PNNL Boosts National Security Careers for Three Decades

BYLINE: Linh Truong, PNNL

Newswise — Stephen Hernandez and Kaley Walker hail from vastly different backgrounds. Yet, their shared passion for service to the nation led them to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

Hernandez and Walker are among the 72 fellows who have the distinction of being part of the 30th class of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP).

Tomorrow’s leaders

During their one-year assignments, Hernandez worked in NNSA’s Air Delivered Weapons Division in New Mexico, and Walker worked in NNSA’s Office of Nuclear Export Controls in Washington, DC.

For Hernandez, NGFP was the perfect evolution with his background in mechanical engineering, research in advanced manufacturing, and military service with the Texas Army National Guard. His fellowship provided insight into projects that ultimately led to his role in drafting directive work authorizations that support the sustainment of the U.S. strategic deterrent and more.

“The opportunities to learn something new every day and the networking have been exceptional,” said Hernandez, who plans to continue juggling his military duties with his professional work. “It’s been a once in a lifetime experience.”

Walker credits invaluable mentors—from her father to professors to past supervisors—for leading her to NGFP after earning a master’s in international policy. The fellowship placed her at the forefront of nonproliferation policymaking, where she learned from motivated and experienced national security professionals. This time spent has strengthened her passion and awareness of how her colleagues are contributing to missions so much bigger than they could have imagined.

“There’s something really satisfying about the strategic advantage component of export control,” Walker said. “Preventing U.S.-funded and developed emerging technologies from getting to our adversaries—it’s an important aspect of maintaining the U.S. strategic deterrent.” 

For Hernandez and Walker, the fellowship has given them a glimpse of what their future holds. Both plan to stay on career paths within the national security sector.

With the fellowship ending in June, the class of 2025–2026 fellows will become part of the NGFP alumni network of more than 850 global colleagues who have worked to strengthen NNSA missions and tackle evolving national security threats during the past three decades.

Family ties

First came Maribel, then Cesar, and finally Omar. The Dominguez family has the unique distinction of being the only family to produce three NGFP fellows.

Maribel (Dominguez) Quintana learned of the fellowship while in graduate school at New Mexico State University during a career fair.

“I saw a flyer on campus about an info session for the program and decided to attend to hear more about it,” she said. “After talking to the recruiters, I went home, got my laptop out of my backpack, and immediately applied.”

And the rest, as the saying goes, is ”family history.” Her brothers were both influenced by their sister’s success and knew they would apply for the fellowship too.

“I think it comes down to our immediate family heritage, which has provided us with the resources to become who we are,” said Cesar Dominguez. “We continue to sustain a strong family bond, and we care a lot about our parents, who have been the pillars of our successful ventures in life. I think I speak for all of us in that without the endless support of our parents, most of what we have accomplished would not have been possible.”

Today, the siblings have not strayed far from their roots. Quintana is an NNSA program liaison and quality assurance engineer. Cesar Dominguez, an R&D 100 Award recipient, serves as a principal investigator on a diverse advanced manufacturing research portfolio at Sandia National Laboratories. Omar Dominguez is an R&D engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory, leading the design and development of embedded data acquisition systems and serving as an engineering liaison across multiple defense programs.