Los Alamos National Laboratory
Employee Spotlight
Michael Lake - Aiming for firearms safety and fun
A rifle and pistol competitor since high school, Michael A. Lake has since become an armorer, gunsmith, and range safety officer whose focus is on firearms safety and fun.1/29/20
Thaddeus Lewis Kostrubala - A pet’s best friend
For about 20 years, Thaddeus (“Tadz”) Kostrubala has volunteered as a foster caregiver for stray and abused dogs and cats so that they are more easily adopted.1/29/20
Garrick Snider — The Zen of Water
An avid swimmer since youth, Garrick Snider enjoys participating in a series of open-water swims designed to test the skill and endurance of swimmers who can go mile after mile in big bodies of water like rivers, lakes and oceans. 11/26/19
Joe Fawcett — Making a good call
If it’s soccer season, Joe Fawcett is likely out on the field working as a referee. 10/29/19
Eric Yee and Lawrence Trujillo — Harmonizing those Latin vibes
Eric Yee and Lawrence Trujillo play guitars for New Mexican music bands like Al Hurricane, Jr., Lorenzo Antonio, and Sparx.9/25/19
Josh Valdez — Lasso at the ready
On any given weekend, Joshua N. Valdez of the Material Management & Business Services (NPI-8) group and his family can be found riding horses, practicing roping and participating in team-roping competitions throughout New Mexico.8/28/19
Carol A. Salazar — Sculpting the human body
An avid strength trainer, Carol A. Salazar of the Financial Compliance group (FA-FC) has recently started competitive bodybuilding. Carol performed so well at her debut competition that she turned professional and plans to participate in the national bodybuilding championships in the near future.8/7/19
Gary Parker — Life on the boulder’s edge
Gary R. Parker of the Explosive Applications and Special Projects (M-6) group loves to practice bouldering, a niche sport associated with rock climbing. Today, Gary uses his interests in photography and videography to map and introduce new sites to the bouldering community.5/28/19
Katya Davydenko — Training working dogs
Ekaterina Davydenko of Site Infrastructure & Programs Software loves all breeds of dogs but was drawn to working dogs. 4/24/19
Bill Priedhorsky — In the middle of nowhere
Bill Priedhorsky of Laboratory-Directed Research & Development enjoys hiking and exploring the outdoors.3/28/19
Frederico “Cisco” Archuleta — Jamming those low notes
Frederico “Cisco” Archuleta of Hazardous Materials Management plays acoustic and electric bass guitar for music genres such as country, folk and Spanish and mariachi music. 2/26/19
Benjamin Yeamans — Always on call
Benjamin Yeamans of W88 Systems Engineering (W-4) volunteers at Atalaya Search and Rescue. A member of the technical rope rescue team, Ben helps rescue people trapped in difficult-to-access locations in the mountains of New Mexico.12/18/18
Jocelyn Buckley — In control of her own plane
Determined to conquer her fear of flying, Jocelyn Buckley of Waste Management Programs (EPC-WMP) earned her private pilot’s license, bought her own plane, and now commutes to and from work every day. 11/28/18
Myles Cartelli — Let’s get crawling
As a young man, Myles Cartelli of Weapons Fabrication Services (PF-WFS) learned welding, machining and fabricating. The skills he refined working at the Laboratory came in handy when he started modifying off-road vehicles for extreme sports such as rock crawling.10/30/18
Michael E. Martinez — Culture captured in art
Growing up surrounded by a creative family, Michael E. Martinez (Q-6) began to draw and paint. Inspired by the diverse cultures in New Mexico, Michael soon found other outlets for his art, such as t-shirt designs, posters, and customized shoes.9/25/18
James Robinson— Rehabilitating wild animals
As a kid, James Robinson of Investigations and Policy (ADMASER-IP) helped rehabilitate injured animals. This passion led him to help found the Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation, which raises funds to rehabilitate wild animals throughout New Mexico. 8/29/18
Donald DeChellis— Enter the world of videogame speedrunning
Donald DeChellis of Metal Production (PT-1) is a speedrunner, a new type of video-gamer whose goal is to complete entire runs of videogames as quickly as possible.6/26/18
Mari Roberson— Hard riding and straight shooting
For Mari Roberson of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), there’s nothing more exciting than riding at full gallop on her horse while popping balloon targets with her single-action revolver.5/29/18
Sheryl Bailey— The play’s the thing
A theater director with more than 20 plays under her belt, Sheryl Bailey of the Acquisition Services Management Division Office (ASM-DO) has a passion for working on new plays, those not previously produced for the theater. 4/24/18
Tony Valdez— The Sweet Science
In a professional boxing career that has earned him eight wins, seven by knockout, Tony Valdez today trains the next generation of fighters at his own gym in Española, New Mexico. Tony's goal is to pass on the easy way what he learned the hard way.3/28/18
Susan Tesch— Quilts as art from the heart
A relative newcomer to the art of quilting, Susan Tesch uses her experience as an abstract painter to craft stunning images on quilts and other items, such as placemats. Susan plans to open a quilting business when she retires.2/27/18
Maura Shuttleworth— Pumping serious iron
A veteran of more than 70 competitions, powerlifter Maura Shuttleworth holds more than 20 records, 12 of which are New Mexico State Records. For Maura, powerlifting is more than competition-it's a journey where every day is a chance to get stronger and better.1/31/18
Wilbert Weijer— Taking the road trip of our lives
Hailing from the Netherlands, Wilbert Weijer discovered the simplicity of music through singer-songwriter Neil Young. Today, Wilbert records and performs his distinct style of audio storytelling with just an acoustic guitar and his voice. 12/6/17
Robbie Harris— Let’s play ball!
Robbie Harris of the Lean Six Sigma Office coaches the Los Alamos Little League Girls Softball Team, which in 2017 won the State Championship. Robbie’s secret to success: build self-esteem, foster teamwork, and most of all, have fun. 10/31/17
Doug Coombs— “Painting” nature one frame at a time
Douglas Coombs’ love of the outdoors led to a passion for landscape and wildlife photography. Doug’s camera lets him capture the scenery about him so that others hopefully see what he sees. 8/28/17
Hope Quintana— Santa Fe crowns new reina
In May 2017, Hope Quintana of the Actinide Engineering and Science group (MET-1) earned the title of La Reina de la Fiesta de Santa Fe. Hope intends to bring la fiesta to those who cannot attend. 8/28/17
Vincent Campos— Interpreting traditional retablo art in a fun and whimsical way
Vincent Campos of the Program Cost & Scheduling (MOF-PC-PCS) group creates retablos inspired by Catholic iconography but with a distinctly modern approach. 7/25/17
Monique Vigil— Meet 2017’s Reina de la Fiesta del Valle de Española
As Queen of the Española Fiesta, Monique Vigil passes on traditions practiced since 1598, when Juan de Oñate y Salazar declared Española New Mexico’s first official capital. 6/6/17
John Turon— Restoring the golden age of arcade video games
John Turon of Weapons Product Definition spends his free time restoring vintage pinball games to their old glory.6/6/17
Darrin Visarraga— Dance the salsa, make it your own
Darrin Visarraga of the Information Systems and Modeling group discovered the beat- and groove-laden world of salsa. Now he teaches his passion to others. 5/2/17
