The Office of Research Services (ORS) is comprised of a diverse portfolio of services that support the NIH mission. In this new section — I AM ORS, we showcase the exceptional employees behind these vital programs, spotlighting not only the important role they provide, but the opportunity to get to know them on a personal level too.
Richard Baumann
Meet Richard Baumann, the NIH biological safety officer (BSO) for the Bethesda campus with the Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS). Rick joined ORS over 10 years ago in July 2007. Before coming to ORS, he was an assistant professor, mentor and laboratory bench researcher at the US Naval Academy and before that, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Rick’s biggest contribution to ORS is spearheading the NIH Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) through continuous changes made to safety regulations and implementation of an electronic registration system for biological materials. He prides himself on remaining consistent and approachable to investigators as the BSO through the inevitable changes that occur within organizations. Rick has an “open door” policy and enjoys all opportunities to interact with all the different investigators across campus. He loves to hear about their cutting edge research and to act as a catalyst to help them progress their research safely.
Rick grew up a few miles from NIH and now resides in Annapolis with his wife, Camille, of 23 years and their three boys. He first learned how to dive at the young age of 14 which led to his initial interest of marine biology and his passionate service as an active volunteer diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore for over 20 years. That early interest in marine biology morphed into an interest and lifetime career in biochemistry and molecular biology once he began to understand the concept of cloning genes of interest into DNA vectors to express and study the proteins they encode through modern recombinant DNA techniques. In his free time, Rick loves to spend time on the Chesapeake Bay and enjoys fishing, crabbing, traveling with his family and writing poetry when inspired. He has been fortunate enough to travel to Australia five times as a mentor for pre-med international scholars and explore the “land down under” and the Great Barrier Reef. Over the years, Rick has coached all three of his sons in various sports including baseball, soccer and basketball and is beginning to navigate the collegiate years with them.
Nicole Huntington
Meet Nicole Huntington, a program specialist for the Division of Amenities and Transportation Services (DATS). As a tenured-ORS employee with over 17 years of experience, she helps make sure the Transportation and Services program runs smoothly, provides support services and quality assurance and helps with various DATS-related events like the Take Your Child To Work Day Scavenger Hunt. Nicole was instrumental in the development of the Commuting and Parking Services (CAPS) system. CAPS is an online system that NIH employees can access to request parking permits, apply for Transhare and make other modifications to their commuting preferences without having to visit the parking office. She loves the supportive and understanding work environment of her office and helps contribute to DATS and ORS with her sincerity and willingness to listen. She was dubbed the influencer of DATS because of these attributes! Nicole has served on the ORS Green Team, ORS Safety Committee, DATS Social Committee and the Recognition Committee. In 2004, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) selected Nicole to attend a union conference in Puerto Rico. Over the years, she has represented NIH at travel conferences in San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver, Portland, Baltimore and DC.
Nicole grew up in Bethesda and attended Montgomery College to stay in the area. She has always had a passion for traveling. As a child, she learned to access the Metro with great ease, using public transportation to visit nearby major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and DC. Nicole has a wide variety of interests in the arts and entertainment. As an avid Orioles fan, she enjoys baseball games and has visited 17 Major League Ballparks already. Recently, Nicole was able to check off an item on her bucket list – traveling to Australia! She went on a three-week long vacation to Sidney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The next three places she wants to check off her list are Scotland, Israel and Africa.
Corporal Kweku Pesseh
Meet Corporal Kweku Pesseh, a police officer with the Division of Police (DP). NIH Police Officer is only one of many job titles Corporal Pesseh has — Special Response Team (SRT) officer, Field Training Officer and Community Policing Officer are some of his other official titles. Corporal Pesseh has been employed by ORS for four years and enjoys being 
a part of a team. He originally wanted to be an elementary school teacher, but followed an older brother to a career in police enforcement instead. What Corporal Pesseh likes most about his job is being able to help people. He also enjoys the monthly “Coffee with a Cop” events hosted at the Children’s Inn.
Corporal Pesseh grew up in Montgomery County, in the Olney/Wheaton area. Growing up, both of his parents held an influential role in his life – working while raising and putting five children through school. Corporal Pesseh played basketball in high school and college and was even offered the opportunity to try out for an overseas team, but turned it down. He currently resides in Germantown with his wife and two boys, Jayden (8) and Jordan (5). One of Corporal Pesseh’s major goals in life is to see both of his children graduate high school and go to college. Weekends are spent doing fun-filled family activities. In his free time, Corporal Pesseh goes to the gym and watches football to relax.
