The U.S. Department of Energy has named Jefferson Lab employee, Shauna Cannella, the 2018 Outstanding Security Professional of the Year
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – In April 2019, Shauna Cannella was sitting in an all-staff Security Department meeting at Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, when she received news that made her jaw drop. She had been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science as a 2018 Outstanding Security Award winner.
Just a few months later, her supervisor Brian Hanlon, the security and services manager at Jefferson Lab, had even bigger news for Cannella. She was told that she would receive the overall DOE 2018 Outstanding Security Professional of the Year-Contractor award. The recognition, a Secretarial Award, is the highest-level DOE award achievable within the security awards program. This is the first time an Office of Science Security professional has been recognized for the Secretarial Award.
“The award is a special recognition for Shauna and the Safeguards and Security Program here at Jefferson Lab. It demonstrates the outstanding professionalism and diligence of our security staff to secure the resources the American public entrust to us on their behalf,” says Hanlon.
Cannella was working part-time as a security administrator when an unexpected medical emergency in her department led her to take on additional responsibilities to help her team at Jefferson Lab. She transitioned to a full-time security manager and immediately noticed there was room for process improvement within her department.
“You have to do what you have to do,” Cannella said. “Even with the unexpected absence, we still needed to get the job done.” Cannella volunteered to assist the security department fill the void by taking on additional job duties, including program management and security protocols, and developed self-assessment guides for personal security and security concern incident reports.
“I am truly thankful to the members of our security team and extend my sincere appreciation to all those who dedicate their careers to the protection of these resources. Congratulations to this year's winners,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said of the award winners.
The DOE's security mission ensures the protection of national resources. The Outstanding Security Professional award recognizes security professionals who provide exemplary work contributing to the DOE’s safeguard and security program initiatives and best practices.
The DOE nominating committee considers leadership and performance, significant self-improvement, organizational involvement and similar achievements when naming the award winner. The security awards acknowledge the recipients’ pledge to secure the nation’s critical resources and their commitment to maintaining public trust.
“As the security challenges become more varied and complex for Jefferson Lab and all of the DOE labs, I hope to make significant contributions to proactively secure DOE’s most valuable assets – the people and property, which in turn will aid in advancing the mission,” Cannella says.
The 2018 Outstanding Security Award recipients are as follows:
- Security Professional of the Year-Contractor: Shauna J. Cannella, Jefferson Lab
- Security Professional of the Year-Federal: Marie E. Griego, Los Alamos Field Office
- Security Manager of the Year: Stephen J. Macklin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Security Team or Group Award: Security Systems Division, Idaho National Laboratory, Paul Lopez (Leader), Randon Anderson, Bob Denkers, Matt Erickson, Rick Evans, Lorin Hansen, Scott Packard, Richard Pauley, Dave Sommercorn, Steve Taylor, Ron Thinnes, Leland Warren
Contact: Rebecca Duckett, duckett@jlab.org, 757-269-6809