The Z Files: Saying Goodbye
This is, by far, the hardest column I have written in the Z Files: It is time for me to step aside. This will be my final Z Files as the FLC transitions to a new Executive Director, and I move on to retirement.
It has been a high honor for me to know you and serve you in this important role. After decades of involvement, my heart is with the FLC. This organization is made by the people in it, and it is the people who make up our community who I hold dear and will miss the most. Our goodbyes this year have become very numerous, and while that has not made it easier, each one reminds me how special this community is. I hope this is less of a goodbye and more of an “until we meet again.”
Let’s address the big question first: Where are we with this change? I have submitted my resignation, and it will be effective upon my replacement stepping in. I am not going to a new position, so there is no burning platform — but I do intend to have my replacement at the National Meeting in May. I admit I am struggling with the idea of missing the National Meeting, but it is something I need to do. People ask me about having a beer or meeting in Seattle, and as much I would enjoy seeing everyone, I feel this event needs to be about looking forward, not back. For that reason, I do not plan to be at the National Meeting, and so that sets the date for my successor.
The job announcement has been posted here without a specified closing date. We are looking for a person from the federal laboratory community who will continue to provide leadership to advance the strategy from the Executive Board. We have received multiple very qualified applications, and I expect the post will close soon. Interviews will begin in the very near future.
I can’t help but look back on the past six years with a great deal of pride. We have made big strides in each of our pillars. Our website was completely revamped and moved to a new platform, as was Lab Tech in Your Life and FLC Business. These were major overhauls that modernized how we share information. We also launched a new podcast, The Transfer Files, to expand how we connect with the community.
In Educate, the Learning Center has been fully redesigned, with career tracks and new content continuing to roll out. Coupled with new monthly webinars, our educational offerings continue to grow. We have also renewed our mentorship program, which now has two successful cohorts.
In Facilitate, everything is new. We now actively represent federal labs at events, provide easier access for labs to participate in major tech gatherings, and offer a range of programs designed to promote your work. We have paired these efforts with new tools for ORTAs to use in their day-to-day work. Across all of this, the FLC is now much more driven by data and metrics, allowing us to improve programs and deliver better results.
Even as I wrap up my time, we are not nearly done! This month alone is full of big launches. We are in the process of reprinting an updated Green Book — plus, a new interactive Green Book App will be rolling out. We also have a big announcement coming soon on a professional career program, the return to an in-person National Meeting in a couple of months, and so much more. We are poised for success, and I am confident that I am leaving the FLC in a good place with a fantastic team to help the next Executive Director continue this progress.
As always, all of this is for and about you! The FLC is a member-focused organization, and that means it depends on volunteers from across our professional community. Recently, we have seen an uptick in candidates running for Executive Board vacancies, which will be up for vote next month, and this is a great sign of our community’s vibrancy and engagement.
As I’ve said, the FLC is ultimately about its people, and that is what I will miss the most. You do remarkable work, and I know it will continue. The best is yet to come!