From Plant Press Vol. 17 no. 1, January 2014
By Warren L. Wagner
Over the past couple of decades the Department of Botany has maintained a relatively stable staff, all working together for many years. On occasion, we have been able to add additional staff while even more have retired. A significant change began in 2011 when the Smithsonian Institution offered a buyout opportunity to staff who were thinking about retirement. Six staff in Botany retired in 2011 (see Plant Press 14(4): 3; 2011). Since research departments were able to replace these positions at a lower pay scale, the Department of Botany has embarked on staff succession planning. This plan called for eight positions in the department and included recruits for Research Scientists (Plant Press 16(3): 3; 2013), collections management (Plant Press 16(1): 4; 2013), and information technology (Plant Press 15(4): 4; 2012). Federal budget issues have slowed the completion of these hires and three more are currently on hold in collections management, IT support, and research/collections support, but should move forward to be filled in 2014.
Last year the Smithsonian Institution again offered a buyout opportunity for staff who might be considering retirement. The Department of Botany once more had the largest number of retirees at the National Museum of Natural History. The five staff members who are retiring represent 170 combined total years of service to the department and museum, and all have made significant contributions for many years to the research, collections management, and digitization of collections. Retirees from the department include (with year joining the Department of Botany in parentheses): Debbie Bell (1975), Linda Hollenberg (1979), Bob Faden (1980), Margaret Gardner (1985), and Elaine Haug (1987). Bob, Margaret and Elaine retired between October and January; Linda and Debbie will retire in February. In this issue we highlight and celebrate the contributions, accomplishments, and leadership during their many years of service of the three who recently retired. In the April 2014 issue of the Plant Press we will recognize the contributions by Linda and Debbie. We will certainly miss them all and on behalf of the department I extend our sincere gratitude to them for their dedicated service to the museum and greater botanical community. We wish them years of happy, fulfilling retirement.
While the Department of Botany is fortunate that most of this group has graciously chosen to serve in an emeritus or volunteer capacity, we recognize that we are faced with significant gaps created in collection management, research, and collection digitization. Fortunately, our 2011 plan for filling the remaining positions and the possibility of adding another research scientist and digitization position will build a solid department for the future. We have a strong core of staff, including several recent hires, enabling us to fill some gaps through staff reorganization and the spreading out of responsibilities. Over the years Linda and Debbie have been responsible for a number of critical core functions within the department, including overseeing all Botany collections at the Museum Support Center, collections space in the herbarium, administrative, budget preparation, fund allocation, collections conservation issues, and special projects. We are currently working on a plan to spread many of these responsibilities to our recently hired core collections staff, Andrew Clark, Meghann Toner, and Melinda Peters. Although the three have been here for a relative short period of time they have all demonstrated the ability, interest, and enthusiasm for transitioning into having more responsibilities in the functioning of the department.
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