Carolyn Zerkle | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Carolyn Zerkle, deputy director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and vice president of the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), is now on the board of directors of the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF).
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join the Livermore Lab Foundation board,” Zerkle said in the LLNL's May 2 announcement of the appointment. “I look forward to collaborating closely with the Foundation to support the Lab’s research, STEM education initiatives and workforce.”
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center established in 1952 in Livermore, Calif. LLNL applies science and technology (S&T) "to make the world a safer place," the LLNL website states.
"While keeping our crucial mission-driven commitments in mind," LLNL states, "we apply cutting-edge science and technology to achieve breakthroughs in nuclear deterrence, counterterrorism and nonproliferation, defense and intelligence and energy and environmental security."
The non-profit LLF was created in 2016 to act as a critical philanthropic partner for the LLNL, supporting mechanisms for public and private investments, grants, and gifts to support LLNL-based science and research initiatives and STEM education.
Zerkle, a resident of Dublin, began work with the LLNL in August as a member of the senior management staff, overseeing multiple institutional initiatives and working closely with other national laboratories, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), according to the announcement.
Prior to joining the LLNL, Zerkle served in multiple senior leadership roles at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, where she oversaw the execution and integration of an $8 billion nuclear construction and equipment installation portfolio in accordance with the LANL's pit manufacturing goals.
She also facilitated the LANL's COVID-19 Task Force, serving as one of the body's emergency directors. Other LANL assignments included serving as the Business Innovation associate director, Nuclear and High Hazard Operations deputy associate director, and Administration deputy associate director.
Zerkle received a bachelor's degree in architecture and civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and graduate degrees in architecture and business with a focus on nuclear construction project management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“We are delighted and honored to have Carolyn as a member of our board,” LLF board chair Dona Crawford said in the announcement.
“In addition to her significant career accomplishments and her strong commitment to operational excellence, she’s personally dedicated to the foundation’s fundamental mission of creating public-private partnerships and philanthropic opportunities that showcase how science can best serve society," Crawford said. "Her expertise will be invaluable.”
