"Lisa is a true New Mexico success story," said Browne. "We're excited to welcome her home and welcome her back to the Lab. Her roots in Northern New Mexico, her impressive experience in the corporate world and her strong commitment to diversity make her ideally qualified for this job. We look forward to the strong support and direction she will provide us in the area of diversity."
Gutierrez was born in Los Alamos and raised in both Velarde and Los Alamos. She graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1979. She is the daughter of Lab retirees Wilfred and Cleo Gutierrez. Gutierrez also worked at the Laboratory for one summer while an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Gutierrez said, "I'm thrilled to be back in Northern New Mexico doing the work I love. I'm looking forward to applying all of my experiences to the unique set of challenges faced by managers and employees at Los Alamos."
At Los Alamos, Gutierrez will be responsible for management and oversight of all diversity functions. Gutierrez will start in her new position on Dec. 6. Don Bryson will continue as acting diversity director until Gutierrez arrives.
Browne added, "Diversity is central to the Lab's mission. Making sure that all of our people feel welcome and valued is critical to our success as an institution."
Since September 1997, Gutierrez has served as a regional learning director for Deloitte Consulting in Chicago, and more recently as Deloitte's director of diversity programs for the Americas. In her first month with Deloitte, Gutierrez saved the company more than $100,000 by restructuring one of the training delivery processes.
As diversity programs director at Deloitte, Gutierrez was responsible for managing all diversity recruiting, retention and education efforts for roughly 13,000 employees in 32 countries. Additionally, she implemented a successful global education plan to use diversity to create high-performing work teams.
"When it comes to diversity, I believe in an 'and' philosophy," said Gutierrez. "For instance, at the Lab, this means that we need to strive to leverage the diverse talents and ideas of all individuals AND at the same time continue to ensure that the Lab is meeting its organizational mission and vision. The two are not mutually exclusive; rather, they should support one another."
From 1983 to 1997, Gutierrez worked at Procter & Gamble as a sales representative, a unit manager and as a recruiting, training and development manager. Throughout her time at P&G, she served as an on-campus recruiter, a mentor, and an unofficial diversity ambassador for the company, speaking at conferences, running workshops on diversity, and providing diversity advice to P&G leaders.
In 1990, Gutierrez designed and implemented P&G's version of INROADS-a national program that identifies and develops individuals of diverse backgrounds for careers in corporate America. Gutierrez was recognized by INROADS as one of the top three national coordinators.
From 1992 to 1996, Gutierrez was group manager of U.S. Recruiting, Training and Development for P&G. In this position, she established a globally recognized multicultural resource team to improve minority recruiting, retention and advancement, and build business results in a culturally diverse world.
Gutierrez earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Organizational Management from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
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, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International 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.