PNNL

As chief of staff at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Ms. Jamie Hughes serves as a trusted advisor to the Laboratory Director, helping to shape institutional priorities, coordinate action across the leadership team, and ensure strategic decisions lead to meaningful results. She counsels the senior leadership on emerging issues and connects strategy, operations, people, and resources to advance the Laboratory’s mission.

Ms. Hughes has extensive experience enabling success in large, matrixed organizations. Drawing on leadership roles in government and industry and a diverse background supporting national security missions, she is skilled at navigating complex business environments, aligning organizations around shared priorities, and translating strategy into action. 

Throughout her career, Ms. Hughes has influenced strategic direction, led organizational enhancements, developed technical capabilities, and positioned organizations leverage science and technology-based solutions to meet emerging mission needs. As Interim Director of the National Security Directorate’s Program Development Office, she led strategic development for an approximately $800 million portfolio of mission-focused projects and guided sponsor engagement and growth opportunities.

As leader of PNNL’s Cyber Security Technical Group, she managed more than 80 researchers and partnered with directorate leaders to expand cybersecurity capabilities and resources. She also served as acting director of the Operational Systems and Technology Division, overseeing more than 320 staff across five technical groups with expertise ranging from material control and accounting to engineered systems and sensors.

Previously at PNNL, Hughes managed complex cybersecurity projects for defense missions. She also led a National Nuclear Security Administration-sponsored Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence program involving more than 100 staff and $100 million in work conducted across more than 50 countries.

Ms. Hughes began her career as a Weapons Systems Officer on the F/A-18 in the United States Marine Corps. In the private sector, she led computing programs and agile software development teams at Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as well as major efforts to define technical strategy, strengthen organizations, and capture growth opportunities.

Ms. Hughes is an alumna of the Department of Energy Project Leadership Institute and holds a Project Management Professional credential and a certificate in project management from the University of Washington. She earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian language and literature.

• National and Nuclear Security 
• Emerging Threats and Technology
• Leadership 
• Project Management 

• MBA
• BA in Russian languages and literature, University of Washington
• Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute

• Member of the 2020 Department of Energy Project Leadership Institute cohort