March is Women’s History Month, so we caught up with some of our leading ladies from the Joint Project Lead for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Enabling Biotechnologies (JPL CBRND EB), to learn about their role within the organization and their sources of inspiration. JPL CBRND EB is one of two JPLs within JPEO-CBRND. Its mission is to give the joint force rapid access to medical countermeasures by creating enablers to accelerate the medical development timeline. These women understand rapid response, so take a look at our brief Q&A to learn more about them!
Nicky Dorsey, Acting Deputy JPL CBRND EB
• How would you explain your job at JPL CBRND EB to a first grader?
I help manage and fund smart scientists and others who invent/develop vaccines/medicines that would protect the men and women who protect our country. We want to provide them with medicines before they get sick so that they can continue to protect us.
• What is your favorite thing about working at JPL CBRND EB/JPEO-CBRND?
The people I work with and the mission.
• Who are some of your female role models and why?
My mom. She is one of the strongest women I know, and she is still a guiding influence in my life. My mom was born in Scotland and moved to the U.S. at a young age. She then joined the Navy and met my dad in Guam while they were deployed. She became a stay-at-home mom to raise my brother, sister and me. Once we were out of school age, she worked outside of the home at Rock Creek Elementary which is a school for children with special needs. Between that job and being our mom, she never seemed to stop caring for others. I would not have the career I have today without her support. Once I started having children of my own, she retired from the school system and volunteered to watch my children full time and still does! My three boys are lucky to grow up with their Nana taking care of them and I am lucky to have a mom so dedicated to her family and making sure I have the support that I need as a mom, which has allowed me to develop a career I am proud of.
• What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?
My husband and I watch all the cringy reality shows, so most recently Love is Blind season 6 which was wildly entertaining!
Rachel Campbell de Baustista, Assistant Program Manager, Generative Unconstrained Intelligent Drug Engineering (GUIDE)
• How would you explain your job at EB to a first grader?
I spend lots of money every year to build an artificial intelligence (robot) that is like a Minecraft for medicine! This will help us make medicine and shots faster, so that we don’t get sick or have school at home like we did during COVID.
• What is your favorite thing about working at JPL CBRND EB/JPEO-CBRND?
The people! It's so great to work with a team that is so supportive and kind to each other, even when the work itself can be a lot.
• Who are some of your female role models and why?
My grandmothers—they were both incredibly strong women and pushed against a lot of norms and expectations, especially at the time. My maternal grandmother was the first in her family to finish high school (she had to move away to another town to do so) and always felt it was important for her to have a job, even while raising her five children. My paternal grandmother ran a dairy farm and raised four boys while my grandfather worked away from home during the week.
• What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?
I’m currently reading Pines (Book 1 of Wayward Pines series) by Blake Crouch, I’m listening to the audiobook series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, and I mostly watch Bluey or Cars these days (with my child) while I wait for the next season of The Great British Bakeoff.
Shannon Brooks, APM, Accelerated Antibodies
• How would you explain your job at JPL CBRND EB to a first grader?
I would say I have a fun job! We quickly deliver medicine to the warfighter to keep them safe!
• What is your favorite thing about working at JPL CBRND EB/JPEO-CBRND?
My favorite thing about working for EB is the mission and the teamwork. Just knowing the hard work our team puts in and seeing it make an impact makes me enjoy what I do. The team puts in a great effort to make sure everything gets done and the leadership at EB helps guide the team in the right direction so it’s a win/win!
• Who are some of your female role models and why?
I would say a female role model of mine would be Marie Daly. She was the first African American woman to graduate with a Ph.D. in Chemistry. With a background in Chemistry myself, that is a real inspiration to find women in STEM in history.
• What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?
Right now, I have been focusing on learning how to play the violin. It has always been a passion of mine. So, once I completed my master’s degree, I decided to learn how to play. I’m not really that good right now but hope to get better soon.
Ronnetta Church, APM, Medical Countermeasure Platform Technologies
• How would you explain your job at JPL CBRND EB to a first grader?
We find ways to make medicine faster so that our soldiers will not get sick when they are sent away to other parts of the world to protect us.
• What is your favorite thing about working at JPL CBRND EB/JPEO-CBRND?
The willingness to teach and share information so that the person climbing the ranks beside or behind you can grow. Every time I have had a question about policy, processes, etc. whether it was a supervisor or peer that I asked, there was always a patience in listening to my question(s) and a willingness to impart knowledge to me.
• Who are some of your female role models and why?
My female role models are those women who have overcome challenges and beat the odds. Most importantly, they are women who are good at their craft and always understand the assignment and do it with excellence.
• What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?
At any given time, you’ll find me reading or watching anything in the mystery or thriller genres.
Chassity Dominick, APM, Rapid Access to Products in Development (RAPID)
• What is your favorite thing about working at JPL CBRND EB/JPEO-CBRND?
The mission itself is my #1 favorite thing, followed by the sense of community; it truly does feel like a second family. I think leadership does an amazing job creating that type of culture. It just makes you want to be a part of it and inspires you to be the best version of yourself, which in return makes you a better team member.
• Who are some of your female role models and why?
I could name a few but I’d have to say the most inspiring are my mom and my daughter. My mother is one of the strongest women I know, and she never stops going. My daughter on the other hand has the kindest, sweetest soul ever. She’s the person that loves everyone and everything, no judgment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard her little voice pray for “the homeless and for all the sick people in the world.” There also isn’t an animal or bug she doesn’t love. She inspires me every day to love hard, forgive easy, and to be present in all the moments this thing called life has to offer. To see the world through her eyes, is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced.
• What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?
I honestly prefer reading over watching TV. My favorite authors are Colleen Hoover and Frieda McFadden. I just started reading one of Frieda’s called “The Teacher”.
Want to learn more about how you can be part of our “People First” organization at the JPEO-CBRND? Check out our job openings on our
careers page. If you think you have a capability that we would be interested in learning more about and fits into our JPEO-CBRND mission space, submit your capability through our
Joint Enterprise Technology Tool (JETT) for additional discussion with our project managers.