In June, Sandia joined Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy, a leadership network of more than 70 U.S. and international organizations dedicated to breaking down gender barriers in the field of nuclear security.

“At Sandia, we believe that women’s voices and diverse perspectives are critical to our continued work in global security,” said Labs Director James Peery, who serves as the executive champion for the effort. “Through GCNP, Sandia has committed to a series of goals that will track ongoing diversity and inclusion efforts and help us build on our successes.”

This year is the first year of Sandia’s stated one- to three-year goals, which include:

• Encouraging gender balance in internal and external nuclear policy expert forums, including panels where James is invited to participate.
• Supporting awareness of and participation in awards that recognize women for their technical and leadership excellence.
• Increasing participation in internal diversity and inclusion educational courses by 5% over the 2021 baseline.
• Fostering gender equity in hiring panels and applicant pools and continuing to use inclusive language in job postings and interview questions.

GCNP goals for 2023 and 2024 include adding peer discussion groups to share ideas and best practices, further increasing inclusive educational offerings and participation, and increasing representation of women in senior technical and management roles.

“Through GCNP, Sandia is engaging at a leadership level in the policy, behavioral and cultural changes needed to achieve effective gender balance in the nuclear field,” said David Sandison, director of global security and lead of the GCNP Sandia taskforce. “I want to personally encourage all Sandians to get involved in GCNP. A diverse and equitable workforce benefits us all.”

For more information about GCNP or upcoming events, contact David or GCNP Sandia contacts Sondra Spence and Anelisa Simons.