Improving processes and lives: Tamika Gordon volunteers to make a difference
From building ramps to cooking meals, this Laboratory engineer serves the community and builds team morale with Lab-organized events
Laboratory employee Tamika Gordon is an industrial engineer whose group works on continuous improvement for a range of process-driven projects across the Lab. So perhaps it's no surprise that when Gordon organized a volunteer shift for her team at Santa Fe nonprofit The Food Depot, the group approached packing pantry bags with an analytical mindset.
"They wanted to know how much other groups had produced and what the process was, and they worked out ways to do things more efficiently," Gordon explains. Their drive to optimize the volunteer work impressed The Food Depot's staff, but they also enjoyed themselves and are keen to return.
Since joining the Lab in April 2023, Gordon has been looking to make things better not just at her day job, but also in her extensive volunteer work in the local community, with a particular focus on helping meet people's basic needs.
Signing up for Lab-organized events
Having been involved in nonprofit activities since her undergraduate days, she first got involved with volunteering with the Laboratory through a work friend who told her about a Lab-organized event with the nonprofit Free Flow NM.
"I enjoy volunteering, and I was new to the area — this was a way to get connected and meet people, and learn about the region," Gordon says.
Other opportunities through the Laboratory followed, with Kitchen Angels, the Española Animal Shelter and the New Mexico Ramp Project, which helps ensure people with mobility issues have safe access to their homes.
"It's cool to see the before and after with the ramp work, and to see how everyone comes together to work on something, even if you don't have a lot of experience with building things," says Gordon. "It's especially rewarding if the person you're building it for is there."
In 2024, the Lab's Community Partnerships Office team hosted 40 employee volunteer events supporting local nonprofits.
Tackling basic needs and building community
Gordon's connection to Kitchen Angels preceded her Lab volunteer sessions, and she has since taken on a leadership role in volunteering there, which includes helping the Laboratory's volunteer group during their regular slot one Friday a month.
The Santa Fe nonprofit prepares and delivers meals to homebound individuals and those experiencing medical crises.
"Kitchen Angels is a little like the ramp project — you start with raw ingredients and you come together to make something valuable together," says Gordon.
In addition to her individual volunteering, she has also organized nonprofit activities with her work team of around 20 people, scheduling events two or three times a year, including the shift at The Food Depot that led to the impromptu process improvements.
"It's good for team building and it's good to make a difference," she says. "You're giving back to the wider community and also building community within the team."
The Laboratory’s Community Partnerships Office helped set up the volunteer opportunity for Gordon's team and regularly helps other Lab teams or groups looking to do an activity with a nonprofit.
Solar homesteads and heart rate monitors
Gordon also uses her engineering background to support STEM outreach initiatives.
"I come from an engineering background, and I understand the value in seeing people you can identify with in areas or positions that you might not know about, or might not think about for yourself," Gordon explains.
Last year she volunteered at the Lab's Summer Physics Camp, helping students with their projects to build solar-powered model homesteads. This year, she co-led a session on building a heart rate monitor with several of her team members.
New friends, new experiences
"If you look around and you're not sure what to do to help, volunteering is a good way to make you feel that you're doing something impactful that has positive results," she says. The experience has also helped her get to know people who share similar perspectives.
She also encourages her Laboratory colleagues to find their own way to give back, emphasizing the impact volunteering can have as well as the opportunity to build connections and try new things.
"It might not seem significant to you, but you can make a big difference," she says.
