Sept. 11, 2024
Isaias Zamarripa, a human resources professional who has led diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) and talent acquisition programs at major companies for more than two decades, has been appointed the inaugural head of inclusive culture and talent acquisition at the U.S.Department of Energy’sPrinceton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
Zamarripa will assume the leadership position at a crucial time for PPPL. The national laboratory currently has a staff of around 800 people and continues to grow while pursuing its fusion energy mission and expands into plasma applications in microelectronics, quantum sensors and devices, and sustainability sciences. He will report directly toMichelle Heintz, chief human resources officer, and will serve as a member of the Laboratory’s Leadership Council. In this role, he will have direct access to PPPL’s senior leaders and serve as a key adviser to the Laboratory director and the Executive Management Team.
“Recruiting and developing a diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial — we need diversity in all forms to achieve our scientific mission,” saidSteve Cowley, Laboratory director. “I am delighted that a talented and experienced leader like Isaias will be taking on this task. He will work closely with PPPL’s DEIA team and the Lab’s employee resource groups (ERGs) to develop a strong diversity program at all levels of the Laboratory.”
Zamarripa said he wants people to know that he loves his work and is open to talking to everyone. “I’m pretty open about what my ideas are; I’m pretty transparent,” he said. “I’m here to hire more people, create a more inclusive environment and make it so everyone can bring their whole selves to work.”
For the past few years, Zamarripa has worked as a consultant through his own company, Three Degrees from Isaias, where he consulted with major companies like Travelers Insurance, Land O’Lakes Inc. and Constellation Brands, Inc. Prior to that, he worked as director of operations and strategy for ERGs at Bristol Myers Squibb. He was vice president of diversity talent acquisition strategy for the diversity consulting firm The Kaleidoscope Group. During that time, he worked as a contract diversity, equity and inclusion consultant forArgonne National Laboratory for eight months. He has also worked at numerous large companies, including 10 years at General Mills.
Personal experiences with being an ‘outsider’
Zamarripa said he has drawn on his own experiences in his DEIA career. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, he is the son of a Mexican American father and a Puerto Rican mother. Zamarripa grew up in Puerto Rico and said he was viewed as an outsider in Puerto Rico because he attended an American high school and was seen as a Puerto Rican by his Mexican relatives in Kansas City. “From the beginning of my life, I’ve always not fit in,” he said. He had a similar feeling when he attended Marquette University in Milwaukee on a scholarship, he said. There, the vast majority of students were white, and he was one of just 12 students from Puerto Rico.
His college experience set him on his diversity and inclusion career when he began helping the university recruit more Puerto Rican students. “That started my passion for creating inclusive environments,” Zamarripa recalled.
A graduate of Columbia Business School, Zamarripa is one of the founding leaders ofProspanica, the Association of Hispanic MBAs & Business Professionals. He started chapters of the organization in Houston and Minneapolis and served on the corporate board of advisers for four years. He often speaks about diversity at the group’s national conferences.
Zamarripa views a diverse and inclusive workplace as one that recognizes the uniqueness of each person. That could mean, for example, being aware of whether someone is an extrovert or an introvert and not expecting an introvert to be as outspoken as their more outgoing colleagues. “Everyone needs to fit in and bring their whole selves to work,” he said.
Much of Zamarripa’s work has involved working closely with ERGs. At Bristol Myers Squibb, he was responsible for eight resource groups with 150 chapters in 44 countries that included 12,500 employees. Zamarripa quotes Robert Rodriguez, an author and expert on ERGs, who said that effective groups should go beyond “flags, food and fun.” “You want them to be more impactful,” Zamarripa said. For example, ERGs can play a role in recruitment, mentoring or onboarding new staff members by serving as peer partners.
A stage magician in his spare time
In his spare time, Zamarripa enjoys golf, jazz and salsa dancing. He has been performing as a magician for the past 40 years and specializes in card tricks. He recently performed at a gala for the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis.
Zamarripa said he is excited about the new position as head of inclusive culture and talent acquisition. “PPPL is trying to find the best and brightest people to create an energy source that could change the world,” he said. “The mission of what PPPL is doing is so unique and so impactful. You can’t beat that!”
