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SLAC/Stanford Site Office Receives Energy Secretary's Excellence Award

Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman presented the Honor Awards during a ceremony in Washington, DC, yesterday. (Image courtesy of the DOE.)

Yesterday, SLAC Site Office Manager Paul Golan received the Secretary of Energy's Excellence Award for outstanding work in the partnership of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University and the lab's Department of Energy Site Office. Golan is one of only a handful of individuals from across the DOE to be recognized by Secretary Samuel Bodman with the Honor Award, the highest honor presented by the secretary.

"This is high praise indeed and well deserved for Paul and the entire Site Office team," said SLAC Director Persis Drell. "Paul has redefined the relationship between the Site Office, the university and the laboratory in an extremely constructive way. We could not have made the progress we did in moving SLAC to its future without the leadership and hard work in the Site Office."

"While this award is very special in itself," Golan said, "the most touching aspect was that the nomination came from my team, the great folks who work at the Site Office." The nomination notes in particular last year's partnering agreement among the Site Office, SLAC and Stanford University. It cites development of "a partnership that effectively identified and resolves critical issues expeditiously; this partnership was critical in propelling SLAC's mission transition and Stanford University's governance of SLAC."

"So while my name may be on the certificate," Golan said, "the award recognizes the great progress we all have made by working together as partners."

"Paul is setting a new standard for the relationship between national labs, lab contractor and DOE," said Stanford's Vice President for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory William Madia. "We at Stanford applaud Paul and his team for their bold leadership."

The Secretary's Honor Awards include the James R. Schlesinger Award, the Secretary of Energy's Excellence Award and the Secretary of Energy's Achievement Award, and represent the highest internal non-monetary recognition that DOE employees and contractors can receive. Secretary of Energy Bodman introduced the Secretarial Award Program in summer 2007, to recognize outstanding DOE employees and contractors for their accomplishments and service. Bodman hosted the inaugural Secretarial Honor Awards Ceremony in spring 2008. Yesterday's ceremony marked the second in the annual Honor Awards program. Recipients receive a crystal medallion award and leather-encased certificate signed by Secretary Bodman.

Golan was unable to attend the January 7 award ceremony in Washington, DC, but hopes to pick up the award during a trip to DC next week. "My intention is to place the award in a public place," he said, "in recognition that we all earned it and we all share in it." 

—Shawne Workman
  SLAC Today, January 8, 2009