Energy and Environment Directorate
Karis Alderson is a key member of the Planning and Analysis Group for the Energy and Environment Directorate. In her more than 30 years at PNNL, she has served as an individual contributor and a line manager, applying her business acumen and project management skills to a range of organizational challenges. After five years in the Contracts Department, she assumed management of a newly formed group of project management specialists, while also serving as a deputy operations manager by managing facility, property, and other workplace requirement issues, and conducting management and organizational assessments.
In the early 1990s, Ms. Alderson shepherded the development of a new management structure for one of PNNL's research organizations, and went on to launch and manage the technology commercialization function for the Environmental Technology Directorate, a role that involved assessing invention disclosures for patent applications, followed by license agreement negotiations with industrial partners. In 2000, she transferred to strategic planning, partnering with directorate leadership to chart EED's course and ensure the organization continues to deliver impact to the nation and world. Her responsibilities include competitive analysis, tracking federal budgets and legislation, and program management for internal Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) investments. Karis also serves as the business operations program manager for the Chemical Transformations Initiative.