NIEHS employees from across the institute gathered Sept. 13 to recognize milestones in the careers of institute staff. NIEHS and National Toxicology Program Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., kicked off the annual Years of Service Awards ceremony and handed certificates to those who have so far served 10, 20, 30, or 40 years in the federal government. Those who retired in the past year were also honored.
Birnbaum began by expressing gratitude that the Research Triangle region of North Carolina had been spared the hurricanes and wildfires that many Americans were grappling with. Even as she spoke, some employees were preparing to answer the call for volunteers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We want to honor the service and dedication that you have shown and say thank you to all of you who are celebrating milestones,” Birnbaum said. “Like you, I feel very lucky to serve the American people, and at NIEHS that means performing, funding, and supporting groundbreaking research into the causes of disease.”
NIEHS Deputy Director Rick Woychik, Ph.D., called up awardees one by one. NIEHS Executive Officer Chris Long assisted.
Following are awardees by years of service.
Birnbaum, left, thanked Qing Xu, biologist in the Signal Transduction Laboratory, for her 10 years of service. Besides lab work, Xu also writes for the Environmental Factor. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)10 years
- Kathleen Azzam
- A'tondra Carree
- Mark Cesta
- Christie Drew
- Katherine Hamilton
- Debbie Gaffney
- Stavros Garantziotis
- Sara Grimm
- Raja Jothi
- Jian-Liang Li
- Xiaoling Li
- J'Ingrid Mathis
- Katherine McGinnis
- Daniel Menendez Rendon
- Hideki Nakano
- Julie Nixon
- Ligon Perrow
- Molly Puente
- Karina Rodriguez
- Adam Schiffenbauer
- Jane Schroeder
- Carranza Smith
- Uche Washington
- Carmen Williams
- Qing Xu
- Ming Zhao
Benny Encarnacion, right, from the Financial Management Branch, received recognition for his 20 years of federal service from Birnbaum. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)20 years
- Trevor Archer
- Perry Blackshear
- Benny Encarnacion
- Gordon Flake
- Christine Flowers
- Dmitry Gordenin
- Paul Johnson
- Wi Lai
- Leslie Lynch
- Liam O'Fallon
- Gary Pittman
- Rajendra Prasad
- David Shock
- Stella Sieber
- Debbie Stumpo
- Mary Wolfe
Cassandra Shines, biologist in the National Toxicology Program Laboratory, has served the federal government for 30 years — so far. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)30 years
- Joyce Blaisdell
- Juanita Campbell
- Leesa Deterding
- Sylvia Hewitt
- Agnes Janoshazi
- Essie Jones
- Page Myers
- Cassandra Shines
- Bill Suk
40 years
- Jau-Shyong Hong