The Z Files: New Year, New Faces, Same Commitment

The Z Files: New Year, New Faces, Same Commitment

October 1, 2024

Happy New Year! We enter the new government fiscal year with a continuing resolution (CR) in place through December 20 and a big unknown with the coming election. Either way, we know there will be a new administration and many new appointees over the next year.

While there is much change in the air, some things will remain. Among those, on behalf of myself and the staff (AUTM), we are very happy to note that we will continue to serve you under a recent award to provide support to the FLC from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

There are some changes to note, as well. October 1 is when we seat new Executive Board (EB) members who were voted in during our elections at the National Meeting. We will also say farewell to friends who have completed their terms on the Board — though we hope to see them continue to share their talents through FLC’s many other volunteer opportunities.

  • Jennifer Stewart (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), who will be completing an incredible third term as the Far West Regional Coordinator.

  • Michelle Gonzalez (Sandia National Laboratories), who will complete her term as Far West Deputy Regional Coordinator.

  • The Far West will be welcoming Kimberly Minafra (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) as Regional Coordinator and Stephen Crutchfield (Navy) as Deputy Regional Coordinator.

  • In the Mid-Atlantic, Vladimir Popov (Frederick National Laboratory (FNL)) completes his second term as Regional Coordinator along with Deputy Regional Coordinator Claudia Haywood (FNL). Vladimir will continue on the EB as a Member-at-Large.

  • Amanda Corbel (FNL) will join the EB as Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator and Zarpheen Jinnah (National Cancer Institute) as Deputy Regional Coordinator.

  • While Annie Bullock-Yoder (Navy) will continue as the Midwest Regional Coordinator, Meghan Sheehan (Environmental Protection Agency) will replace Deborah Davis-Brutchen (Air Force Research Laboratory) as the Deputy Regional Coordinator.

  • We say farewell the Stefan Susta (Department of Veterans Affairs) as he completes his term as Member-at-Large.

The FLC depends on volunteers for all our programs, and we offer opportunities to fit nearly every person and commitment level — from standing committees to individual items of interest. Please consider volunteering! One of the best ways to begin is to look for things that enhance your current role. A key part of our mission is helping our labs in their work, and that tends to be where the most fruitful opportunities are found. Along the way, you meet people across agencies and build interagency skills. If you’re interested, contact us at [email protected].

As we move into the new year, we continue to have strong and rising metrics across our activities, all thanks to your participation! We will continue offering educational webinars, Member Connect webinars, Lab Showcases and other virtual events. We especially hope to see everyone at the National Meeting in Seattle! Even though the continuing resolution appears likely to push well into calendar year 2025, our May 13-15 event dates allow enough time to still plan and register for the meeting.

We have also been working actively with our partners to spread the word about tech transfer at numerous industry events. For the last two years, the FLC has hosted joint booth space for member labs at the BIO International Convention, and this year, we plan to do the same at the Consumer Technology Association’s CES event. These joint spaces are great for networking with potential partners as well as with like-minded labs.

While we will continue investing in our successes, we are also rolling out new features in the new year. One of the most notable: Look out for upgraded Member Services on our website in the coming months. The new-and-improved FLC Business platform will remain public and provide FLC-sponsored tools for labs to use for market exploration and discovery as well as some learning tools. We will also be reorganizing the FLC Learning Center as we move toward a certification program, including agency-specific content where possible. I will share more information as these new products and services become available in the coming year.

Finally, if the CR has you down, remember that this isn’t new: The last time we had a budget by October 1 was way back in 1996. That may sound shocking, but it’s true. If you want a better understanding of CRs and budgets, get an overview in The Federal Budget (for Non-Budget Professionals) webinar — by yours truly.

I look forward to an exciting new year full of opportunities, and I hope you will take advantage of all that we offer at the FLC!