Olivier Tattegrain

Oct. 25, 2023

Title & Department: Administrative Assistant, Facilities and Site Services

Year started at PPPL: 2021

Giving her all

Pamela Tucker’s 20 years of experience in administration shows through her positive personality and dedication to helping others. As the administrative assistant for Facilities and Site Services, Tucker says her goal is to ensure everyone working alongside her has the best experience possible. She does this by working closely with staff and applying her best effort in all she does.
 

Carving a career path

Tucker was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Amityville, New York. She lives with her husband, Terence, in Hamilton, New Jersey.

After high school, Tucker worked as an administrator at Watson Pharmaceuticals and ADP, an organization focused on online payroll, human resources solutions and more. Tucker was laid off from ADP due to corporate downsizing, and after over a decade in similar positions, she began to look for opportunities across industries. 

Caring for a sick family member sparked an interest in Tucker to learn health care administration. In 2014, she graduated from Hunter Business School in Medford, New York, as a certified medical office administrator. Tucker then joined Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey as a senior assistant, where she provided administrative support to the director of Medicaid’s managed long-term services and support.

Tucker said she heard good things about the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), and when she heard there was an opening, she applied. Upon joining the Lab, Tucker felt at home, noting the close relationship formed with her team. “We make work fun over here in Facilities and Site Services, and I have the best team members in the Lab,” Tucker said.

Describe your job:

“In my position, I support the lead and deputy head of the Facilities and Site Services Department along with more than 80 team members. My day-to-day functions vary, so it’s never a dull moment. My tasks range from taking meeting minutes and posting content on the website to helping employees process work orders and booking conference rooms. Overall, I aim to support the team with whatever they need.”
 

Supporting the African American Employee Resource Group

Outside of working with Facilities and Site Services, Tucker is also a member of the Lab’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG). She has participated in events such as lunch and learns, meet and greets, and the Juneteenth celebration, where she helped set up and serve food. “I love the diversity that I see here; I see different people in different roles get promoted, and it shows that you can be anything that you want to be,” Tucker said. “It’s encouraging for students and staff to see diversity in the Lab. It inspires you to try for things you didn’t consider before.”
 

Three things about yourself:

• “I love going on cruises with my husband. We’ve been to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Belize, Bermuda, the Bahamas and Mexico.”
   
• “I’m a big fan of Broadway. My favorite show was ‘The Tina Turner Musical,’ but I’ve also seen ‘Wicked,’ ‘Chicago,’ ‘Skeleton Crew,’ ‘MJ the Musical,’ ‘SIX’ and ‘Sight & Sound.’”
   
• “One of my favorite hobbies is shopping for unique clothes, earrings and shoes. I most of all love shopping for handbags and have over 100 of them in my collection.”
   

What does working at PPPL mean to you?

“Fusion energy is the future. The world is changing, and the research being done at the Lab is helping to create a world where we don’t have to rely entirely on fossil fuels. Being a part of the change that takes place at the Lab is amazing, and I always look forward to coming into work each day because of it. Not everyone has the ability to say that they’re contributing to something revolutionary, so I’m grateful for each day that I’m able to contribute to the Lab’s success.”