Advancing in a career at a U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratory sometimes involves stepping into the unfamiliar. As part of this tradition, six staff members from the DOE’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are participating in a set of DOE programs that teach skills in leadership and management. 

The participants include Michael Amicucci, a project manager in the Engineering Directorate; Nathaniel Ferraro, a managing principal research physicist and deputy head of the Theory Department; B. Rose Huber, head of communications; Ankita Jariwala, deputy head of ITER Projects; Jonathon LaCarrubba, deputy director of environment, safety and health; and Gwen McNamara, strategic communications and digital marketing manager.

“We are thrilled to be a part of these prestigious programs,” said Steve Cowley, PPPL director. “Helping our staff grow and learn new skills is one of the Laboratory’s priorities.”

The DOE leadership programs include the Project Leadership Institute, the Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program, Building Executive Leaders for Tomorrow (BELT) and the Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program (SLLP). Classes cover topics that include managing teams and vendors, maintaining stakeholder relationships and developing communications skills. 

The DOE offers these programs as part of its efforts to support the professional development of its employees, allowing staff from diverse areas of expertise to learn a range of management skills and guide the national laboratory system into the future. Moreover, by participating in these programs, the six staff members help PPPL maintain its leadership in the world of plasma physics and contribute to the national laboratory system’s culture of excellence.
 

Michael Amicucci

Project Leadership Institute (PLI)
“Being sponsored by PPPL to participate in the Project Leadership Institute means a lot personally,” Amicucci said. “It means that I have the opportunity to grow my individual abilities through an esteemed leadership program and that I have a supportive workplace that is dedicated to fostering the growth of its staff.”
 

Nathaniel Ferraro

Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program (OSELP)
“Participating in this program is a great opportunity to meet with leaders at other DOE labs and learn how those labs are addressing the challenges and opportunities they face,” Ferraro said. “I hope to bring some of those lessons back to PPPL to help make our Lab as effective and efficient as possible, as well as form relationships that will encourage teamwork and information sharing among the labs. Working with other labs to solve problems will make every lab more effective at carrying out its mission.”
 

B. Rose Huber

Building Executive Leaders for Tomorrow (BELT)
“Being a part of the BELT program is both an opportunity for personal growth and a chance to engage in a cross-functional exchange of knowledge about the DOE complex,” Huber said. “I’m honored to be in the third cohort of the program, which is designed to bring together leaders from diverse disciplines to develop an enterprise-minded approach and guide DOE into the future. I’m eager to gain insights and experiences that I can bring back to PPPL, contributing to our continued growth and success.”
 

Ankita Jariwala

Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program (SLLP)
“I am very excited to be part of the DOE’s SLLP training program,” Jariwala said. “The training focuses on developing your leadership skills to respond to the opportunities and challenges that exist within the national laboratory system. In just the first three months of the training, I have learned how to become a reflective leader and bring the best out of individual team members. I look forward to learning more!”
 

Jonathon LaCarrubba

Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program (SLLP)
“Being a part of the SLLP has been truly rewarding for my professional and personal development,” LaCarrubba said. “Working with colleagues from across the DOE has underscored the similar and unique challenges the national laboratories face in their research in energy science and security. I’m grateful to have been invited and look forward to sharing what I’ve learned with my colleagues at PPPL.”
 

Gwen McNamara

Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program (SLLP)
“Getting to meet so many people from throughout the national laboratory ecosystem has been very rewarding,” McNamara said. “We each come from so many different areas of work, and I find it inspiring to see how leadership can manifest in so many different ways. I also appreciate that it’s such an active experience. Through personal experimentation, it’s up to you to set the bar for how much you want to put in and get out of the experience. I would encourage anyone nominated for this program to accept the challenge.”
 

Previous participants in the DOE leadership programs

Building Executive Leaders of Tomorrow

• Marc Cohen, 2024
• Jessica Guttenfelder, 2023
   

Project Leadership Institute

• Marc-André de Looz, 2024
• Elise Demoncheaux, 2023
• Kenyon Petura, 2022
• David Pryor, 2020
• Emil Nassar, 2019
• Carolyn Galayda, 2018
• Stephen Langish, 2017
   

Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program

• Dave Micheletti, 2024
• Pia Wilson, 2024
• Andres Castenada, 2023
• Barbara Harrison, 2023
• Ahmed Diallo, 2022
• Michael Jaworski, 2017
• Howard Yuh, 2016
• Tim Meyer (then at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), 2016