'Meet the Director' an annual student-pleaser

Students from across the country filled the Bldg. 543 auditorium recently for the annual Meet the Director presentation welcoming them to their summer internships.

Art Wong, Strategic Human Resources Management associate director, provided program introductions and greeted the students, noting the names of their colleges, universities, and home states. Institutions represented ranged from nearby UC Berkeley and UC Davis to Virginia Tech, Indiana and Massachusetts, as well as several outside the United States including Puerto Rico and Denmark.

Tommy Smith, director of the Office of Strategic Diversity Programs, told the students. "At the Lab, we understand and appreciate a diverse workforce."

Smith went on to explain the number of heritage celebrations and speakers offered throughout the year by the Lab's Affinity Groups. "If we really embrace diversity, we can accomplish everything else by default," he said.

The focal point of the event was the presentation by Lab Director Parney Albright, who remarked after scanning the youthful audience, "The average age (here) is less than 30!"

Albright gave an overview of the Lab, its history, the concept of teams and the matrix system, and the science and technology programs that help "make the nation safe."

"You are probably working with employees who have been here fifteen, twenty, or thirty years," he said.  "That (longevity) is a testament to the Lab - they like working here."

"You can teach, you can conduct research at universities, work in industry or at a national lab," he said. He spoke to the students about their futures.  "Here at the Lab you have an opportunity to work with the very, very best and the brightest. You can make a big difference," Albright said.

A question and answer session followed the presentation.

Students also had the opportunity to visit the Bldg. 543 lobby for information about LLESA activity groups and LLNL Affinity Groups, meet other students and enjoy refreshments.

The presentation was sponsored by Strategic Human Resources Management.