Newswise — LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Oct. 11, 2017—Dena Edwards, a security professional in Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Associate Directorate for Mission Assurance, Security and Emergency Response, was named Outstanding Contractor Security Professional of the Year by the Department of Energy.

“Dena is a true professional who has made a visible and valuable positive difference in our laboratory and our community,” said Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan.  

Edwards was selected for spearheading the Laboratory’s Active Shooter and Work Place Violence Awareness Program. She provided training and exercise support to various organizations throughout the Lab to ensure all employees know what they need to do to protect themselves and their co-workers.

Her work was recognized throughout the DOE enterprise and she was a key subject matter expert, providing expertise to other DOE facilities to improve their workplace violence programs.

This is the first year DOE designated a Security Contractor Professional. Edwards is also the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Security Contractor Professional of the Year.  This is the fifth year in a row and the sixth time in seven years that the Laboratory has won the NNSA award.

About Edwards

Dena Edwards is the Security Awareness Program Coordinator for Los Alamos National Laboratory. She holds a degree in criminal justice, has trained at the New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy and is certified as an instructor through the Laboratory and the DOE National Training Center. She is a former New Mexico State Corrections Commissioner and was a founding member of the Northern New Mexico Gang Task Force.

She has worked within the Safeguards and Security Directorate and has successfully managed the Lab’s Workplace Violence/Active Shooter Awareness Program since 2012. Edwards is also a member of the Los Alamos Domestic Violence Task Force, Los Alamos Public Safety Association and the Laboratory’s Behavioral Health Response/Critical Incident Team.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory (www.lanl.gov)

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, BWX Technologies, Inc. and URS Corporation for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health and global security concerns.

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