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From the Director: Three Years

(Photo - Persis Drell, Paul Golan and Bill Madia)

Paul Golan arrived at SLAC as Department of Energy Site Office manager on August 23, 2007. On September 10, 2007, Persis Drell became acting director of SLAC. Bill Madia didn't officially join as Stanford vice president for SLAC until Jan 1, 2008, but he was there as an advisor from the beginning of our work in SLAC leadership. Three years have gone by in what sometimes feels like slow motion, and at other times feels like lightning speed. We each sat down to comment on where we are and where we are going:

Persis: "I have stopped looking back....it's a big change! For a long time I was measuring progress with respect to where we were. Now it's all about where we are going. We are measuring ourselves against where we want to be."

Paul: "I see a learning organization in SLAC, the Stanford Site Office, and Stanford, working as a team that is capable of evolutionary and indeed revolutionary change."

Bill: "The whole relationship between Stanford, SLAC and the DOE is transformed. It is especially encouraging to see the growing scientific partnerships and outstanding joint appointments between campus departments and SLAC."

Persis: "I know that we will continue to face challenges on a daily basis, but I also know there is a team in place, on the SLAC side, the SSO side, and the Stanford side that will help deal with the crises that arise. When something bad happens (like the two day power outage in January), we deal with it and we move on."

Paul: "I see excitement around the laboratory and a commitment to sustainable excellence."

Persis: "We are focusing on science! And our science is outstanding!"

Paul: "We are here to do science and are setting the tone on how a national laboratory should operate."

Bill: "I'm very pleased with the progress we all have made over the last three years, but I'm even more optimistic about our future."

—Persis Drell, Paul Golan and Bill Madia
  SLAC Today, September 13, 2010