Ellen likes solving problems. She was doing that at The Gap when she learned about the Lab from a Gap colleague who had worked at the Lab, joined the Gap, and six months later, told Ellen she was returning to the Lab. When Ellen asked why the Lab was special, her colleague said it was because the mission mattered. That got Ellen’s attention, and when she was ready for a change a few years later, she applied for a business manager job in the Physical Biosciences division at the Lab (which no longer exists). And she’s been using her organizational skills to support the Lab’s mission ever since then.
Ellen is retiring from the Lab in early March. “I’m going to miss the passion, the amazing people, and the creative spark that is the Lab. There is a sense of community here.”
How do you see the role Operations plays in the Lab’s Stewardship culture?
Operations is most often behind the scenes. It is a partnership with research because both are needed to execute on the mission.
When I was the business manager of Physical Biosciences, there was an opportunity to write the proposal for JBEI. I had never written one before, so I raised my hand and said I’d like to help. And for the next six months, we spent every Saturday in a conference room at Potter Street writing the proposal, and then went with the team to Washington, D.C. to sell it. So I raised my hand again and said I’d like to be the first Chief Operating Officer of JBEI. And I did that role for seven years. It was one of my favorite experiences at the Lab because we were like our own start-up. I was able to work with really smart people as part of a research team.
My work in the science divisions drove me to want to help with Lab operations. I wanted to facilitate the partnership between operations and research to get things done. I’ve been part of several working groups supporting that goal. We had working groups for PSPS, during COVID, and then, as we transitioned out of the pandemic, we had a return-to-work group and one that designed the Lab’s work modes. Those working groups are great examples of how operations and research can work together to produce something greater than the sum of their parts.
How has Stewardship guided your career?
Being the Deputy of Operations has kept me challenged. It has enabled me to work across Operations to find the synergy with research to address issues and make positive changes. I’ve had so many opportunities to contribute to the Lab in so many different roles. Sometimes I can’t believe that I have been lucky enough to have this career. I’ve really loved all of my jobs here. I’ve had so much fun.
And one way I measured success is when no one wants to meet on the topic anymore. That’s when I know the change has been ingrained into the culture. I plan to take the Lab’s unique stewardship culture and apply it to other national labs, since I will be working on projects for them after I leave the Lab.
What role did you find difficult to play at the Lab?
In my years as a business manager and then interim head of HR and other operations divisions, there are messages that are tough to deliver. It’s human nature to shy away from talking about the tough stuff, but that role has fallen to me often in my career. I think that is because I want to reach closure on issues. Otherwise, you delay the inevitable.
One of the secrets to reaching closure on issues is figuring out who you need in the room to solve the problem. And in the best world, how do we build relationships before we reach an extreme situation? Often, there is no perfect solution, so we need to try something, and if that doesn’t work, pivot to another solution. That is what science is all about; you try and discard if that isn’t the solution.
You can leave Ellen a congratulations on the Kudoboard or in the comments section of this article.
Stewardship in Action
The Lab’s culture is built around Stewardship: Our Mission, Our Responsibility, and Our Commitment. The Lab’s core values guide how we behave toward one another and how we make decisions.
