“Participating in Bosslift was both humbling and enlightening,” said Kris Torgerson, director of ORNL’s Information Technology Services Directorate. “The reservists not only demonstrated their crucial role in national security but also reinforced why Veterans, Guard members and Reservists are such valuable assets to our team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.”

Nearly 11% of ORNL’s workforce comprises military guards, reservists and veterans. These individuals bring skills from their military training to ORNL’s daily operations, contributing to site protection, facility management and cutting-edge research. 

The laboratory’s dedication to its military staff has previously been recognized with the Department of Defense Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to employers supporting the Guard and Reserve. Events such as the Bosslift flight reaffirm the ORNL’s pledge to provide a supportive work environment for veterans and military staff.  

ORNL passengers included Torgerson; Lisa Bollinger, HR business partner, military liaison, and member of the Veterans Employee Resource Group; Brian Egle, head of the Stable Isotope Research, Development and Production Section in the Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate; and Jeff Davis, team leader of Waste Handling and Facility Operations in the Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality Directorate.

Egle and Davis both received an ESGR Patriot Award earlier this year for their outstanding support of staff in the Guard and Reserve. 

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. — Neil Gillette

This Oak Ridge National Laboratory news article "ORNL leaders take to the sky in Bosslift flight to recognize National Guard, Reserve staff" was originally found on https://www.ornl.gov/news