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Meet Lori Holliday

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The new manager of the Administrative Resource Center (ARC), NCI-Frederick, isn’t a rookie when it comes to working for laboratories in the National Cancer Institute. In fact, she was instrumental in the hiring of more than 100 people for one of the largest programs at NCI-Frederick, and setting up the space that now houses that program. After only a few weeks as ARC manager, she is already planning to implement changes.  Her first goal is that she and her staff will work toward keeping more administrative work off the principal investigators’ desks, thereby allowing more time for them to work on science.

Lori Holliday is the newly appointed ARC manager for NCI-Frederick, and is proud of the work being done at NCI. She does see, however, a few necessary changes that she says will make the NCI-Frederick ARC more efficient and consistent in the work being accomplished for the scientists.

With the retirement of the NCI-Frederick ARC manager and deputy manager, Ms Holliday was an obvious choice. She was already familiar with the administrators as well as most of the scientists at NCI-Frederick. She knew the rules and regulations like the back of her hand, and she had the enthusiasm necessary to guide such a diverse and dedicated group of people.

“Our mission is to provide administrative support to the scientists and provide an outstanding level of customer service,” she said. “My goal is that we all work together as a team, and that’s how I will lead. I work with the administrators—the administrative officers and their assistants. They are doing the tough stuff. I’ve been there, so I know what is asked of them. And, I try not to ask anything of them that I wouldn’t do myself. I plan to set the bar very high in terms of conduct and professionalism. We have a lot of untapped energy and creativity here, and we have the potential to be a really great ARC,” she explained. “I feel that greatness is not based on actions, rather on competence and attitude. I just feel that we can do better.”

Ms Holliday has been working at the NCI-Frederick ARC since 1998. She’s no stranger to hard work, and in her first few weeks on the job, a priority has been meeting with the chief from each laboratory here. She explains that the work she did—before taking on the responsibilities of ARC manager—gave her an insight to the workings of a research laboratory. 

A graduate of the University of Maryland, she began her career at NCI in human resources in Bethesda, and soon after became deputy ARC manager for building 37. She was asked to move to NCI-Frederick in 1998 and to begin staffing the HIV Drug Resistance Program.

“The program, under the direction of Dr. John Coffin, moved up here with just two people,” she explained. “One of my jobs was to provide staffing, and while I was there, we brought on over 100 people. We set up the lab spaces and worked together to get everything up and running. For the past six years, I have been the administrative officer for that group. They have become like family to me. It was a phenomenal learning experience, working with one of the largest programs at Fort Detrick. Even after six years, it was still challenging and it never became routine. I felt like I was still making a contribution to the program,” she continued.

“It was a trial by fire,” she admitted. “But I think they are satisfied with the set-up, and I can now let go. I think I was ready for this change.”

The Frederick ARC, while not the largest at NCI, does, in fact, service 27 percent more people than the next largest ARC. The ARC supports approximately 1,500 NCI-Frederick employees, which include postdoctoral fellows here on a rotating basis. Currently, she supervises 10 senior administrative officers (AOs), five junior AOs, and two administrative technicians. A new deputy manager has yet to be named.

The ARC manager explained that in trying to meet her goals, and in satisfying her staff’s mission, she will attempt to provide consistency in the way business is conducted.

“I met with the staff for two hours just today,” she said in a recent interview, “and outlined some of the new objectives. The expectations I have for my staff are the same that I have for myself. Many times we find ourselves in the role of being the messengers…and we all know that it is always easiest to ‘shoot the messenger.’ It can be tough to be in that position. So, first, we will try to keep as much of the administrative work as possible off the PIs’ desks so they can do their science.”

Because many laboratories share administrative officers—and there are so many varied sizes between the labs—the new manager is currently assessing the workload of her staff. “Where necessary, lab assignments may change,” she explained. “This is an effort not just to make changes, but to be able to support the laboratories in a more uniform and efficient manner.”

Early in the spring, she hopes to make yet some other changes that will add to the day-to-day ease in handling the administrative duties of her staff and those of the administrative staff working in the labs.

“I want to standardize all of our operating procedures,” she said, “so when we have AO changes it’s easier to make the change. The procedures will not change, just the way we accomplish them. When this is done, we will tackle performance. I am a believer of performance management, and standards will be set up for this. For instance, when an AO receives a travel package, it will be turned around in X number of days. And the same will hold true for all of our other routine procedures.”

The job Lori Holliday has taken on is most challenging. “Yes, it’s busy and challenging but very exciting,” she said. “I think I was ready for this change. I get up in the morning and feel ready to tackle it all. It’s giving me an opportunity to manage, and I love it. I am just a little worried about juggling all the priorities.”

Besides taking on all the new responsibilities of the job, she is married and the mother of two. Her son is currently attending Washington and Jefferson College, and her daughter is a high school freshman.

“I also serve as volunteer editor of the Urbana High School newsletter. I am an avid reader. I think it is important to give something back to the community and to the schools where we live.  My husband is a gourmet cook, and I love to eat. So that seems to work out real well,” she laughed.

“I do believe that my family is my priority,” she said. “But I also believe that we all need to put everything we do in perspective. In other words, when I am at home, my family is most important, but when I’m at work, it becomes the priority.

“I believe strongly in what the National Cancer Institute is doing,” she concluded. “Even though we in the ARC work in administration, I don’t think what we do is insignificant. I feel it’s much more than pushing paper . . . it’s helping mankind.”

Marg Mills, Writer
Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory
National Cancer Institute at Frederick

Maritta Grau, Editor
Scientific Publications, Graphics & Media
SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick

Photography Department
Scientific Publications, Graphics & Media
SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick

Jim Miller, Web Graphics and Development
Computer & Statistical Services
Data Management Services, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick