A Message from Michael Brandt, AAERG Executive Sponsor

"As the executive sponsor of the Lab’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG), I look forward every year to sharing special celebrations in February to honor Black History Month. The theme this year is African American/Black Women in STEM. During the month you will hear stories of Black women, their careers, and inspirational moments that have shaped their impact on the Lab. One such woman is DOE’s Director of the Office of Science Dr. Asmet Asefaw Berhe, the first Black woman to hold that position."

Read the full letter>>

Thursday, February 16 - 12 Noon PST - "African American/Black Women in STEM" Speaker Series with Selena Hilton, Compensation Analyst 

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Selena Hilton is a Compensation Analyst who joined the lab in 2013.  She gained her compensation experience at the lab and was promoted from within the department.  Prior to her  joining the lab, she was an Executive Assistant for Fortune 500 companies, including Kodak Gallery and Federated Media. 

 Selena carries a ready smile and loves the art of conversation. She enjoys good company and good conversation. Selena is an avid reader and conversationalist.  She will start a conversation anywhere and with anyone and totally enjoy the experience.  

Tuesday,  February 21 - 9am -10am PST  - 50 Ways to Fight Bias: Black Women in the Workplace

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This Black History month, Lean In is hosting a 50 Ways to Fight Bias session around the specific biases & microaggressions Black Women face in the workplace and how we can feel empowered & equipped to take action. Our Women in the Workplace report found that:

• For every 100 men hired into manager roles, only 64 Black women are hired.

• 49% of Black women feel that their race or ethnicity will make it harder for them to get a raise, promotion, or chance to get ahead, compared to just 3% of white women and 11% of women overall.

• Only 11% of Black Women feel as if Black Women have allies in the workplace.

We recognize the importance of validation and creating a safe space for Black Women to come together and additionally want to be proactive in ways to educate those from other cultures on the specific obstacles Black Women face in the workplace.

To learn more about event: Click Here

Tuesday, February 21 - 12 Noon PST - "African American/Black Women in STEM" Speaker Series with Jessica Granderson, PhD,Staff Scientist & Interim Division Director of Building Technology and Urban Systems Division 

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Dr. Jessica Granderson is a Staff Scientist and the Deputy of Research Programs for the Building Technology and Urban Systems Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is a member of the Whole Building Systems Department. Dr. Granderson holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an AB in Mechanical Engineering from Harvard University. 

Her research focuses on energy management and information systems (EMIS), fault diagnostics and control, and advanced measurement and verification. She is the recipient of the 2015 Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Award for Leadership in Research, and the 2020 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. She was among 15 honorees for Women @ The Lab 2020. For W@TL 2020, the Women Scientists & Engineers Council received 98 nominations for 68 nominees, a significantly greater number than in previous years.

Thursday, February 23 - 11am PST - "African American/Black Women in STEM" Speaker Series with Paris Gordon, ALS User Services Office Administrator

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Paris Gordon began her career with Berkeley Lab 25 years ago in 1998, in the Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) Division Office. She has supported the EH&S Waste Management Group and Engineering. Later she was recruited to Human Resources to support Material Sciences and the Molecular Foundry, Engineering, ATAP, Nuclear Science and Physics. She enjoys working with students and staff both onsite, on campus and abroad. Known for forming relationships across various departments. 

Paris is a social butterfly who enjoys spending time with wonderful people and loves basketball, specifically ‘March Madness’ which she has been a fan of since the sixth grade.

Friday,  February 24 - 12 Noon PST- ETA’s 6th Annual Black History Month (BHM) Celebration

Join us for ETA’s 6th annual Black History Month Celebration highlighting black history in science (and more) with a lively game of trivia! This popular event is not to be missed and a great way to connect with allies from across the Lab. 

This will be a virtual event on Friday, February 24, 2023 @ Noon - 1pm.

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Monday, February 27 - 1pm EST, 10am PST - DOE's Black History Month Fireside Chat: Black Resistance, Energy, and Climate Justice

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To watch visit the Energy.gov Livestream

Shalanda H. Baker,  Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity and Secretarial Advisor on Equity 

The Honorable Shalanda H. Baker is the Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy and Secretarial Advisor on Equity. Prior to her Senate confirmation, she served as the Nation’s first-ever Deputy Director for Energy Justice. Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, she was a Professor of Law, Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. She has spent over a decade conducting research on the equity dimensions of the global transition away from fossil fuel energy to cleaner energy resources. She is the author of over a dozen articles, book chapters, and essays on renewable energy law, energy justice, energy policy, and renewable energy development.

To read more about Shalanda Baker: Click here

Colette Pichon Battle, Esq., Attorney, Climate Advocate, Alliance Builder

Colette Pichon Battle (she/her) is the Vision and Initiatives Partner for Taproot Earth. She spearheaded efforts around equitable climate disaster recovery, global migration, community economic development, and energy democracy through the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, an organization that she founded in 2005. Colette serves on the governance council of the Southern Movement Assembly, co-chairs the national Water Equity and Climate Resilient Caucus with PolicyLink, serves on the steering committee of the Ocean Justice Forum, and is a lead architect of the 5-state, multi-issue initiative Gulf South for a Green New Deal.

To read more about Colette Pichon Battle: Click here

Monday, February 27 - 12 Noon PST - "African American/Black Women in STEM" Speaker Series with Therese M. Leone,Chief Laboratory Counsel for the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

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Therese M. Leone serves as Chief Laboratory Counsel for the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab where she leads a team of dedicated legal and regulatory professionals in the Office of the Laboratory Counsel.  As a member of senior management, she oversees the legal function for the Lab and helps to ensure adherence to requirements of the University of California/U.S. Department of Energy contract, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and UC/LBNL policies and procedures. In addition, she oversees the Berkeley Lab Export Control compliance function. 

In addition, during her tenure in the UC Office of the General Counsel, she served as UC Merced’s first Chief Campus Counsel. She also serves as the chair of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)’s Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusivity.

Ms. Leone began her legal journey in private practice as a labor and employment litigator. She is a frequent speaker on many legal and policy issues related to higher education.  She is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley (J.D.) and Northwestern University (B.A.)

A Message from Michael Brandt, AAERG Executive Sponsor

"Celebrating February as Black History Month goes back more than 100 years. As the Deputy Director for Operations and the Executive Sponsor of the Lab’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG), I ask that you take time this month to join me in learning about Black history and honoring the many contributions of Black leaders past and present."

Read the full letter>>

Wednesday, February 9 - 12 noon - "A Plan of Action" Speaker Series with Damian Rouson,Staff Scientist, Computing Sciences  

Damian Rouson is the Group Lead for the Computer Languages and Systems Software (CLaSS) Group at Berkeley Lab. He is a mechanical engineer with experience in simulating turbulent flows in multiphase, quantum, and magnetohydrodynamic media. He leads the development of the OpenCoarrays parallel runtime library and the Morfeus partial differential equation solver framework. His work at Berkeley Lab involves researching ways to accelerate predictions of climate change's regional impacts, teaching UPC++, and contributing to the LLVM flang Fortran compiler.   He holds a B.S. from Howard University and a M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, all in mechanical engineering. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the State of California. 

Watch the recording of this event: Damian Rouson

(If you are unable to open the video, log in with your Berkeley Lab credentials and verify third-party cookies are enabled on your browser.) 

Friday,  February 11 - 12 noon - ETA’s 5th Annual Black History Month (BHM) Celebration

Join us for ETA’s 5th annual Black History Month Celebration highlighting black history in science (and more) with a lively game of trivia! This popular event is not to be missed and a great way to connect with allies from across the Lab. This will be a virtual event on Friday, February 11, 2022 @ Noon - 1pm.

Join us on Zoom  

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Thursday, February 17 - 12 noon - "A Plan of Action" Speaker Series with Deborah Smith, Sr. Administrator, Physics Division  

Deborah joined the Lab in 2005 and spent most of her time at the Lab managing the ALS User Office and coordinating the ALS User Meeting. Currently, she supports the Physics Division’s Sr. Management and works with the division admins to provide excellent customer service to the division’s scientific groups. When she is not supporting Sr. Management, she manages Physics Division Office logistics such as Space Utilization, Property Inventory, Fellowship Searches, and before COVID, Division, Director, and DOE Reviews. She is a people person and looks forward to the day we can all return to the Lab collaborating once again. She has completed a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration Degree from John F. Kennedy University, and a Liberal Arts Associate in Arts Degree, focusing on the Social and Behavioral Sciences from Berkeley City College. She profoundly believes in Work-Life balance, so in her spare time, she likes to read, sew, play with her dogs, attend the theater/symphony, go to the movies, and discuss the Marvel Universe.

Watch the recording of this event: Deborah Smith

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Wednesday, February 23 - 12 noon - "A Plan of Action" Speaker Series with Brieanna Wright,  Internship Coordinator, Workforce Development & Education 

Brieanna Wright is the Internship Coordinator for Berkeley Lab’s Workforce Development & Education. For more than a decade, Brieanna has worked with students and staff to increase diversity in higher education and build vibrant, inclusive communities. Prior to joining Berkeley Lab in 2021, Brieanna served as the Director of UC Berkeley’s Educational Opportunity Program, where she led the creation of support services for first-generation, low-income, and historically underrepresented students. Brieanna’s work has been recognized with awards from UC Berkeley’s Gender Equity Resource Center and the Excellence in Advising & Student Services Awards Program. She is deeply committed to supporting the development of our next generation of scientists. In her talk, Brieanna will share how she conceptualized a plan of action for her own career path to the Lab.

Watch the recording of this event: Brieanna Wright

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Thursday,  February 24 - 12 noon
Black History Month Celebration with Candace Doby: “Courage at Work”

The African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) and the IDEA Office are pleased to announce that Candace Doby, speaker, author and coach, will join us for this year’s Black History Month Celebration. 

Now, more than ever, organizations need leaders to act with courage. They need leaders who are willing and able to take worthwhile risks, navigate through uncertainty, and withstand challenges in order to position their organizations for growth in a constantly shifting corporate and non-profit world. According to research, courage is an essential leadership quality. But, when emerging leaders consider potential failure or rejection in the workplace as outcomes, they can find it difficult to choose courage — opting instead for safety and limited growth. That’s because they don’t know how to evaluate risks or leverage the internal resources they already have to face them. In this presentation, speaker and courage coach Candace Doby helps audience members discover what’s stopping them from stepping outside of their comfort zone at work and how to begin dismantling those barriers so they can take more risks — risks like having hard conversations about diversity and inclusion, showing up authentically for themselves and their teams, and challenging old systems that do not serve new workplace realities.

About Candace: 

Candace Doby is an Atlanta-based speaker, author and courage coach who works with universities and organizations to help emerging leaders activate their personal courage in order to perform to their potential in school, work and life. Candace combines a decade of research on courage with her experiences leading marketing teams at Chipotle Mexican Grill, solo traveling to more than 20 countries, writing a book and starting a business. This unique combination equips her with the implementable strategies she shares with audiences to help them get out of their own way and put their mission in motion.

Candace is known for delivering those strategies with a blend of truth, love and a bit of shade to match the realness of courage, which prompts clients to refer to her in-person and virtual presence as “captivating”. Candace holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a master’s degree in Technology and Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also ran track.

Watch the recording of this event: BHM Celebration 2022

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Thursday,  February 24 - 5-6pm - Black History Month Groove Lounge

 DJ Miles Green invites you to a funky good time! Join us on a journey exploring the endless contribution that African Americans have made to music, dance, art and culture. 

Watch a recording this event: Groove Lounge