New interim head of the Office of Program and Project Support

Carl Strawbridge

Carl Strawbridge is bringing fresh eyes and new ideas to Fermilab's Office of Program and Project Support. He was named the interim head of OPPS on April 3.

"My goal is to support current OPPS operations, while developing a coherent, integrated strategy and plan for the future of this relatively new office," Carl Strawbridge said. "I'll spend some initial time gathering information to fully understand the mission of the OPPS, looking at what's going well, building on the work of Peter Garbincius who formed and led the OPPS from it's inception, and understanding where there's room for improvements."

Bruce Chrisman, Fermilab's chief operation officer, says that Strawbridge will assess the needs of the OPPS and work on a plan of improvement.

"Given his heavy project management experience, Carl will develop a strategy to strengthen the overall planning process at the laboratory," said Bruce Chrisman, Fermilab's chief operating officer.

Strawbridge, formerly an employee at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and more recently a management consultant for many DOE projects, spent many years in a laboratory setting.

"I'm comfortable with the laboratory's approach to doing business," Strawbridge said, referring to research and analysis. "From prior project reviews, I know that there are a lot of excellent scientists, engineers and support staff performing excellent technical work at Fermilab."

Strawbridge worked with Fermilab's associate director for accelerators, Stuart Henderson, at Oak Ridge and on other projects for the past decade.

"Carl is an excellent project manager," Henderson said. "He has a solid understanding of how the projects work, and he has experience planning at the laboratory level."

Deputy Director Young-Kee Kim met Strawbridge on the international review committee for Korea's Rare Isotope Accelerator.

"Carl is very well recognized by the international community and DOE for his project management roles," Kim said.

While Strawbridge is renowned for his professional skills, he is also known as a pleasure to work with, according to Henderson.

"Carl will bring a lot of experience and knowledge to Fermilab," Henderson said. "He knows what he's doing, and he's genuinely fun to work with."

Based in Maine, Strawbridge will split his time between home and Illinois, where one of his sons and grandchild live. He's expecting to watch a few hockey games and visit museums, but he's mostly excited to begin work.

"I'm looking forward to getting started," Strawbridge said. "And supporting the staff here at Fermilab, who are striving every day to benefit science and high-energy physics."

—Ashley WennersHerron