Co-workers, community members react to Paul’s passing

Paul Robinson came to Sandia as director of the Systems Analysis Center in October 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He quickly advanced to vice president — the position now referred to as associate Labs director — and served as Labs director from August 1995 to April 2005.

Labs Director James Peery said, “Sandia has lost a towering figure in our history. … Paul was an exceptional and visionary leader who was dedicated to Sandia Labs, the United States and national security. He was charismatic, outgoing and a mentor and friend of mine and many others.”

Those who worked closely with Paul mourned his loss, empathized with his family and reflected upon the many characteristics that made him an impactful leader. Optimistic, mentor, positive, defender, charming, problem-solver, personable, champion, intentional, storyteller: these are just a few of the words used by former colleagues across the Labs, and beyond Sandia, to describe Paul.

“He understood the value of the lab system and had a deep appreciation for what made Sandia special. I am so grateful to Paul’s support and mentoring.”

— Jill Hruby, NNSA administrator and 14th Labs director 

Engaging champion

Many of Paul’s co-workers recall how Paul was one of Sandia’s greatest champions — always proud of the Labs’ accomplishments and eager to spotlight them.

“Anyone who knew Paul will remember him as an incredibly gracious gentlemen with a sharp intellect and a spirit of service,” said Jill Hruby, NNSA administrator and 14th Labs director from 2015 to 2017. “He brought all these attributes to Sandia and then afterward in a variety of other organizations including to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He understood the value of the lab system and had a deep appreciation for what made Sandia special. I am so grateful to Paul’s support and mentoring. His voice will be missed.”

Paul’s former Deputy Labs Director Joan Woodard echoed these sentiments.

“Paul was a great mentor, and always so proud of what Sandia did for the nation,” said Joan, former executive vice president of the nuclear weapons program. “I particularly recall the annual event of presenting the state of the Labs both internally in an all-hands event, and to the local Albuquerque community leaders. Paul was always so proud and excited about the impact of the Labs and its amazing capabilities that he could easily have filled the full hour with his great stories and recall of facts.”

Another executive under Paul, Jerry McDowell, agreed that Paul’s stories and personality made a significant impact on Sandians.

“He was a great storyteller and used his gift to inspire a generation of Sandia leaders to reach ever higher in service to the many challenges our country faced,” said Jerry, who was promoted to vice president of defense systems and assessments in 2005 under Paul and served as executive vice president from 2010 to 2014. “He was also a champion of the regular employee and his exuberance in interactions with people was a tonic to the soul.”

“He was a champion of the regular employee and his exuberance
in interactions with people was a tonic to the soul.”

— Jerry McDowell

Former Labs photojournalist Randy Montoya reflected on how gregarious Paul was during VIP visits.

“I was always taken with what a charming and engaging leader Paul Robinson was,” said Randy, Labs photojournalist from 1986 to 2021. “He made Sandia approachable to the staff and especially to the visitors. Paul hosted [former]Energy Secretary Federico Pena, just the two of them, meeting with technologists and engineers. The agenda changed per the requests of the secretary. Without prompting, Paul knew the technologies as well as the names of everyone in each lab. He was the captain of the ship, knowing all the crew and the ship’s destination.”

Community partner

Paul’s colleagues inside and outside of the Labs also reflected on how Paul used his charisma to build bridges in Sandia’s communities, the business community and the defense community.

“Paul was an outstanding individual with high leadership qualities,” said Garrey Carruthers, who was governor of New Mexico from 1987 to 1991. “He had a real presence. I always thought he was one of the leading citizens of the Albuquerque area, and of course of the Laboratories there.”

Several others, including Jackie Kerby Moore, former manager of technology and economic development, recalled Paul’s dedication to building connections with private industry.

“Paul was an incredible champion for the Sandia Science and Technology Park and was on hand when we broke ground for the park back in 1998,” said Jackie, who recently retired after 35 years of service. “He understood how important it was to develop public-private partnerships and build bridges between Sandia and the community. I will always remember Paul’s larger-than-life personality and his role in launching economic development programs at Sandia, programs that remain today.”

Sherman McCorkle, chairman of the Sandia Science and Technology Park Development Corp. — the group that created the 300-acre research park east of the Eubank gate, agreed with her.

“Under the leadership of Ambassador Robinson, Sandia Laboratories partnered with Technologies Ventures Corp., to initiate an aggressive program to fulfill the DOE mission of technology transfer,” said McCorkle. “Under this joint effort Sandia was successful in the creation entrepreneurial startups, and in securing widespread commercial application of the technologies originating in Sandia which, in turn, enhanced the economic security of the United States. These successes would not have occurred without the strong and intentional leadership of Paul.”

Paul’s successor Tom Hunter, the 12th Labs Director who served from 2005 to 2010, shared that the leadership and bridge-building Paul exhibited at a local- and Labs-level also extended to the national defense community.

“Working for Paul was a joy as he was always optimistic about finding a path forward for the Labs,” said Tom, who was senior vice president for defense programs under Paul. “He was well regarded in the defense community, and he really supported me in my engagement with that community. He led the Labs during a period of great uncertainty after the Cold War and was a steady hand in turbulent times. I will miss him personally, and he will be missed by the whole defense community.”

National servant

All those who work at Sandia serve the nation in their own way, but according to those who knew him, Paul truly exemplified our Labs’ motto.

“Through his role at the Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories and as ambassador to crucial nuclear testing talks with Russia, Paul was one of the staunchest defenders of American national security,” said Siegfried Hecker, director of Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1986 to 1997.

“Paul was an outstanding leader and his passion about the well-being of the nation and its people was abundantly obvious, as was his devotion to Sandia National Labs,” said Al Romig, who rose to a deputy Labs director and executive vice president position under Paul before leaving Sandia in 2010 to run Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. He is now the executive officer of the National Academy of Engineering. “He will always be remembered for his time and contributions at the Labs, as well as his work to secure global peace as our U.S. ambassador to nuclear arms control talks and agreements. Paul will fondly remain in our memories.”

What Mim John, former vice president of Sandia’s California site from 1999 until 2006, remembers most about Paul is his professional integrity.

“I remember Paul as an inspiring leader who continued in the footsteps of [former Labs Director] Al Narath in promoting diversity and pushing some of us women to do more than we thought we could,” Mim said. “The lasting impact he had on me came from the example he set in his congressional testimony on [the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty] where he put his job on the line by speaking what he knew to be the technical truth and not the political line he had been encouraged to present.”

Jerry also recognized Paul’s commitment to integrity.

“Paul Robinson was the personification of ‘exceptional service in the national interest,’” Jerry added. “His experience in nuclear-related national security matters included appointment as U.S. ambassador to arms reduction talks with the Soviet Union and time as an executive with Los Alamos National Laboratory. His was truly a life well lived in service and integrity.”

Joan, who served as deputy Labs director from 1999 to 2005, echoed this sentiment, saying, “I spent six years as Paul’s deputy — during some challenging and very rewarding times for Sandia. During 9/11 and the response of the nation, we were faced with all sorts of challenges, and Paul was great at focusing us on problem solving. He cared so much about our country and its security, and in his usual positive way, kept us focused on the important things. Paul contributed so much to the country and embodied the Labs ethos of ‘exceptional service in the national interest.’”