We asked Greg a few questions about his career so far and his hopes for the future at CHESS.
Could you share a bit about your background and interests?
My career is nothing if not a multi-colored tapestry of cultural, educational, and professional experiences. I joined the US Navy after high school and served in numerous technical and leadership roles including space science program leadership working with Naval & Air Force Research Labs and multiple academic partners. In 2014 I retired from the Navy and relocated to the Middle East where I founded an agriculture technology company specializing in aquaponics and STEM education. Most recently I served in leadership for two non-profits where I oversaw operations, programs, and partnership development. As an undergraduate I studied entomology and biomedical science at Texas A&M University and later completed research and degrees in meteorology and physical oceanography at the US Naval Postgraduate School. Fun facts… I knew my spouse for two weeks before getting married…that was 25 years ago! We have three grown daughters and have lived in over 20 homes across 10 states and 4 foreign countries.
How do you feel your previous work and experiences will transfer to this role?
Fundamentally, this role is about cultivating relationships and connecting people and organizations with CHESS to accomplish great things that have never been done before! I believe that my varied experiences, while admittedly unconventional, afford me a rather unique vantage point to understand and engage internal and external stakeholders across a broad spectrum of technical, operational, cultural, and strategic areas. My previous work in business, government, research, and non-profit domains, both domestically and internationally, provide much helpful context and a good starting point for understanding complex issues and forging lasting relationships. I suspect that all the hats I have worn in previous jobs will be coming on and off continually, and I hope they will help me better understand people’s needs and bring the right partners to the table to form significant collaborations for CHESS.
What are you most excited about by coming to CHESS?
Possibilities!!! Afterall, at its core, that is what CHESS represents. Not only does CHESS have the tools and expertise to conduct world-class synchrotron science, but the team is agile, passionate, forward-thinking, risk-tolerant and knows how to execute. They are actively asking, “what new problems can we solve?” This creates a unique value proposition for our current users and future partners. Fast forward ten years and I think you will find CHESS as a primary source of next generation x-ray/accelerator scientists and engineers — and — the leading provider of innovative agile synchrotron services across an ever-widening range of academic, government, and industry partners. The opportunity I’ve been given to be part of the team that will do that is both tremendously exciting and humbling!