Jurgita Carron is the Division Director of Finance and Administration at the Smithsonian Science Center Education Center, bringing over 20 years of experience in financial leadership and the operational management of federal, state, private, and foundation grants. In her role, Jurgita oversees budgeting, financial planning across diverse funding streams, procurement, and the administrative operations of the division.
Before joining the SSEC, Jurgita served as Senior Project Officer, Finance & Administration at the global health organization PATH, where she led complex, multi-million-dollar global digital technology projects - including PEPFAR funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. She was responsible for budget development, cost analysis and forecasting, budget revisions and carryover requests, risk identification and mitigation, contract initiation and negotiation, federal audit management and ensuring compliance with all federal regulations.
Jurgita held a grants finance leadership role at ZERO TO THREE where she managed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants focused on infant and early childhood mental health. In this role, she directed the full budget lifecycle and led financial analysis and reporting. As Director of Finance and Administration at the Justice at Stake Campaign, Jurgita managed the organization’s core financial operations, including financial investments, corporate tax filings, IT infrastructure, human resources, and recruitment.
Throughout her career, Jurgita has been a key contributor to multiple financial technology integration projects, including system testing, data migration, report development, and platform implementation.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, an MBA in Finance from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, and a certification in grants management. She was a scholar in Economics and Business at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania where she studied for three years before transferring to the University of North Carolina.
Outside of her professional life, Jurgita is an avid runner and outdoor enthusiast who enjoys photography and traveling the world.