Working with mom

May is the month to celebrate the mothers in our lives. Some lucky employees even have the privilege of working with their mothers on-site.

Meet Pantexan mother and son, Debbie M. and Michael O.

Michael O., end user support with Pantex Information Solutions and Services, and Debbie M., tester program coordinator in Pantex Tooling and Tester Engineering, only get a chance to see each other on-site maybe once a month, but Michael always steals a hug from his mom when he can get one.

“I’ve been given an opportunity that most children will never get, to see into the lives of their parents outside of the home and the chance to see a greater picture of the woman who raised me,” Michael said.

Michael started at Pantex in 2021, and has often relied on his mom’s 30 years of experience at the plant. Her presence made the transition less intimidating as a new employee, and even now she’s always willing to help him figure things out.

“She’s not afraid to go out and find answers, and she passed along the idea of being curious and seeing what others might not,” he said. “This has encouraged me to help mentor those around me, so I can share it with the next generation of Pantexans.”

Debbie says it warms her heart to know she can occasionally pop into the John C. Drummond Center and get a hug from her son.

“The best part of working at Pantex together is knowing that he is close to me and close to family, and the longer he works out here, he will discover that Pantex is also a family,” Debbie said.

She also loves hearing from others about how well he’s doing with his work. “They tell me he can be relied on to be accountable and get the job done,” she said. “I love that he is respected and valued in his field. I am proud of him because he is a good man.”