Workforce Support and Development Division (WSDD)

Leadership

Kristen Dunn-Thomason, Division Director

Areas of responsibility

  • Plans, coordinates, and implements the NIH employee development, enrichment, and retention activities throughout an individual’s career lifecycle and across the organization
  • Manages job specific trainings, professional development courses, customized classes, administrative internship programs, and a comprehensive array of leadership programs
  • Plans and implements the NIH Awards Program to recognize outstanding accomplishments that further the NIH mission
  • Manages NIH New Employee Orientation and leads efforts around onboarding
  • Guides NIH in workforce planning and advanced analytics
  • Facilitates other workforce enhancement activities such as the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and the NIH Competencies program
  • Provides functional support to NIH for the HHS Learning Management System (LMS)

Structure

WSDD is comprised of the following:

NIH Training Center (NIHTC)

Elena Juris, Director

Barb LeClair, Deputy Director

Pam Welbon, Unit Chief, Programs

  • Supports the development of NIH human capital through consultation and collaboration with key officials and other NIH training programs to provide agency-specific training, and career development programs
  • Performs consulting services that are designed to enhance learning and to facilitate optimal individual, group, and organizational performance
  • Formulates, organizes, plans, and executes goals and objectives toward significantly enhancing NIH-specific training and development opportunities for scientific and professional staff within the various Institutes and Centers
  • Manages NIH Leadership Development, Presidential Management Fellow, and Management Intern programs

Strategic Workforce Analytics and Engagement Branch (SWAE)​

Jonathan Lappin, Branch Chief

Sheila Verges-Osuna, Section Chief, Employee Engagement

  • Supports the development of NIH human capital through consultation and collaboration with key officials and other NIH workforce offices/ programs to provide agency-specific career enhancement, engagement, and recognition programs
  • Guides NIH in workforce planning and advanced analytics through the Workforce Planning and Analytics Unit
  • Plans and implements the NIH Awards Program to recognize outstanding accomplishments that further the NIH mission through the NIH Director’s Awards, the HHS Secretary’s Awards, and HHS vetted external awards
  • Facilitates NIH employee engagement programs, including coordinating the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) and the NIH Civility and Equity Survey (CES)
  • Ensures that new hires at NIH are engaged with the NIH mission from the first day, understand Federal employment, and related responsibilities and benefits by coordinating NIH New Employee Orientation
  • Facilitates employee development through the NIH Competencies Program