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.
Joe Wolski, Acting Director of the Quality Management Team
Joe has been with ORS for almost 20 years and his background is Industrial and Systems Engineering. His team serves as internal consultants to all ORS teams, and they work to improve efficiencies. As Joe states, "Those efficiencies transpire through data collection and analysis because our team aims to identify ways that work can be improved and to develop solutions." Joe told us that his favorite project to date is working on the ORS Strategic Plan, from contracting it out to being on the leadership team. "Bringing my own perspective to it has been very interesting."
Joe doesn't have one proudest moment in his career, and he coined it well when he said, "When you can turn over the work, and see someone else run with it, those are my proudest moments. I enjoy when I've taught someone how to learn and grow from the work we have done." What Joe likes the most about ORS is, "The people and their commitment to serving the NIH. The staff are strongly committed to delivering on its research mission and offering the best service that we can."
Joe went to school for Industrial Engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He also received his Master's in Business Administration at the University of Maryland in 2006. Joe grew up in Scranton, PA which is also the location of the hit TV show, "The Office." As Joe states, "Many of the show's references are true to that region. The show is likely more popular now than when it was on air."
Joe enjoys being outdoors, camping, biking, and skiing. If he wasn't working for NIH, he "Could see myself being an outdoor guide." If Joe had 30 minutes of free time, he would be spending time with his daughter.
Al Booker, Physical Security Specialist
Al enjoys working in the Division of Physical Security Management (DPSM) as a Physical Security Specialist. He conducts Federal Government mandated Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Facility Security Assessments (FSAs) on NIH government owned and leased facilities. If Al wasn't doing this job, he would probably be in IT Cyber Security Management because it is a field that's very interesting to him.
Al attributes his interest in learning about electronics to his dad who was an electronic technician. As Al stated, "My father had one of the few black-owned electronics stores that worked on TVs, during a time when that type of repair was a unique offering. I learned a lot from my father about how to serve the community and about electronics which lead to my fascination and excitement for how to build circuits." His favorite project to date was redesigning the NIH Enterprise Video Surveillance System which his team is still working on. It encompasses all the Bethesda campus and other small sights.
If Al had 30 minutes of free time, he would enjoy spending time drag racing cars, restoring classic cars and muscle cars, music production and DJing. He went to college at Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA. He is originally from Amelia County, southwest of Richmond.
Al told us that what motivates him every day is, "my family, and the opportunity to make it a great day." In his role at ORS, Al provides Technical advice and cutting age technology designs to our DPSM Team on multiple DPSM supported NIH Electronic Security Systems and NIH Institute & Center (IC) projects. His team helps to aid all the buildings on campus, the NIH Police and more.
When asked about the proudest moment in his career, Al described, "I woke up one morning and realized that I have been in my Electronic Security career for 30 plus years and I still have a genuine excitement for wanting to serve NIH DPSM supported Institutes and Centers." He is proud and grateful for the opportunity to work at the NIH and the ORS.
Jonathan Bennett, Assistant Chief Broadcast Engineer
Jonathan serves as the Assistant Chief Broadcast Engineer for the Television and Operations Center in the Events Management Branch (EMB) of ORS. The Television Operation Center is the conduit between the NIH conference rooms and NIH Videocast. Before COVID, the majority of talks and lectures were broadcast live from the conference rooms. Now the TOC broadcasts the majority of meetings virtually. He and the TOC team ensure that everything is working well, captioned and seamless to the viewer.
Jonathan first learned about NIH when he interned for ORS in 1997 while attending Montgomery College's Broadcasting Program. Jonathan later became their engineer. Two of his favorite projects were Space Chat with Dr. Collins and Space Chat from the Children's Inn. For Space Chat with Dr. Collins, Jonathan engineered a two-way interactive conversation between Dr. Collins in the Events Management Studio and the International Space Station, and the event was broadcast to Facebook Live. For Space Chat from the Children's Inn, kids from the Children's Inn got to ask questions to an Astronaut at the International Space Station via HAM radio. The event was simulcast to Facebook Live and the Clinical Center cable channel. "It was an amazing event; the children are incredible," he said.
Jonathan's proudest moment at NIH is, hands down, the Events Management's virtual response to COVID. "I took the pandemic personally, as we were accustomed to the meeting rooms being filled with researchers," Jonathan stated. "I want people back on campus and I look forward to our conference rooms being filled again."
Jonathan felt it was equally important to recognize his peers for their hard work. "I'd like to recognize Ken Ryland, Mike Burnham, Joy Jackson-Farrar, Jeff Scaringe, Rick Marquez, Alex Papadopoulos, David Harrison, David Higgins, Grant Dansereau, Rob Folson, the entire NIH Events Management Multimedia and AV Staff, the CIT Videocast Team, and the CIT Web Collaboration Team. They all have been instrumental in NIH's mission. We are all ORS!"
