Change at the Top

On June 1, Charles McMillan (bottom right) succeeded Michael Anastasio (bottom center) as director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Shortly after McMillan was named director, he said, "I have great optimism for the future…The service we provide to the nation is just as important now as it ever was." Indeed, the rich history of the Laboratory goes all the way back to 1943, when the United States was struggling to turn the tide of World War II. The Laboratory's first director, J. Robert Oppenheimer (top left), led the staff in a successful effort to build the world's first nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons brought the war to a rapid and decisive close, and played an important role in deterring aggression during the tenuous Cold War years. Following the Cold War, the nation ceased nuclear testing and the Laboratory entered an era of stockpile stewardship. Today, the Laboratory continues to apply science and technology to combat emerging threats to national security.

Top row, left to right: J. Robert Oppenheimer, director from 1943–1945 Norris Bradbury, 1945–1970 with incoming Director Harold Agnew, 1970–1979 Donald Kerr, 1979–1986 Middle row: Sig Hecker, 1986–1997 John Browne, 1997–2003 Pete Nanos, 2003–2005 Bottom row: Robert Kuckuck, 2005–2006 Michael Anastasio, 2006–2011 Charles McMillan, 2011–