The People of NIF

Dustin Riggs: Directorate Administrator and Stage Production Manager

“The busier, the better,” is Dustin Riggs’ credo. His life and career path to this point have certainly been a testament to that concept.

Dustin has been the NIF&PS Directorate Administrator for the past two years, a position he earned after 16 previous years of administrative work at the Laboratory

“I started as an Admin Summer Scholar,” he says, “just as a file clerk. But later, I took advantage of the Lab’s Educational Assistance Program.”

Dustin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Cal State Hayward while working 34 hours a week at the Laboratory. He was one of the first male recipients of the Lawrence Livermore Women’s Association Pat Campbell Memorial scholarships. He completed his lower division courses in three years, then attended courses full-time at night to complete his upper division courses in only two more years.

“I just wanted to get it done,” he says, “so I dove in and worked hard at it.”

Dustin gained experience in both the Environmental and Computations Directorate before coming to NIF. However, one of his more interesting assignments was for the Lab archeologist at Site 300. “I catalogued artifacts, bones and other objects,” he says. “It was fascinating. Some days we’d put on snake chaps and go out to remote locations.”

Working steadily at NIF since 2002, Dustin currently oversees over 80 administrative employees, including admin support personnel, Technical Release Representatives (TRRs), and property specialists.

“I’m grateful to be in this position with the opportunity to work across the Directorate and where I get a broad picture of what’s happening. I like trying to fix problems, being able to help others. Customer Service is one of the things I like most, listening to people, relating to people and helping to improve their work situations.”

Not one to waste any time, Dustin also carries out what could be considered almost a full time job outside of work in theater management. He has produced five musical productions, the most recent being the Contra Costa Musical Theater production of “Hairspray,” which played at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek last spring. As Production Manager, Dustin is in charge of casting, managing the budget and various contracts, arranging set rental or construction, approving lighting packages, and overseeing all artistic decisions. He’s basically “the boss” he says and reports directly to the Board of Directors. The nine-month effort last year earned him a Shellie Award for Production of the Best Musical in Contra Costa County for 2011.

“It’s a huge commitment,” says Dustin. “I go directly from this job to that one when in full production. Right now I’m taking a break.”

Dustin is also a trained tap dancer and has performed in a professional production of “Anything Goes” as well as in “White Christmas” last year at the Lesher Theater, which was particularly fun, he said, since Christmas is a special time of year for him. Dustin has a collection of over 500 ornaments as well as five trees that he decorates in different themes each year.

Dustin has been a singer and dancer in many productions throughout the Bay Area since he was a teenager. “My acting stinks, though,” he says, which is what helped lead him to production management work.

In his career at NIF, he is excited by the changes he’s been seeing at the Lab in moving from paper to the electronic world. “New hires, badging, and travel are all moving toward full electronic processing. I’m excited about the future of LLNL and NIF. It’s great being here in the age of technology,” he says.