The Office of Research Services (ORS) is comprised of a diverse portfolio of services that support the NIH mission. In this section - I AM ORS, we showcase the exceptional employees behind these vital programs.
Felicia Walker, DPSAC Deputy Director
Felicia Walker is Deputy Director for the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC). She has 15 years' experience in criminal justice and comes from the Department of Justice. Felicia is new to the NIH community and recently joined the ORS in February. She accepted this position to make a difference and advance in personnel security. Felicia and her team are working towards new processes that will increase efficiency and adapt to changing regulations. "We're at the forefront to protect [the agency] from people that may harm us or may harm the information we're using," Felicia said. "I like to see that we are enforcing laws and making this a safer place for people to come [to]." As Deputy Director, she leads case reviews for the customer branch, responds to inquiries about background investigations and works with the DPSAC Director on staffing and process maps.
Felicia was born and raised in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, she likes traveling, reading and spending time with family.
Larry Koenig, Radiation Health Physicist
Larry Koenig is a Radiation Health Physicist for the Division of Radiation Services (DRS), Radiation Safety Operations Branch (RSOB). He oversees compliance for the cyclotron, a facility that supports diagnostic imaging used for research across the NIH. Larry was recently tasked as team lead for the PET/radiochemistry area of RSOB. He enjoys solving problems and upholding the mission of ORS. "Office of Research Services, I took that to heart, so provide service, be honest with people, put good faith effort into the service you're providing, and do it in a timely manner," Larry explains. He has been a health physicist with ORS for 12 years. Larry "fell into" health physics as a participant in a 2-year technical program at Lakeshore Technical College in Wisconsin.
Larry loves playing golf and is a member of the NIH golf league. He also enjoys spending time with family and living in the Washington D.C. area. Larry is the youngest of 14 children.
Dever Powell, Senior Advisor to ORS Director
Dever Powell is Senior Advisor to the ORS Director supporting Colleen in trans-ORS initiatives, such as her three focus areas: People, Performance and Process. Dever often meets with ORS directors and staff for insight on vision, challenges, and ideas of leadership and performance management. He shares his insight and collaborates with Colleen to develop follow-up action. Dever recently joined the ORS in April and embraces his onboarding as an opportunity to learn. "This is a perfect opportunity for me because it's not like I've been here for a long time," he said. "It's not like Colleen has been here for a long time, and I think that there's so much opportunity and there's a lot of great people here at ORS; still have a lot more to meet." Dever enjoys mentoring and supporting NIH staff. He envisions the ORS as a high performing place, where people will want to work. Dever is looking forward to contributing to Colleen's vision for ORS.
Dever frequently travels to Paris to experience its art and history. Dever also enjoys reading and collecting books and visiting museums.
