Launching a Generation of National Security Leaders

Aspirations of being the next Indiana Jones convinced Tom Gray to become an anthropology major in college. Yet, the “fortune and glory” Indy mentioned in the movies turned out instead to be a rewarding career in nuclear security for Gray, a group manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

Being selected as a fellow within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP) provided that pivotal, live-changing experience.

On June 4, PNNL will welcome the NGFP Class of 2025–2026, who will be the 30^th cohort of the program. PNNL has administered NGFP on behalf of NNSA since 2002.

For the first time in the program’s history, two alumni, Gray and Alexander Godinez-Robinson, are leading NGFP as it continues to adapt to meet the demands of evolving national security threats. Gray is one of the many NGFP alumni who will be celebrated during this upcoming year.

Navy, nuclear, and national security

For Gray, his anthropology career took a different turn after college when he joined the U.S. Navy. He was initially stationed on the USS Alabama, a ballistic missile submarine. Then, as a shift engineer at one of the Navy’s nuclear training commands, he supervised the training of more than 200 future naval nuclear operators.

Enlightened, Gray was inspired by the important mission of training the next generation of national security leaders, but he also saw directly how challenging it can be to prepare those new leaders for that complex mission.

After the Navy, with a desire to continue serving the U.S. national security mission, Gray returned to school for a master’s in nonproliferation and terrorism studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Based on a recommendation from a friend, he applied to be an NGFP fellow. During this one-year stint in Washington, DC, his perspectives continued to expand as he learned firsthand from mentors and leaders across NNSA about nonproliferation and defense.

“NGFP launched my career in nuclear security, and it is an honor to now lead that program for PNNL,” said Gray. “I’ve been fortunate to support many challenging and important missions in my career so far, and NGFP has been one of the most rewarding by far.”

Dedication to public service

During the past three decades, NGFP has provided more than 800 fellows with a shared experience of serving America and advancing the nation through nuclear security. Although these fellows represent wide-ranging degrees and technical backgrounds, one of the key bonds they share is a commitment to public service and national security.

After his NGFP fellowship, Godinez-Robinson was hired by NNSA, where he is now the federal program manager for NGFP. His and Gray’s unique experiences, as well as being former fellows, have helped them improve NGFP to better support NNSA missions such as nonproliferation, stockpile stewardship, and infrastructure and oversight.

“NGFP fellows provide a critical role in ensuring that NNSA’s missions and goals are achieved every day, keeping Americans safe,” said Godinez-Robinson. “It’s rewarding each year to see how our fellows continue to strengthen our nuclear security on a global level.”

Staff at PNNL and NNSA scour universities across the United States annually to identify, interview, and select talented fellows based on merit, education, and professional achievements.

For Godinez-Robinson, mentoring future leaders has been a lifelong passion. His belief in making a positive impact on interns, fellows, and students across the nation goes hand-in-hand with his commitment to their professional development, which is the foundation of the NGFP experience.

Safeguarding American interests

Chemistry. Diplomacy. Engineering. Law. Physics. Policy. These are some of the areas of expertise that fellows have brought to NNSA offices across the nation.

During their year-long assignments, fellows work alongside NNSA leaders, researchers, and support staff to carry out the national security missions by:

• Securing nuclear materials, nuclear weapons, and radiological materials at potentially vulnerable sites worldwide.
• Countering nuclear terrorism and trafficking.
• Strengthening international nonproliferation and export control regimes.
• Developing nuclear safety policy and guidance for environmental cleanup and nuclear material maintenance.
• Ensuring capabilities are in place to respond to any NNSA or Department of Energy (DOE) facility emergency and to nuclear or radiological incidents internationally.

Leaders in national security and beyond

In every class, fellows have gone on to careers in government, industry, and academia.

Below is a list with select NGFP alumni and the recent impacts they’ve made.

• Clark Cully, Indiana Wesleyan University (Technology Division Chair, DeVoe School of Business, Technology, and Leadership)
• Lindsey Gehrig, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Advisor, Threat Prevention and Resilience group in the Emerging Threats and Technologies Division)
• Kyle Hartig, University of Florida (Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering in the University of Florida Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Associate Director NNSA Consortium for Nuclear Forensics)
• Cyrus Jabbari, Department of Defense (Chief Data Officer, U.S. Central Command)
• Christopher Landers, U.S. Department of Energy (Director of the DOE Isotope Program)
• Wendin Smith, National Nuclear Security Administration (Associate Administrator and Deputy Under Secretary for Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation)