Jeanne Jackson DeVoe

Feb. 1, 2024

Title & Department: Audio Visual Support Specialist, Information Technology (IT)

Year started at PPPL: 2021 

Many people who have hosted a meeting or conference at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have thanked Anthony Pizzo at the close of their event. As an audio visual support specialist, he is often in the background setting up video or helping with presentations.

He didn’t know much about the Laboratory before applying for a staff position at PPPL in 2021, Pizzo said, but was intrigued by the idea of working for a DOE national laboratory that is managed by Princeton University. “I thought it was a nice opportunity to learn more about PPPL, meet some exciting and new people and learn more about this network of national laboratories,” he said.  

Before joining the Laboratory in 2021, Pizzo worked for two years as an operations technical assistant at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (known as the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs prior to 2020). His job was to help set up events and assist faculty with Zoom and remote teaching tools.

A resident of Ewing, New Jersey, Pizzo grew up in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. The oldest of four children, he has a brother and a sister who live near him and another brother who lives in Mount Laurel. He describes his family as “close-knit” and fondly recalls his grandfather cooking weekly Saturday breakfasts for the family.

Pizzo said he enjoys working with Harry Tsamutalis, a senior media support specialist, on events at PPPL and learning about a range of activities at the Lab, from procurement to plasma physics research. Pizzo is known as a friendly and helpful staff member who can often be seen rushing from meeting to meeting. “It can get pretty busy,” Pizzo said. “We definitely have times when we’re double or triple booked.”

Pizzo’s current career sprung from his activities at Ithaca College in upstate New York, where he was active in Ithaca College Television. He graduated from the Roy H. Park School of Communications in 2019 with a degree in television and radio and a minor in computer sciences.
 

Describe your job:

“I work in the IT Department in the user services group. My primary responsibilities include working in the conference rooms in the Laboratory and setting up for various meetings and Zoom support. I also work with the IT Help Desk to assist with any issues when I can.”
 

Three things about yourself:

1. “I like to travel, and I’m trying to travel more. I frequently visit my alma mater, Ithaca, where I have a lot of friends. I’ve been to Puerto Rico a bunch of times. I’ve road-tripped across the country to Arizona, which was a lot of fun. I’ve been to Europe, Ireland, the U.K. and Spain.”
    
2. “I love trying out brewing companies and trying out new beer. I’m a bit of a foodie, too. I will try anything once. I really like going to different restaurants when I can.”
    
3. “I love going to concerts; I’m a huge live music fan. I have a couple of concerts already planned for this year. I’m into mostly alternative rock — a lot of soft rock/alternative rock.”
    

What does working at PPPL mean to you?

“One of the biggest things is the mission, honestly. I fully support PPPL’s primary mission of developing fusion energy into a sustainable and renewable energy source the entire world can use. I think it’s incredible that I get to be part of that. When fusion energy does succeed, I can say I was there when it was starting.

One of PPPL’s goals is to help foster collaborations with other people, and part of my job as one of the IT staff is to be on the front lines and meet those people for the first time. To have the opportunity to do that and be able to contribute means a lot to me.”