People

Dina Christie, new head of site protection

Dina Christie has risen from an administrative assistant in the Site Protection Division (SPD) to a program manager who played a major role in day-to-day operations to the new head of the division that runs the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) and is responsible for site security and emergency planning and response. “I feel blessed, for real,” Christie said. “I’m extremely excited about being the voice of SPD and ESU” — the Emergency Services Unit that supports security at PPPL and provides firefighting and emergency medical mutual aid to surrounding communities.

Christie grew up in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and has held a variety of positions ranging from information management and accounting to ownership of her own baked goods catering company before joining PPPL in 2014. She previously had been a professional dancer for eight years with the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance troop in Chicago before earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting and management information services from Drexel University in 2000 while working as a veterinary technician to pay for the education.

The mother of a teenage son and daughter, Christie is a marathon runner who is serious about fitness and teaches a Zumba class. She is especially enthusiastic about leading the ESU. “Emergency responders were born to be emergency responders,” she said. “They are innately ready and willing to serve their community regardless of what time it is, what day it is, and where they are. It’s in their blood. It is an honor and pleasure to support the Emergency Services Unit — that’s where my true passion is.” ☀︎

Craig Ferguson, new deputy director for operations and chief operating officer

Craig Ferguson, a leader with more than 25 years of experience at DOE laboratories and other federal facilities, is the new deputy director for operations and chief operating officer at PPPL. He joined the Laboratory following a nationwide search.

Ferguson is responsible for day-to-day operations of PPPL and will oversee all aspects of the Laboratory except science and research. He said he is “terrifically excited” about becoming part of the leadership team. “PPPL is on the forefront of plasma and fusion research,” he said, “and I feel privileged to be a part of such an outstanding national laboratory”.

Ferguson holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear technology from Excelsior College in Albany, New York, and a master’s degree in safety sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pennsylvania. He also holds credentials as a Certified Health Physicist and Project Management Professional. He has served institutions ranging from the U.S. Navy to the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Virginia. He most recently was vice president of mission assurance at Longenecker & Associates; has served as a consultant to leaders at Sandia National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory; and has held positions at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory including Associate Laboratory Director for Infrastructure and Director of Environment, Safety and Health. ☀︎

Jon Menard becomes PPPL deputy director for research as Michael Zarnstorff becomes chief scientist

Jon Menard, formerly head of research on the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) at PPPL, is the new deputy director for research. He replaces Michael Zarnstorff, former deputy director for the past decade, who becomes Laboratory Chief Scientist, and will oversee strategic scientific planning.

“I’m very excited to lead the superb PPPL research team in advancing fusion research and plasma physics more broadly,” Menard said, “and I look forward to working with Director Steve Cowley in implementing the Laboratory’s vision.”

A physicist at PPPL for 20 years, Menard graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992 with a degree in nuclear engineering, and received a Ph.D. in plasma physics from the Princeton University Department of Astrophysical Sciences in 1998. After working as a post-doctoral researcher at PPPL for one year, he joined the staff in 1999.

In that capacity Menard helped design the upgraded NSTX, which added a second neutral beam and a larger central magnet to make the facility the most powerful spherical tokamak in the world. He has garnered honors that include a Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering and a fellowship in the American Physical Society, and has served as a chair or member of many fusion advisory committees. ☀︎

Hekima Qualls, new procurement director

PPPL’s new procurement director Hekima (pronounced Heh-KEY-mah) Qualls comes to the job with more than 20 years experience working for several prime contractors supporting federal agencies. Her achievements include leading procurement efforts for NASA’s mission control center and for astronaut space suits. She arrived at PPPL at a crucial time for the Laboratory, which is making purchases to prepare for construction of key components of the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) as part of the NSTX-U Recovery Project.

Qualls is a self-described “Jersey girl” who grew up in Camden and Willingboro in southern New Jersey. She holds a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from American Public University in West Virginia and a master’s degree in business from the University of Maryland University College in Adelphi, Maryland. Shedrick, her husband of 10 years, served in the Navy and is a former firefighter and paramedic who now coaches a high school football team in Maryland.

Qualls joins PPPL after seven years at Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (SGT) Inc., an engineering services contractor, most recently as director of procurement and small business programs. She has worked in her career with all military branches through both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Defense prime contracts, and with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Transportation, and most recently NASA. She now is learning about the unique requirements of PPPL as a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory. “I’m enjoying learning what we do here and what the mission is, and I’m ready to support the mission,” Qualls said. “I have a profound appreciation for science and I appreciate the fact that science has to save the planet.” ☀︎

Jordan Vannoy, new head of Human Resources

Jordan Vannoy, the new head of Human Resources (HR), arrived at PPPL from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). She sees herself as a bridge between PPPL and Princeton University to allow PPPL to take more advantage of the University’s resources and expertise.

Vannoy serves as executive director of human resources and organizational development for both PPPL and the University. Her first task, she said, is building relationships with Princeton’s HR Department. She will focus on understanding the University’s tasks and procedures and where PPPL can borrow and deploy that expertise, such as in learning and development, she said

A native of Kennewick, Washington, Vannoy holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She and her husband, Michael, have a 6-year-old daughter. At PNNL Vannoy spent a decade, most recently as the principal human resources manager for the National Security Directorate, a unit that focuses on research related to national security, cyber and non-proliferation of nuclear materials. At PPPL, research aimed at producing fusion energy “really fascinates me,” she said. “If we are successful, what an amazing thing that would be for this world. It’s just phenomenal. The thought of being involved in something like that is just mind-blowing!” ☀︎

Michael Zarnstorff, Laboratory Chief Scientist

Zarnstorff became deputy director of research in 2009 and has overseen PPPL’s entire research program since then. Under his leadership, PPPL has become part of the Exascale Computing Project, a national initiative to accelerate delivery of advanced research on the next generation of supercomputers. He also has helped strengthen PPPL’s collaborations with fusion experiments around the world, including the international ITER experiment, the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator experiment in Germany, and tokamak experiments in Asia and Europe.

“We should all be proud of the many successes of the Lab,” said Zarnstorff, a fellow of the American Physical Society who has served on numerous panels that include the DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC), which provides advice and recommendations to the Fusion Energy Sciences program. “It is a good time for me to shift and focus on future research directions for the Lab,“ he said. “I plan to turn my attention to the research directions for the next decade, and the projects we will need to do.”

Zarnstorff earned his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1984 and joined PPPL that year. He and physicist Stewart Prager, Zarnstorff’s thesis advisor at the time and more recently PPPL Director until 2016, discovered a phenomenon called the “bootstrap current” that helps sustain the tokamak magnetic field and control the current profile. The two scientists received the American Physical Society’s 2008 Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics for the discovery. ☀︎