Source: US Geological Survey
“That question of ‘Why does this matter?’ has really been the connecting thread through my circuitous career.”
Building on a background of physics and public policy, Emily found her way into the federal government fairly early in her career. After five years with a private government consulting firm, Emily joined the National Science Foundation in 2004 as a Program Analyst developing data and budget information systems.
“I enjoy working on the challenging, complicated problems the government deals with and trying to help,” she says. “I also find a lot of satisfaction focusing on the good of the American people.”
Loving the work but struggling with the “all day long coding on a computer by myself,” she moved to the Office of Management and Budget and eventually to the brand-new Department of the Interior National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC), which would later become the USGS National CASC.
Emily was thrilled to find a federal position in an applied science agency. But she had a big task in front her in the early days of data management with the CASCs.
“In the beginning, there was no system to track data management plans or to centrally manage and review proposals. Everybody just got everything via email,” she shares. “I was basically like, ‘This is not working for me.’ We needed to create a system that we could all use.”
That was easier said than done. A critical piece of the CASC experiment was partnering closely with host and consortium institutions to fund science and support regional needs. But individual organizations have their own processes and systems, and many didn’t have access to internal USGS file sharing. The fledgling program also did not have the budget for or access to commercial tools for organizing information and engaging with the public.
Undeterred, Emily and her team set about building the technical foundation of the CASC network. They partnered with offices like the USGS Fort Collins Science Center to integrate into existing data systems and build the network’s first website, and found open-source tools to fill gaps as needed.
The CASCs’ infrastructure and capacity have grown over time, in large part because of Emily’s willingness to invest in creative solutions and staff development.
“It is because of Emily that the CASCs can do what they do,” says Steph McAfee, Regional Administrator of the Southwest CASC. “She has designed and re-designed processes to improve our program and solved problems nimbly and graciously.”
Reflecting on her supervisory umbrella, which has grown from just data management to include project tracking, internal and external communications, budget and admin, and IT, Emily is grateful for the trust she has been given over the years by leadership.
“The great thing and the reason I think I’ve been here so long is that I’ve been granted the flexibility to really grow my position and add on things that I’m interested in,” she says. “It was really rewarding to be on the ground floor of something and be able to envision where you want to go and then how you’re going to piece it together.
“It was a lot of seizing opportunities to learn and not being afraid of not knowing, of not being an ‘expert.’”