Otis Nelson III has an uncommon distinction among the employees at Frederick National Laboratory. Through the career development support that FNL provides, he became the first (and only) Certified Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt of the Vaccine Clinical Materials Program (VCMP) by utilizing the tuition assistance program.
Otis has worked at the Frederick National Laboratory for seven years and is currently a Quality Control Analyst V for the Quality Control-Assay Validation group at the VCMP.
Tell us about your work at the Frederick National Laboratory.
My team and I ensure test methods are verified, qualified or validated in accordance with current regulatory guidelines. We write protocols outlining specific testing parameters for individual assays and document the outcomes of the parameter assessments in reports.
How did you become interested in your line of work, and what drew you to the Frederick National Laboratory?
I became interested in assay validation while developing assays in a GLP laboratory at a contract research organization (CRO). I was drawn to the precision required for fine-tuning assays and writing clear procedures for analysts to follow. The unique aspect that attracted me to FNL was the ability to qualify/validate assays from a different perspective outside of the laboratory.
We heard you were integral to establishing a partnership with Stillman College. How did you get involved in that initiative?
In addition to working at FNL, I am also a visiting biology professor at Stillman College. My FNL colleague, Freda Freeman, forwarded an HBCU-FNL initiative PowerPoint presentation in August of 2022. I immediately asked how I could get involved and was soon introduced to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Program Manager, Crystal Canja.
After several fruitful meetings and extensive conversations learning more about the FNL initiative and programs from Crystal and sharing my vision of the partnership, I reached out to the Stillman College administration to connect FNL with Stillman with the hopes of forming an alliance.
The productive dialogue between my Stillman (namely Dean Isaac McCoy), FNL colleagues (Crystal Canja, Maggie Scully and Amanda Corbel) and I led to a fully executed memorandum of understanding (MOU) in January of 2023. The FNL-Stillman partnership was ratified only five months after I first learned of the initiative!
What do you hope to see come from this partnership?
The partnership is important because it provides exposure to the FNL and scientific opportunities to Stillman students who may not have otherwise known they existed. This partnership benefits FNL by providing access to a talented pool of students who may have previously gone unnoticed. My hope for the program is to create a pipeline between Stillman and FNL which leads to sustained employment opportunities.
What piece of advice has helped you in your career?
One of the most influential pieces of advice I received came from the acronym “P.I.E.” P.I.E. stands for performance, image and exposure.
While previously working in a small, corner lab I nicknamed “the bat cave”, I was advised that P.I.E is integral to success and career advancement. Performance is something I can directly control. Image is how I choose to portray myself and how others see me. Both are key components, but alone they weren’t enough to progress my career without exposure. As my advisor said, I was doing great work in a windowless bat cave... but nobody knew.
What are some of your hobbies or special interests outside of the office?
My hobbies and special interests are centered around my family. My beautiful wife, Jasmine, and I are blessed with three incredible children ages 9, 7 and 5. I am actively involved in their extra-curricular activities and sports.
I’m currently the commissioner and head wrestling coach for the Marlboro Mustangs and the head baseball coach for my son’s 10U team. I’ve also previously coached my daughter’s soccer team and their tee-ball/baseball teams.
Additionally, I enjoy volunteering to help my community. I’ve spent 10 years as a mentor, board member and eventually chairman of the board for a non-profit named College Tribe. I’ve also previously served for seven years as a member of the street ministry at Metropolitan Baptist Church.
What are little-known facts about you or your best-kept secrets?
Hmm, I would say a little-known fact about me is that I completed both the ironman marathon in Hawaii as well as the Annapolis triathlon. Another thing people may not know about me is that I was an exchange student in Ashikaga, Japan between my freshman and sophomore years of high school.
