Jamie Goad
"I was (and still am!) a weird kid with myriad interests. I vacillated wildly from wanting to be an artist, writer, or actress to a marine biologist, registered nurse, or diplomat. Until I started my current job with LIGO nearly 6 years ago, I'd never seriously considered a career in accounting or finance. Suffice it to say, though, it pursued me! One of the most important aspects of my job is supporting budget managers across all LIGO sites (LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Caltech, and MIT), together we've submitted proposals for and received several new awards over the last few years. The ultimate goal of the LIGO Grants Management team (we're small but mighty!) is to help budget managers feel empowered to make confident budgeting decisions so they can get back to science! If I were to change careers now and fulfil my 3rd-grade dream of becoming a marine biologist, I know for a fact that I'd study narwhals. They're my favorite marine mammal!"
