Pantex Blog
Pantex Proud: Tiffany Wiley
Tiffany Wiley. Photo by Adam Baker
Thousands of dedicated Pantex citizens like Tiffany Wiley work every day to support the Pantex mission. Take three minutes to learn about who she is, what she does, and why she is proud to be a Pantexan.
Tiffany Wiley had what many college students want to secure before they graduate: a job. A geophysics major, Wiley moved from Colorado to the Texas Panhandle in the pursuit of continuing her education and to take a job in oil and gas. Unfortunately, it was not a good time for the industry, so her would–be employer rescinded the offer. Fortunately, business was booming at a little old bomb plant off Highway 60.
“When I moved to the area, I immediately heard about Pantex and how prestigious it was. I never thought I'd be able to work here but thought I'd apply anyway. And the mission sounded super cool! Some time later, I received an offer. The Systems Engineering group gave me a chance and I never looked back.”
Wiley learned coding in college and during her time in Engineering sharpened those skills, noticing along the way how much she enjoyed web development. Several college courses later, she decided to take her abilities to Mission Systems within Information Technology.
“It was exactly what I was looking for, and I have loved it ever since. The group that I work with has been so welcoming to a newcomer outside of IT. We're lucky to have some very smart and experienced people to learn from. Everyone works hard and will go above and beyond to make sure every task is completed and done the correct way. It also doesn't hurt that they all have a great sense of humor.”
Pantex has provided Wiley with a career, and as she immersed herself in the site's culture, she found a sense of accomplishment.
“Now I know why Pantex has such an incredible reputation. Everyone's job has purpose and meaning and I'm proud to do what I do alongside these people. My proudest moment was when I was asked to lead my own team. I only started in this position about 2 years ago. In that short time, I've been able to learn and grow so much with the amazing support of my peers and managers. Now they trust me to take on the next group and help them the same way.”
How do you and your team contribute to mission success?
Many of the apps that we rely on every day to complete the mission are applications Mission Systems either helped develop or currently support – whether it's the Emergency Management Information System or the Dose Records Information System. I'm proud to do what I do alongside the people I get to do it with.
Why is pride in the workplace and the work you do important?
Pride in the workplace is important because if what you're doing means lot to you, it turns work into a passion. For all of us Pantexans, that's incredibly important because what we do is imperative for our nation's safety and security.
Who in your life has inspired you the most? Why?
My husband, Garret. He has this incredible attitude – almost always positive, able to find that silver lining. For those rare moments when he's down, he's quick to snap out of it and come back, working even harder. He also has an amazing open mind and is always willing to listen to others and learn from them where he can. He's not so stubborn to see that maybe he was wrong or someone's ideas are better. He is so kind to his friends and family and always wants to help. He sees the good and just wants to lift up those around him.
Friendly skies: Pantex advancing drone program
Members of Reliability Engineering completed drone flights over the construction site for the Environmental Sampling Facility. Photo by Michael Schumacher.
When you think of an aviation program, you might envision planes, jets, or other large aircraft. But as technology grows larger, useful gadgets get smaller. That's why Pantex's aviation program consists solely of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones.
“We've been flying drones at Pantex since 2021,” Aviation Safety Officer Joshua Herm said. “Our goal right now is bringing the program out of its infancy to make it more robust. Currently, we have been able to use drones for photos and videos, inspections, 3D mapping, counter–UAS activity, and live streaming video to increase situational awareness.”
The aviation program was developed and refined to meet mission needs by experts in Safeguards, Security, and Emergency Services (SS&ES) and is run though the Operations Center in Emergency Management. Herm ensures the requirements and responsibilities of the program are met and manages the day–to–day demands of the job. His background positions Pantex to transform the aviation program to a project of the future.
“I spent over 23 years in the Marine Corps, and over half of that time I was a CH–53E Super Stallion helicopter pilot,” Herm said. “My background allows Pantex to have a professional aviator in the role of Aviation Safety Officer, with knowledge and experience of actual aviation operations as well as familiarity with Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations.”
When Pantexans want to conduct a drone or manned aircraft flight, or even just have an aviation–related question, Herm is the person to contact. He works with the team in SS&ES on the Digital Transformation Initiative, which helps to identify new and emerging technologies and advance Pantex's capabilities in part through the acquisition of new drone and other unmanned systems. Herm's knowledge is valuable as Pantex sets a solid foundation for how future flight operations are conducted.
“The use of drone aircraft and contracted manned flights can be a great asset to other divisions and departments by acting as a force multiplier and tool that allows those organizations to effectively complete an assigned task in a more efficient manner,” Herm said. “This can range from inspections that need to be completed in difficult–to–access areas by Infrastructure, assessing work done for Safety, emergency response by Emergency Management, and even getting much–needed imagery or video for business communications.”
Herm is in charge of more than just overseeing drone flights. He receives flight requests, reviews documents for conflicts with other departments, and evaluates requests for safety to determine if they will cause a flight issue or disruption to any Pantex operations. He also works with NNSA and the FAA to determine if there are issues with the airspace and flight operations, and coordinates with other departments around Pantex as well as external agencies.
Emergency Services offers a training course for any Pantex employee interested in becoming a new drone pilot at the Plant. The training is held a few times each year to build a sufficient cadre of operators. New UAS operators are necessary to facilitate the growing number of flights requested and the equally necessary culture change needed across the Plant, in what Herm sees as a future sky filled with drones.
“I would like to see drone operations at Pantex become a daily event — Emergency Management drones being used when the ERO is activated to increase situational awareness or to locate and identify emergent issues within a short timeframe, as well as every department that thinks they could use a drone to their benefit to increase their capabilities,” Herm said. “I truly think that drones have the ability to assist us in many ways, and I would like to see those ideas become a reality.”
Pantex Proud: Terry West
Thousands of dedicated Pantex citizens like Terry West work every day to support the Pantex mission. Take three minutes to learn about who he is, what he does, and why he is proud to be a Pantexan.
At Pantex we’re known for our assembly capabilities. Terry West, on the other hand, is known for taking things apart. As an Engineering Technical Waste Operator, West is one of the experts who knows how to get the job done right when there are things that need to be dismantled, recycled, or disposed of.
“I handle hazardous and nonhazardous waste that is generated throughout Pantex,” West said. “We take care of discarded chemicals, expired weapons material, package components, handle trash that is sent to the landfill, and process materials to the correct disposal sites.”
West is a second generation Pantexan. For the past 46 years, he’s dedicated his life to the mission. While West works with discarded or unneeded materials, he says not one minute of his time here has been a waste.
“Put in the work, and you’ll receive a lifetime of rewards,” he said. “By being employed at Pantex, I have been able to give me and my family a great life. Every job is important toward the mission. From waste operations to the plant president, we all must do our jobs, especially in a safety sense.”
Dedication and loyalty are the foundation of West’s service. He says he is just proud to be a member of the Pantex family and lucky to be associated with the people who make Pantex such a special place to work.
“We are still one the most important parts of our nation’s security,” West said. “The work that the employees and the company does that reaches the community is something to be proud of.”
Why is communication important for your team to succeed?
Communication is key in every job at Pantex. It starts at the top and needs to be communicated down to everyone in line to get the job done. No communication means no success in getting the job done.
Why is it important we keep a questioning attitude?
We all need to question the job at hand if you don’t feel it can be done safely or done right. With all the new people at Pantex, someone will bring up a new and faster way to do something. But in our business, faster is not always the safer way of getting the job done. I’ve been here long enough to know why we have procedures in place along with all the lessons learned that we read in our daily workday. We all want to go home every day after a safe day at work. So, I’m not afraid to question or even stop work just to make sure we are doing a job the safest way possible.
Why is giving back to the community important?
Kids Inc. was big in my life as a kid. I played every sport that they offered. United Way supported Kids Inc. and makes it affordable for parents to allow their kids to get to participate. So, I will always support the United Way.
What’s your top bucket list item and why?
To see the Masters golf tournament in person and see the best golfers play on the most beautiful place on earth.
What’s your favorite outside-of-work activity and why?
I have two; the first one is racing. I started racing motorcycles at 14 years old, and 36 years later, I race sprint cars. Now, my wife and I own the sprint car that our son races at Route 66 Motor Speedway. My other passion is golf. I ran the Pantex Golf League from 2006 to 2016. In 2018, I started a mini tour, Top of Texas AM Tour, to put on individual tournaments. I competed in the World Amateur Championships in Myrtle Beach for ten years. That was the ultimate of tournaments that I played in. So, I stay busy with racing and golf.
Who in your life has inspired you the most and why?
I have to say my parents. My mom was a quiet person until I didn’t follow the right rules of life. My Dad was the one that led me to racing. It was his hobby and he made sure I had the best equipment possible. We still talk about racing every time we talk. We also talk about the times that he worked at Pantex. He retired from DOE in 1994. Being 93 years old, he still remembers names and the things that happened in the past years here. So, I am very blessed to have great parents.
Pantex Proud: Courtney Daniel
Thousands of dedicated Pantex citizens like Courtney Daniel work every day to support the Pantex mission. Take three minutes to learn about who she is, what she does, and why she is proud to be a Pantexan.
Imagine being stranded on a deserted island. What three items would you bring? For Courtney Daniel, a Health Physicist and Dosimetry Technical Lead, it’s a water purifier straw, a machete, and her husband.
“My man is so smart he’d figure out a way to build a raft out of seashells and palm trees, or something crazy, and we’d just sail out of there,” she said.
This lighthearted response to the popular “deserted island” game reveals a deeper truth about Daniel’s life philosophy: Good company makes all the difference.
“No one is an island. Being part of a team makes all things doable and sharing the burden, the stress, and the work together makes the achievement that much sweeter.”
Mutually beneficial collaboration, like Daniel describes, is exactly how the Radiation Safety team operates at Pantex. Daniel and other members of the group recently launched the Dose Records Information System (DRIS), a huge step forward in speeding up the availability of radiation dose reports. DRIS allows for immediate access to radiation dose history for everyone at Pantex.
“This was a huge accomplishment for us and our IT partners. The release of DRIS made getting personal dose information so much easier and faster for the entire site.”
On top of that achievement, Daniel and the rest of the Dosimetry and Radiological Measurements Group is prepping for another big project — bringing dosimeter processing back to Pantex. Daniel is proud of this achievement and is excited for the process to return.
“We currently have all the readers and nitrogen generators in place and we plan to start conducting all the required studies very soon,” Daniel said. “Bringing dosimeter processing back to Pantex will allow us to get results out so much faster at the end of each quarter. We are all working so hard to get everything accomplished and ready by our next Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation assessment.”
What do you enjoy most about working at Pantex?
The group of people I work with. They are all amazingly intelligent, kind, good-hearted people. They are always willing to lift you up when you are having a rough day and are always ready to celebrate with you on the great ones.
What do you think makes Pantex so special?
Our mission is one of a kind and I think that in and of itself is pretty special. It’s also vastly understated that people outside our area have no idea what we do or that we even exist. But without us, our nation’s defense strategy would look very different.
Why is being open to learn from others critical for mission success?
No one knows everything, and being open to hear other people’s ideas can save you a lot of headaches. We attend quarterly meetings with all the DOE sites for both internal and external dosimetry. These meetings offer us a sounding board for issues or to ask questions. Also, we hear from the other sites about what is working well and what isn’t. They often present ideas or scenarios that we have never seen so when something arises at our own site, we know who we can go to for help.
Why is it important we hold ourselves accountable in our daily tasks?
What we contribute is up to us, and our work is a reflection of ourselves. Why would you want to present anything less than your best?
What advice would you give to a new employee?
Learn everything you can about as much as you can. Pantex is so diverse that there is no way you could ever know everything. It’s important to keep learning.
Why is mentoring vital to personal success?
The best way to gain a deeper knowledge about Pantex and what we do is through a mentor. Learning from someone who has been around longer and who has the ability to offer insight or direction into some lessons learned can help you avoid making the same mistakes and put you on a better path to achieve your goal.
What’s your favorite outside-of-work activity and why?
My husband and I really enjoy traveling. There’s so much this world has to offer and we want to go everywhere and see everything. We’re always looking for somewhere amazing to go and we are really trying to instill that wanderlust into our children.
Pantex Proud: Caitlin Duke
Thousands of dedicated Pantex citizens like Caitlin Duke work every day to support the Pantex mission. Take three minutes to learn about who she is, what she does, and why she is proud to be a Pantexan.
For Caitlin Duke, it all started with MySpace. Although her fascination with computers and technology started at an earlier age, her initial introduction into the world of information technology began when she coded her peers’ layouts on the online millennial mecca. She built onto those basic coding skills through her job at a large electronics retail store, developing into more areas of IT and finding an interest in troubleshooting.
“After moving from that first job, I tried a few other things,” Duke said. “Nothing seemed to satisfy my brain like IT does, and so I made the switch back to IT and have stuck with it since.”
Duke has been at Pantex for two years as a field support technician under Information Technology Service Management. She supports all IT issues at the Pantex Amarillo Campus (PAC), a service that also stands as her proudest accomplishment.
“We established and initiated full-time IT support at the PAC,” she said. “We proactively addressed any potential issues and ensured IT infrastructure was deployed and operating before launch day. I'm genuinely proud to say that the opening of the PAC has been a resounding success. I am glad I was chosen to be a part of making it happen.”
In her role, Duke meets a lot of people. While she loves what she does and is proud to serve the mission, there’s one thing she loves even more.
“My coworkers,” she said. “The people are what make Pantex special. I have worked in many environments, with various companies and roles. I can honestly say that Pantex is a cut above the rest. Anyone who gets a chance to be out here is lucky to be a part of this group of people and the mission we support.”
As a longtime Texas Panhandle resident, Duke understands the importance of Pantex to the nation, region, and community. She’s proud to serve her fellow Pantexans, and she exemplifies that pride through her daily work.
“Having pride in my role is important to me because I know how my work affects those around me,” Duke said. “Those in need of IT support rely on me to be efficient in my job so they can get back to doing theirs. I try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. It is not uncommon that people are hesitant to ask for IT-related help. I strive to change that and make their experience positive.”
Why is being open to learn from others critical for mission success?
By being open to learn from each other’s different experiences, opinions, and knowledge, we will get through any obstacle or achieve any goal. It’s critical we share and preserve knowledge from one another to continue being successful in our mission.
What advice would you give to a new employee?
Network as much as possible. I challenge everyone to build relationships with others outside of your bubble. It will open so many doors.
Who in your life has inspired you the most and why?
My parents. They both have an incredible work ethic and I’m fortunate to have them. They have done their best to give back to the community through coaching, running women’s groups, making donations, being involved in their unions, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, and being leaders in the workplace. I strive every day to make them proud in everything I do, and try to live up to their legacies.