Tammy Campbell is one of a handful of people who carry the moniker “Lab Brat”. It’s not a negative; it’s a title of honor that means your association with the Lab began early in your life. For some, while they were still in diapers. 

Not only does she have that early connection to the Lab, but her 42-year career at the Lab meant she interacted with many of its most well-known names. But it is the next generation she is mentoring today that lets her know the Lab’s reputation for excellence will continue into the next 100 years. 

Tammy doesn’t remember her earliest visits to the Lab when her dad worked here. He was responsible for the Real Time Systems Group, but he started even earlier at the Lab when he was a young graduate student working with Luis Alvarez in the bubble chamber.  Now that’s a Lab pedigree.

Her first memories are as a teen meeting the people who were working in computing with her dad, such as Van Jacobson, David Wilner, and Jerry Fiddler, who are the founders of Wind River Systems. One memory that sticks out is that they were all brilliant, charismatic, free-spirited, and collaborative, and they didn’t wear shoes. Why no shoes? That reason is lost to history. It was a different time, but they loved working together.

Tammy wanted to make her dad proud, so when she got accepted into Cal, she studied computer science and electrical engineering. But she found her passion at a lecture by two visiting scientists, Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey, who were studying primates in Africa. Already enrolled in an anthropology course, Tammy switched majors and graduated with a degree in anthropology. 

Q: Computer science to anthropology is quite a switch. Did you make it to Africa with that degree switch?

A: Yes, eventually, years later, on a vacation, but I actually came up the hill to the Lab while attending UC Berkeley and started working in the library. That was back in the day of dot matrix printers and the beginning of the internet. One of my first jobs was to go through every Lab report, tens of thousands of scientific papers, to see if they had been properly declassified. This oddly led to a job as the Report Coordinator for the Lab a few years later. 

I really liked working in the library. It was a great way to meet people. In those days, scientists came to the library to read journals and search for information. That’s where I met James Harris. He was an inspirational mentor and later became a neighbor. He told me you should learn something new every day and understand the science that is performed here at the Lab. He taught me to stand up for what I believe in, don’t let people hold you down, and most importantly, help raise others up. 

Q: You eventually moved over to the photo lab. What did you take from that experience?

A: When I started there, we used chemicals to process all our photography. We did black and white, color, and everything from 35mm to 8 by 10 negatives. I helped convert the Photolab from chemical to digital photography in the 1990s, but my fondest memories were when I met Glenn Seaborg and George Smoot. In that job, these famous scientists would use our services to photograph and document their work. Dr. Seaborg would share photos of his travels and research with the staff. He consistently journaled his life, science, and travel experiences, and dedicated one of his journals to the photography staff all by name because he was that detail-oriented. 

It’s really infectious when you are around people like that. Even though you are not performing the science, you are supporting that science. This motivated me to provide great customer service because I could see how much they loved their science.

Q: You have a reputation for developing employees who work in the IT Support Services Group. You must have had some good bosses yourself over 40 years. What did you learn from them, and what do you wish more managers would do?

A: I’d start with open communication. Nothing happens without that. Set expectations and provide clear communication because you can’t expect people to do something if they don’t understand what you want. Include people in the conversation. How can you motivate people if you don’t know what makes them tick? How do you break down their roadblocks if you don’t know what is in their path? Listening is key.

Additionally, you have to uplift people. When you uplift people, you open the door to building a relationship. Sometimes it’s hard for them to hear the expectations you have, and sometimes you need to be prepared to hear that you are expecting too much of them. If you don’t have an open door and give them the grace to share that they need help, then they feel overwhelmed, burdened, and can’t perform.  I strive to ask clarifying questions in a non-emotional way to get to the root of the issue, and have taught my staff this same technique. It breaks that wall and sets both of you free to come to a better understanding. 

Director Witherell’s stewardship values and leadership style are among the biggest changes I’ve seen in my years at the Lab. He gives people permission to be vulnerable and real, which makes them stronger, approachable, and open to collaboration. It’s made this a different laboratory, a better laboratory. I’m proud to work here and to be a part of giving back to this nation. 

Tammy recently received the 2025 Kevin McCauley Memorial Outstanding Staff Award, a prestigious honor celebrating UC staff who exemplify advocacy, integrity, and deep commitment to their communities by the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA).

Tammy is retiring on July 1. Her retirement party will be June 27 in Building 76-235 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. so look for more details as the date approaches.

What will Tammy do in retirement? Travel and volunteer. She plans to continue her work in local politics and participate in a robotics team at Richmond High School, Team 841, a worthy cause open to donations. She will also advocate for education, as this is so important for the future of this country. That includes convincing her grandsons to go to UC Berkeley. Who knows? One of them might become the family’s third generation working at the Lab.