I am mission success: Michael M.

It isn’t often a coworker will have extra pairs of socks on hand at work. Having socks may sound weird, but if you walk from a Y‑12 east‑end parking lot to the west end of the plant during a downpour, having extra socks when you (or a peer) start the day comes in handy. “No one likes to walk around in wet socks and shoes,” Michael M., owner of the extra socks, said. “When I was production, I had extra socks to offer my team if they had trudged in through a heavy rain. Now I feel like I’m cheating when I can park outside my building and get to my office without the long walk and my socks staying dry.”

While he is in a different job now, that compassion for his team is something that remains as he leads the Y‑12 workstream for Site Separation Management. “I’m here to prevent distractions to all Y‑12ers in terms of site separation,” he said. “I’m sensitive to what employees are feeling. The main goal is our employees continue to be successful in their role whether they are at Pantex or Y‑12.”

Why are you mission success?

I am a part of mission success because site separation is crucially important to our customers and the government at large. It took many years for Pantex and Y‑12 to become one entity, and to separate the sites back out into two stand-alone sites is cumbersome. Completing site separation the right way is important and will emphasize how strong the mission of each site is.

As an employee, what do you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered as an employee who cares about the Y‑12 mission and the people who execute it. I’ve had the privilege of managing more than 200 people during my years at Y‑12. The least I can do for those who make sacrifices to meet the mission is to fight for their advancement and help them be a success day‑to‑day.