Humphries named ORISE group manager for ORNL office

Leigha Humphries has been named group manager for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 

In her role, Humphries will provide leadership and development oversight for STEM-based workforce development and education programs averaging up to 2,000 research participants a year and an equal number of mentors, a press release said. (STEM is an acronym referring to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.) In addition, Humphries will also represent ORISE at external venues, including professional meetings and site visits with potential and current customers.

“We’re excited for Leigha to take on this role as she possesses extensive management and stakeholder engagement experience within the communications and human resources sectors,” said ORISE Director Jim Vosburg. “Her addition to the ORISE team will further strengthen the management of our research participation programs by helping to ensure continuity between ORNL and ORISE.”

Prior to joining ORISE, Humphries was a human resources manager at UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of ORNL. Prior to that appointment, she was protocol officer and community relations manager at UT-Battelle for 12 years, the press release said.

“Her nearly 15 years of experience in communications and human resources at ORNL means Leigha has a strong background in building partnerships and hiring the right people for the variety of research experiences available at the lab,” said Craig Layman, ORISE director of workforce development. “She will undoubtedly provide great value to DOE, ORNL, and ORISE as we seek to build a sustained pipeline for the STEM workforce.”

Humphries is a cum laude graduate of the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in English. She anticipates completing a master’s of professional studies in human resources leadership from Tennessee Technological University in December 2020. 

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is managed by ORAU, a nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for DOE’s Office of Science. For more information on ORISE, visit https://orise.orau.gov/.