IT leader earns Secretary’s Achievement Award

In January, Cybersecurity Advisor Jim Ball was recognized with a Secretary of Energy Achievement Award for his participation on the Clean Energy Corps’ Core Competency Interview Team.

When asked about his participation on the team, Ball offered, “I really enjoyed interviewing such a wide range of candidates for these exciting opportunities. I spoke to experienced nuclear engineers, administrative assistants and interns just beginning their professional journeys.”

“It was gratifying to see such interest in these [Bipartisan Infrastructure Law] opportunities,” he added.

The following information was presented in the award ceremony program:

“These awards … are bestowed on a select group of individuals who have gone above and beyond and whose creativity, drive and commitment have significant and lasting impact,” shared Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “DOE is home to a dedicated and diverse team of world-class scientists, engineers, policy experts, and mission support personnel at headquarters, field sites and laboratories across the Nation. Their work—deploying clean energy technology, promoting scientific discovery, maintaining the nuclear deterrent, and remediating environmental harms—has never been more important.”

[A Secretary of Energy Achievement Award is presented] in recognition of the Clean Energy Corps Core Competency Interview Team for their extraordinary dedication to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. BIL provides more than $62 billion for the Department of Energy to deliver a more equitable clean energy future. It is the biggest investment in DOE’s history, and it significantly expands DOE’s work scope associated with the President’s plan to build a modern, sustainable clean energy future.

DOE was charged with filling about 750 federal positions in the Clean Energy Corps in support of BIL execution. To fill these critical positions, DOE developed an innovative recruitment and hiring strategy built upon core principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility to ensure the Clean Energy Corps represents the full diversity of the American public while treating all candidates equitably.

Core to this strategy was the integration of CCIs, a first of its kind of approach to candidate evaluations. The CCIs assessed a candidate’s capabilities and skills using questions designed around three researched-based attributes that highly correlate to a person’s success in a role: conscientiousness, partnering and humility/learning orientation.

A team of volunteers from across DOE came together to support this critical Departmental initiative, completing more than 2,000 initial interviews within a few short months to help meet this critical recruitment initiative. The Team enabled DOE to meet its milestones in attracting the most diverse, highly qualified candidate pool possible, while ensuring a fair and equitable candidate evaluation process. The team’s dedication to our clean energy mission and their willingness to give their time while continuing to meet their day-to-day responsibilities is a true example of DOE’s values.

For their contributions to the Department of Energy and the Nation, the Clean Energy Corps Core Competency Interview Team is awarded the Secretary of Energy Achievement Award.

Note: The author is a management and program analyst.