• Number 339  |
• June 13, 2011

McMillan takes helm at LANL

Charles F. (Charlie) McMillan, Los Alamos National Laboratory's former principal associate director for Weapons Programs, has been appointed Los Alamos National Laboratory director and president and chief executive officer of Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). On June 1, he succeeded Michael Anastasio, who is retiring.

McMillan joined LANL in 2006 from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he served in a variety of research and management positions. Prior to being named LANL's principal associate director for Weapons Programs in 2009, McMillan led the Lab's Weapons Physics organization.

McMillan holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from Columbia Union College and a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

During an all-employee talk on his first day, McMillan outlined his near- and longer-term priorities, talking about the need to continue the Labwide attention on operational excellence, safety and security, ethical business practices, and responsible environmental stewardship. He spoke of the need to create a work environment that enables all Laboratory employees to contribute effectively, including the need for infrastructure modernization. He emphasized that through strong teamwork and scientific excellence the Laboratory can meet its commitments and challenges and that our future depends on outstanding science.

"I see the Laboratory as a trusted advisor to the U.S. government, first in the area of nuclear weapons and then for a whole host of other national security problems," said McMillan. "Science is at the core of everything we do. The creativity and innovation at this Laboratory is central to how we accomplish our mission. We keep our edge by solving the most difficult problems; it's the reason we're here."

In a note to LANL employees, Norman Pattiz, chairman of the Los Alamos National Security Board of Governors, said "Charlie's appointment comes after a rigorous, competitive, national search led by the University of California that resulted in the receipt of approximately 150 nominations and applications, representing a broad and diverse array of candidates. The search committee included participation of senior UC, LANL, and LLNL scientists and administrators; senior leaders from government, academia and industry; former national laboratory directors; and members of the LANS Board of Governors. The search committee was supported by a screening task force composed of prominent academic, LANL, and LLNL scientists and engineers, knowledgeable former Department of Defense officials, and JASONs, all with knowledge of the Laboratory and the relevant scientific communities."

Summing up his philosophy on how science is best managed, McMillan quoted from the collection of Lewis Thomas essays, Lives of a Cell: "What [research] needs is for the air to be made right. If you want a bee to make honey, you do not issue protocols on solar navigation or carbohydrate chemistry, you put him together with other bees . . . and you do what you can to arrange the general environment around the hive. If the air is right, the science will come in its own season, like pure honey."

Submitted by DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory