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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil recently announced that the 2022 John S. Foster, Jr. Medal winner is Miriam “Mim” E. John, Vice President Emerita of Sandia National Laboratories.
"It is great to see my colleague Mim John win the Foster medal," Budil said in a statement. "Throughout her tenure at Sandia, we at LLNL really valued her spirit of cooperation, creativity, and partnership. In addition to her important contributions as a leader at Sandia, Mim has had an incredible impact across the national security community. As a member of the Defense Science Board and advisor to a number of organizations, she has used her extensive knowledge across a wide range of national security and nuclear enterprise challenges to provide sage guidance in times of significant change. I send my congratulations and thanks for her years in service to the nation."
Established by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) and bestowed on an annual basis by the director of LLNL, the John S. Foster, Jr. Medal recognizes exceptional leadership in scientific, technical and engineering development and policy formulation in support of U.S. nuclear security, according to LLNL officials.
This year's winner served as Vice President of Sandia's California Division and Homeland Security Strategic Management Unit from 1999 until 2006.
She served in various capacities at Sandia beginning in 1978, including director of the Center for Exploratory Systems and Development (1992–1999), senior manager, Systems Analysis and Assessment (1991–1992), and manager, W89/SRAM II Test and Evaluation (1989–1991).
Her areas of expertise include nuclear weapons and nonproliferation, chemical and biological defense, remote sensing, micro-technologies, systems analysis and engineering, naval operations and analysis, homeland defense and critical infrastructure, and command and control.
"This award represents the highest ideals of service to the nation, which Johnny embodies so well and uniquely," said John. "To even be nominated for the award is an honor. To be selected to receive it is beyond anything I could have imagined. And to be happening at the same time we are celebrating Johnny’s 100th birthday…could anything be more special?!"
LLNL and Sandia, with its main site in Albuquerque, N.M., maintain a unique partnership underscored by their co-location, LLNL officials said. The Sandia California site and LLNL are right across the street from each other and collaborate closely on national security missions.
"The strong partnership between ‘the two sides of East Ave’ on joint efforts I was a part of included SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative), the W89/SRAM II (which was the last new weapon development program in Livermore before the Berlin Wall fell), and the startup of a chem/bio defense program at the Department of Energy," John said. "The latter also opened the door for me to help establish a bioscience program at Sandia — a hard sell in a lab grounded in engineering and the physical sciences," she added.
John is currently a member of the National Academies Intelligence Community Studies Board and the Intelligence Science and Technology Experts Group. She has served on the Academies’ Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, its Naval Studies Board and Board on Army Science and Technology, and the Department of Defense’s Defense Science Board, and its Threat Reduction Advisory Committee.
John is also a Senior Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology, a board member at Leidos, Inc., a member of the External Advisory Board of MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and a member of the Board of Advisors, School of Science and Engineering, Tulane University.
She has worked with many people and institutions both during and after her career at Sandia, including Foster himself.
"Sandia was career number one," John said. "It taught me how much a team could accomplish that few individuals alone could even imagine. But then came career number two, which gave me the opportunity to work for and with some truly remarkable people, many of whom have already been recognized as prior Foster Medal recipients…including Johnny himself. We met 26 years ago at a Defense Science Board summer study — and by both example and coaching, he taught me how to make my voice heard among the formidable, accomplished and often rancorous DSB elite advising the Secretary of Defense.”
John continues to consult in national security science and technology, organization management, and leadership development at Lawrence Livermore, Sandia National Laboratories, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory External Advisory Board, and the Department of Energy, Nuclear National Security Administration.
More information about John and the award is available at llnl.gov.
