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April 28, 2021
Brent Henderson, Facilities Division Director, joined Berkeley Lab in January of 2019. He leads the wide-ranging and critical Facilities Division, which manages everything from engineering to shipping and receiving, to maintaining the complicated infrastructure that supports scientific research.
A native of Colorado, Brent is a Navy veteran with previous DOE and National Lab experience. He enjoys the complex and uniquely challenging environment of Berkeley Lab and feels that the Facilities Director role encompasses all the things he likes to do.
How did your prior experience prepare you for your role at Berkeley Lab?
As a technician in the Navy, I was responsible for reactor/radiochemistry, secondary systems chemistry, radiation control and dosimetry, which gave me an early appreciation for lab operations. My facilities experience started at a National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) site where I worked for 20 years in various capacities in operations, maintenance, and work planning and control. Spending a few years each at an NNSA Lab and an Environmental Management (EM) nuclear site exposed me to different ways of doing things, and I learned that there are many possible solutions for achieving our mission goals; the key is always to choose what is the best solution for the Lab.
You’ve spoken before about the pride you take in leading your Division in support of the Lab’s mission. What are you most proud of?
It is a great honor to serve the Lab and lead the people in Facilities who are passionate and work hard to help make our Lab a great success. I’m most proud of our Facilities team and how they have responded to our need to improve safety and reduce injuries. There is no better workforce anywhere, and working side by side with people along this journey and learning from each other has been richly rewarding.
What quality would you consider most important to your team’s success?
Teamwork. Much of what our team does involves partnership. Most Facilities activities involve multiple organizations working together towards a common goal. For example, our engineering, business, and crafts personnel work closely with Projects & Infrastructure Modernization (PIMD) to support their construction projects and help deliver facilities that meet the needs of the researchers. Work Planning Control (WPC), facility managers, and crafts partner with the programs to support new research capabilities. Campus Planning teams with many different stakeholders to help Lab leadership chart the course for the future.
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