vtaylor@prefresearch.org
VERA TAYLOR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Vera J. Taylor is a seasoned healthcare administrator and strategic leader with two decades of experience in clinical operations, organizational development, and federal healthcare transformation. Her career spans pivotal roles within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), where she consistently advanced service delivery and championed innovation across complex systems.
Vera holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Development and Leadership (ODL), a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies, and an Associate degree in Radiologic Technology. Her graduate studies deepened her strategic acumen and reaffirmed her belief in adaptive leadership and continuous growth.
EMAIL: scole@prefresearch.org
STEVEN COLE
CLINICAL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS MANAGER
Steven Cole has extensive experience in the analysis of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements. He last served as a Program Analyst for the Office of the Director within the Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives (CSSI) at the National Cancer Institute. He performed analytics reporting, input, planning, and development of programmatic initiatives, working to further promote the mission of finding new and exciting technologies and discoveries.
Steven also previously worked as an Employee Relations Specialist. He received his B.A. in Business Administration from High Point University in 2001.
EMAIL: bsanderson@prefresearch.org
BRIAN SANDERSON
OFFICE MANAGER
Brian Sanderson has a background in both administrative support and project management. He brings past experience working in clinical trials and healthcare quality improvement initiatives. He is a graduate of Northeastern University. In the role of PREF’s office manager, Brian provides administrative and logistical support to the PREF core team and its partnering investigators.
EMAIL: cwwjrcpa@comcast.net
WILLIAM WINKLER
CONTRACTED FINANCIAL OFFICER
Bill Winkler has been in the accounting profession for 55 years. He is a self-employed CPA, specializing is assisting companies utilizing QuickBooks accounting software. Bill provides tax services and employee training and supervision. He frequently works with clients to prepare their records for such work by other CPA firms.
EMAIL: udanridge@prefresearch.org
UPENDA DANRIDGE
ACCOUNTANT
Upenda Danridge is an experienced nonprofit finance professional with more than two decades of experience supporting mission‑driven organizations through roles focused on accounting operations, internal controls, and audit readiness. She has overseen full‑cycle financial management, strengthened compliance frameworks, and provided guidance to program and organizational leadership on financial processes, risk mitigation, and documentation standards, among many other responsibilities. She has experience in public accounting, auditing nonprofit organizations and performing Single Audits of nonprofits organizations that expends federal funds. She received her B.A. in Accounting from Pierce College and M.A. in Forensic Accounting from Strayer University.