Please tell us about the ATAP Operations Team and your role.

I work with a fantastic group of administrators at ATAP and currently serve as the division Point of Contact for the administration team. We are focused on assisting the scientific and operations staff with travel, procurement, special events, and other tasks to keep the division running smoothly and efficiently. These days, we have a much bigger administrative team than previously, so I don’t have to do inventory by myself anymore.

We also have things like Google Drive and other Google apps that make our work much more manageable. We didn’t have Zoom when I started in 2001, so we can meet under just about any circumstance. Before, all meetings were in person; if you weren’t here on site, you missed it. That has made collaborating and discussing solutions much more accessible. While technology has made my job much more manageable, it is essential to have some discipline so that you are not always working.

What do you most like about your role, and what are your day-to-day challenges?

I love supporting the groundbreaking research conducted at the lab. Although I may only understand some of it, this research significantly impacts society worldwide. Knowing I am a small part of that makes it easy to get up and come to work each day.

What advice would you give to other people in roles like yours?

Stay positive, keep the lines of communication open with your customers and team members, and treat everyone the same way you’d like to be treated. Make sure to have a good life/work balance and turn work off when it is time … If your hours are 8-5 on-site, make sure they are 8-5 off-site, too.

For more information on ATAP News articles, contact caw@lbl.gov.