Pantex Blog
Carla Nelson named Administrative Professional of the Year
Carla Nelson is the winner of the 2025 Pantex Administrative Professional of the Year Award.
It’s nearly impossible to overestimate the influence administrative professionals have in the workplace. Solving problems, keeping teams organized, and wrangling schedules are just a few of the many daily tasks these professionals take on – often with little to no accolades.
Every year, Pantex celebrates administrative assistants by recognizing their achievements and contributions. This year, Carla Nelson, senior support for both Environment, Safety, and Health, and Infrastructure and Modernization, was announced as the 2025 Administrative Professional of the Year.
“Carla’s dedication is exemplified by her willingness to support these many groups and she does so with the best of attitudes,” said Harry Gulley, Environment, Safety, and Health division director. “If you ask her coworkers, you will hear the same replies — on-time, hard-working, sets the example, and dedicated. What would we do without her?”
Nelson started at Pantex in 2018 as a division training officer and transferred to her current role in 2021. She has also been serving as a telephone operator in the Emergency Response Organization for many years.
“Carla is always thinking of the employees and how to help them get their jobs done effectively and efficiently,” said Jimmy Rogers, executive officer for Environment, Safety, and Health. “She is here to make Pantex successful. She is never too busy to come in person and discuss a problem or request and never issues a final answer of ‘I don't know.’”
Rogers said that on top of all the incredible tasks she accomplishes with exceptional professionalism every day, she is always helping train others. Not to mention, it is in Carla’s nature to keep up with birthdays, make cookies, and work to keep team morale high.
“She truly cares and takes the time to mentor others to ensure each division is successful in their contribution to the Pantex mission,” Rogers said.
To Nelson, an administrative professional plays a key role in enhancing operational efficiency, providing customer service, and contributing to the overall success of the organization. She’s part of the glue that helps hold her organizations together.
“Embracing my heart for service has helped me become more open-minded, a better listener, a team player, and an independent worker, which I think makes me a better Pantex citizen,” Nelson said. “Working in the profession has also provided me with proof that I can be resourceful, organized, and professional.”
When she found out she was being recognized, Nelson immediately felt gratitude to her nominating managers, Harry Gulley and Jimmy Rogers, and the judges.
“My success is a direct result of the collaboration and support of my team and colleagues, who I want to thank as well,” Nelson said. “When you love what you do and have great leaders surrounding you, coming to work is enjoyable.”
Wildfire season sparks emphasis on safety, planning
When you’re a firefighter in the Texas Panhandle, knowing how to fight wildfires is a critical skill – one that Fire Captain Blake Crockett has spent decades honing.
“Wildfires are very unpredictable in their nature,” Crockett said. “There are all kinds of variables that will affect the fire, the movement, and growth.”
Crocket noted that wildfire season in the Panhandle generally extends from around November through April. While the peak season is February and March, that can extend when the combination of warming temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds occur while grass fuels are cured.
When fire conditions are right, eliminating all activities that could initiate a spark is important. This can include driving vehicles in tall grass, grinding or welding, or even dragging metal chains which can easily spark and ignite a fire that could spread rapidly and resist control. Stay aware of local conditions and ensure you have a method to receive warning notifications. During periods of increased risks of fire danger, the National Weather Service can issue a red flag warning.
“A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly, and people need to be vigilant and take precautions,” Crockett said. “High temperatures and more extreme values of low relative humidity, in addition to high winds, can create favorable weather for rapid fire growth and spread.”
Crockett says the Texas Panhandle is a unique region because the adjacent plains areas have a distinctive geography that contributes to high wildfire frequency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency categorizes the wildfire risk in the region as moderate with high frequency. The region is semi-arid, which means it is relatively dry and lacks trees, but enough moisture exists to support vast grasslands. These grasslands provide a fuel source that burns very easily and allows for rapid spreading in dry conditions.
“Fire is a natural part of our environment and will never go away,” Crockett said. “People need to be proactive and mitigate the risks when there is no fire threat, rather than to be reactive and try to save their property and livelihood at the last minute. It is never too early to prepare for what is inevitable. It’s not if but when a wildfire will happen.”
Whether you’re at work or at home, the key to wildfire safety is the same: preparation. If a wildfire approaches, have a plan in place. Pantex Emergency Management Specialist Stacie Pahl says proactive safety measures increase survivability outcomes during emergency evacuation situations.
“We all put ourselves in a better situation by simply taking time to consider and prioritize our own readiness,” Pahl said. “This can be done by registering for or signing up to receive local emergency alert notifications; knowing evacuation and egress routes from home, school, work, and office locations; preparing an emergency supply kit; having a family plan; etc.”
On high-fire probability days, Pahl recommends charging your phone, fueling your form of transportation, and prepping a go-kit containing extra water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, first-aid kit, a small tool kit that includes scissors, back up charger, batteries, wet wipes, a dust mask, map and compass, and any required medications.
Both Crockett and Pahl agree: one of the most important tips during wildfire response is to stay calm.
“While it’s not necessarily easy, it is important to remain calm and collected during emergencies,” Pahl said. “Being frantic will only lessen the ability to communicate, think clearly, and remain safe during the wildfire.”
The Texas Panhandle gives striking views of the skyline, sunsets that stretch for miles, and acres of tranquil fields. But it also provides an environment inherent to wildfires. Stay safe, informed, and prepared to confidently respond if people, property, or the environment are in danger due to rapidly spreading flames.
Armed Forces Day: Ready for the call
Tyler White (left) and Mark McKinley (right)
In 1949, President Harry S. Truman established Armed Forces Day. Designated the third Saturday in May, this day is a joint celebration of all six branches of the U.S. military to honor all who serve. At Pantex, many employees remain enlisted. We honor these individuals on May 17 this year.
Enter General Counsel Tyler White and Physical Security Systems Senior Specialist Mark McKinley. White is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) for the New Mexico Air National Guard. McKinley is a Lieutenant Colonel and serves as executive officer in Readiness Support Program 5 in the Marine Corps. Each has a decorated, decade-spanning military career. Both served in Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, although they never crossed paths. Their military experiences differed, yet their motivation to enlist followed a similar thread.
“I needed help to pay for college,” White said. “I had an uncle in the Air Force and Air National Guard. He recommended I enlist to help with tuition as well as gain some life and career skills.”
McKinley has a family history of military service dating back to the Civil War, yet the blood ties weren’t primary motivators to sign up.
“I always wanted to join after I saw ‘Top Gun,’” McKinley said. “Later, that want included the need to support my family.”
After active duty, McKinley got into the oil and gas business with his engineering degree and ended up sipping Texas Tea at Haliburton in Pampa, then later with O-Tex and C&J in Oklahoma City until 2020. In 2021, he headed out to Pantex.
“I wanted a different life,” McKinley said. “The oil and gas business was 24/7/365. Pantex gave me time to be with my family. I love that about this place. You can’t buy time back later, and they understand that.”
After graduating from law school, White used his degree in the military as well as the civilian sectors, more specifically at the Idaho National Laboratory, where he worked on the federal side. In 2024, Pantex offered him a job and he made his way to West Texas.
“I feel like I had done everything I had set out to do in the federal civilian service and wanted to experience the contractor side,” White said. “It was time for a new challenge and I found it. I also found some amazing people. They take the mission seriously here and that’s infectious.”
White and McKinley bring their experience and expertise daily to impact mission success. While they are proud of that, there’s still a draw to the military. Benefits are quite the lure, but there’s also another pull, one that runs deeper than deductibles and tuition assistance.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve been in the military longer than I haven’t,” White said. “I find it hard to imagine not serving. I have a couple of remaining goals including retirement.”
“The reasons I stay has changed over the years,” McKinley said. “At first, it was to serve my country and provide for my family. It evolved into wanting to double down on benefits, then into an uncontrollable addiction to stay part of the organization and fulfill a retirement.”
White, McKinley, and many other Pantexans work day-to-day to meet goals in both their military careers and the Pantex mission. When duty calls, however, they will gear up and set out to protect friends, family, and their nation. We can’t be land of the free without being the home of the brave. Take time on Armed Forces Day to honor those who continue to serve their country.
Pantex Proud: John Neusch
Thousands of dedicated Pantex citizens like John Neusch work every day to support the Pantex mission. Take three minutes to learn about who he is, what he does, and why he is proud to be a Pantexan.
During World War II, Arnold Neusch was set to be part of the initial diversionary invasion of Japan named Operation Downfall. Scheduled to begin in November 1945, it would have been the largest and presumably deadliest water-based invasion in history. In August of that year, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered shortly after and the Allies cancelled Operation Downfall.
After the war, Neusch married and returned to farming, however, tough times forced him to turn to a different career. Although Pantex was not affiliated with the atomic bomb drops in Japan, Neusch felt a deeply personal association with the plant’s mission. Soon after, he started work there. His son, John, later followed in his father’s footsteps.
John serves as a System Administrator Advisor within Information Technology, and every day his job reinforces his passion for nuclear deterrence. It also serves as a personal reminder of what might – or might not – have been. However, those thoughts and his passion for the mission further fuel another feeling: pride.
“Only a very small group will ever be able to say they work at Pantex,” Neusch said. “That group has made an enormous impact for the country and world. And for me, I take pride in continuous improvement like discovering new ways to build technological resilience and minimizing downtime which, in turn, provides system availability for other Pantexans to complete their jobs.”
Neusch works in the Data Center. He’s amazed at how much it has evolved over the years, including the downsized yet more powerful technology. He’ll take every opportunity to show the facility off to anyone who asks for a tour. Yet his work satisfaction and Pantexan pride circles back to why he (and his father) decided to apply for a job at the plant in the first place.
“Identifying with our mission,” Neusch said. “Our lives aren’t on the line every day like the military, but in our own way we do serve our country, and I appreciate that. Each one of us has our own unique duty, but all of our organizations are interconnected. Like the butterfly effect, what we do influences another job and that influences the mission. That should be our focus.”
Who in your life has inspired you the most and why?
My dad. He came from very humble beginnings and survived the Great Depression and World War II. He played hard, worked hard, and prayed hard. Dad always maintained a positive attitude and strong faith in God.
Why are communications important for all Pantex employees?
We need to be able to effectively communicate our needs and any occurring issues. The more we explain what is happening and discuss solutions, then we can resolve these problems much more smoothly.
What is the top communications tool you rely on in your daily work?
Teams, meetings, and email. When I first started working at Pantex 37 years ago, we didn’t have email. Instead, we did interoffice memos – mail delivered twice a day to mail stops around the plant. Microsoft Office absorbed much of that.
How can communications make (or break) a task?
During transition, we gave PanTeXas Deterrence the Clint Eastwood tour of the Data Center – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We showed them things that were going well and also what needed to be fixed or improved, and we communicated the importance of those needs.
She’s not like a regular mom; she’s a cool mom
Mother’s Day is on the horizon, and what better way to celebrate than to honor three Pantexan moms who get to share the value of mission success with their children?
Meet Mama Ginger
General Facilities Specialist Ginger Ball has been a proud Pantexan for six years. Ginger is thankful for her job every day, and a contributing factor to why she loves her job so much is because she gets to share her workplace with her son, Nick Ball; her daughter, Chassie Germany; and her son-in-law, Robert Germany. Admittedly, one of Ginger’s favorite things is when someone stops by her office to tell her what good kids she has. For Ginger, the mother-child dynamic has only been strengthened by working with her kids.
When reminiscing about her mom, Chassie thinks about how often her kids remind her how quickly she is turning into their Mema. “The way I cook, my jokes, my driving — the list goes on, ” Chassie said. For Nick, it’s the Saturday morning cleaning sessions. “I find myself doing room inspections just like she did with us when we were growing up,” Nick joked.
“Some people might be worried about working with their mother-in-law, but I was excited at the chance to work with Ginger; she is a take-charge type of woman who is always willing to help,” Robert said.
Chassie doesn’t have the privilege of eating lunch with her mom often, but when she does she usually spends it laughing with her mom and brother. Nick confessed that getting to eat lunch with his mom more frequently has caused a sibling rivalry because, “you know, being the ‘favorite’ child and all.” He says that one of his favorite things about working with his mom is laughing with her every day and the free lunches she packs.
When asked what this family would share about Ginger, the kindness overflowed. Chassie stated her mom is the most selfless person you will ever meet and anyone who gets to meet her is blessed because she is sure to brighten their day. Robert promises Ginger is the kindest soul you will ever have the privilege to meet. And Nick said his mom is devoted to her family, loves Jesus with all her heart, and without a doubt is the hardest worker he knows.
Alongside two other siblings, Chassie and Nick have blessed their mom with 15 grandchildren, filling Ginger’s weekends with extracurricular activities and being her grandkids’ biggest fan.
Collectively, this family has given Pantex 30 years of service. “Pantex has blessed my kids in many ways. Each one has grown with confidence and character that I am very proud of,” Ginger said. “They are wonderful parents and leaders in our community and they are kind, caring, and love God and their mom very much.”
Meet Mama Christy
The universe gifted Training Specialist Christy Gooch with her very own mini-me in the form of her daughter and fellow Pantexan, Sarah Gooch. Christy says she and Sarah share everything and are very similar in a lot of ways — so many of their hobbies and likes align in some way. “A lot of my mannerisms come straight from my mom. She is very crafty and creative, so every time I try a new skill, I have that moment where I feel just like her,” Sarah said.
For some, working with mom could be an added stress to their day, but Christy and Sarah have nothing but genuine pride when speaking about one another.
“I get to see my best friend so much more often. It always makes me smile even just seeing her in passing,” Sarah said. For Christy, she’s just glad to have her daughter close after her move back to Amarillo and to be able to witness Sarah thrive. “Although she is still so young, she has succeeded over and over again, and it never ceases to amaze me,” Christy said.
Having mission success as a shared interest has only reinforced their bond. In a lot of ways, the shared language and pride in their work at Pantex has built a stronger sense of understanding between Sarah and Christy.
When co-workers find out who Sarah’s mom is, they are quick to tell Sarah how much she looks like Christy or how lucky she is to have such cool parents. But if you ask Christy, she’s the lucky one. “Sarah is the most caring, intelligent weirdo you will ever meet and I hope that everyone gets a chance to know her,” Christy said.
Sarah reflects on what a blessing her mom is to everyone she meets — and for those who don’t know her, she tells them how extraordinary a person she is, and she’s even cooler as a mom.
Meet Mama Jennifer
Upon entering motherhood, most moms are hopeful their children are fully functioning, kind, contributing members of society. For Procurement Representative Jennifer Hudson, she was lucky enough to also get a best friend out of motherhood. Jennifer and daughter Randi Walker, both in the early years of their Pantex career, are looking forward to their move to the Pantex Amarillo Campus (PAC) to ensure they have at least one work lunch together throughout the week.
The proud mom of two believes without a doubt that she was put on this earth to be her kids’ mom. Jennifer boasts that raising Randi and her brother has been the absolute greatest accomplishment and privilege of her life.
“My momma heart swells with such joy and pride when they call or come home to be with us just because they want to be with us,” Jennifer said.
Not a day goes by that Randi doesn’t stop and think, “oh gosh, I’m turning into my mother.” Whether it be cleaning house, going to the gym, or talking to her four-year-old, she finds herself reflecting on her childhood and what it was like to have Jennifer as a mom.
Randi has a deep admiration for her mom and her newfound career at Pantex. “She transitioned in her career later in life and I know that jump took a lot of courage and dedication; it’s been so cool to watch her succeed,” Randi said.
“If I don’t get to hear Randi’s voice at least once a day, there is a hole in my day,” Jennifer said. “I love logging into my computer each morning and seeing her status on Teams. It’s my secret way of being able to check on her, and as a mom this soothes my soul.”
When asked what Pantexans should know about one another, mother and daughter had similar answers.
“Never underestimate my mom. No matter where she’s at or what she’s doing, she’s giving it her all,” Randi said.
“Randi gives 100% all the time to whatever task is in front of her,” Jennifer said. It is clear that Randi feeling more and more like her mom is more than a sentiment. With the hard work ethic that is being passed down in this duo, Pantex is lucky to have them.