Jessica Nadine Hernandez: Turning a new page in federal libraries

Name: Jessica Nadine Hernandez

Age: 30

Organization: Food and Drug Administration

Title: Librarian, FDA Biosciences Library

Nominated for: Recruiting a team of creative and energetic federal employees (“NewFeds”) who are interested in modernizing federal libraries.

First IT mentor: Richard Chabran, adjunct professor at the University of Arizona's School of Information Resources and Library Science. He is an example of how I plan to direct my passion for IT into work that supports access to information and digital opportunities for diverse communities.

Latest accomplishment on the job: My effort to launch a staff technology training program at my library using internal resources to make it happen.

Career highlight: I am in the process of completing an M.S. in educational technology from the University of Arizona. I have pursued this degree while working full-time at FDA and raising a young child.

Your advice for a government IT wannabe: Respect the knowledge of your older co-workers, and find ways to share your energy while benefiting from their expertise.

What you enjoy most about working in government IT: Knowing that my contributions bolster the activities of employees on the front lines of research and regulation is exhilarating. Through each library customer we serve, we are also reaching the millions of Americans they work to protect.

Three favorite job-related bookmarks: WebJunction.org, TED Talks (TED.com/Talks), TechSoup.org

Dream non-IT-related job: Opera singer

Read the next Rising Star profile or view the full list of winners.