History & Leadership

Shelly Olsan guides Krell Institute’s long-term vision while managing the day-to-day work that brings its mission to life. Since joining Krell in 2000, she’s worn many hats from steering strategic direction to managing some of the nation’s top science fellowships.

Shelly leads Krell’s largest programs: the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF) and the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration’s Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (SSGF) and Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (LRGF). She’s the go-to liaison connecting Krell with funders, national laboratories and a nationwide network of science leaders.

An accomplished communicator, Shelly launched the acclaimed publication DEIXIS, which has earned multiple honors, including four Apex Awards of Excellence, four Communicator Awards, six Clarion Awards from the Association of Women in Communications and the CASE Silver Award for Excellence in Communication. She is an experienced reviewer and regular presenter on program management, fellowship execution and workforce development topics.

Shelly holds a bachelor's degree in English and master's degree in rhetoric and philosophy from Iowa State University and is a proud graduate of Leadership Ames, reflecting her deep community ties.

With more than two decades of experience partnering with the Department of Energy and its national laboratories, Shelly brings strategic vision, award-winning communication skills and collaborative leadership to foster talent, drive innovation and strengthen multidisciplinary scientific communities.

Beth Brosnahan plays a key role in ensuring the smooth financial operations of Krell Institute. She oversees the management of more than $10 million in annual revenue, guiding funding processes with precision and care to keep Krell’s programs running seamlessly.

Beth works closely with major funders and government agencies, handling everything from reporting and budgeting to managing external audits. She leads the business operations team that processes tuition, stipends and payments for Krell’s flagship programs the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF) and the DOE NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (SSGF) and Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (LRGF) as well as other important contracts.

Joining Krell in 2017, Beth brought with her a wealth of experience from the higher education sector, where she served as controller and assistant controller. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Loras College and proudly carries both certified public accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designations.

Under Beth’s financial leadership, Krell’s programs remain stable, compliant and well-positioned to support the next generation of science leaders.

Bill Cannon leads Krell Institute’s communications, publishing, social media and outreach efforts, while also collaborating with senior leadership on public affairs, business development and strategic messaging.

Since joining Krell in 2008 as editor of the ASCR Discovery online magazine, Bill has taken on key roles including science media manager and editor of the fellowship research publications DEIXIS and Stewardship Science. Under his direction, these projects have helped spotlight the impact of Krell’s programs and elevate science communication across the board.

Bill brings decades of high-level experience in science and technology communication. He has led media relations and editorial strategy at Duke University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and the University of Washington where the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named him the nation’s top university science writer. At UTMB, the magazine he edited, Biomedical Inquiry, was honored as best in the country by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

His writing has appeared in outlets such as American Scientist, The New York Times Magazine, Nature, and Smithsonian. While at PNNL, he co-created the Pacific Northwest Technology Tour in partnership with TVW-Olympia and led planning for the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) annual conference.

An advocate for advancing science communication skills, Bill has judged writing contests for CASE, NASW and Krell’s own fellowship essay competitions. He has taught science writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and regularly organizes communications training sessions for DOE-supported fellows.

Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Northern Iowa.

Nazanin Imani has been the tech brain behind Krell Institute since day one joining in 1997 and leading the information technology team with expertise and vision. She and her talented staff manage everything from computer networks and cybersecurity to web application design, database management, and audio-visual projects. Their work keeps Krell’s technology running smoothly and securely, enabling Krell’s programs to succeed.

Before joining Krell, Nazanin spent 12 years as a computational scientist with the Applied Mathematical Sciences Program at Ames National Laboratory, bringing a deep understanding of both science and technology to her role. She holds a master's degree in computer science and a double-major bachelor's degree in computer science and mathematics, both from Iowa State University.

Nazanin’s deep scientific knowledge and technical leadership ensure that Krell’s technology infrastructure remains secure, efficient and responsive to the evolving needs of the organization and its clients.

Mr. Beck is a technologist and entrepreneur who sits on the boards of several public and private companies and serves on a number of national security boards. After a distinguished career in the military and public service, Mr. Beck began his business career in 1984 with Atlantic Systems Research & Engineering, the first of several companies he founded, oversaw or acquired, including Coleman Research Corporation, Thermo Electron Corporation, Trans Digital Technologies Corporation and Viisage Technology, Inc.

The governor of Virginia and the president of Virginia Tech appointed Mr. Beck to the board of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. Mr. Beck also has collaborated with a number of universities to launch programs that commercialize technology and advance government-to-industry privatization initiatives.

Mr. Beck holds a bachelor's in chemistry from Arkansas State University and a master's from the University of Southern California. He was awarded a fellowship at the Brookings Institute in Washington.

Dr. Burman is president of Jefferson Solutions, a division of the Jefferson Consulting Group LLC. Before joining the Jefferson Group in 1994, Dr. Burman held policy positions in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He served in the Senate-confirmed position of administrator for federal procurement policy under presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton. As a member of the Senior Executive Service in the early 1980s, Dr. Burman served in OMB’s National Security Division and was the first OMB branch chief to receive a Presidential Rank Award.

He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), a director of the Procurement Round Table, a fellow and member of the Executive Advisory Council of the National Contract Management Association and an honorary member of the National Defense Industrial Association. He is an adjunct professor at George Mason University, an adjunct professor at the International Law Institute (ILI) and a member of ILI’s Procurement Advisory Board. He frequently serves on NAPA and National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council panels addressing federal public policy issues.

Dr. Burman graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut; was a Fulbright Scholar at the Institute of Political Studies, University of Bordeaux, France; and has a master's degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from The George Washington University. He is a technologist and entrepreneur who sits on the boards of several public and private companies and serves on a number of national security boards.

Ms. Crawford retired from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a science and security laboratory, after having served as associate director for computation for 15 years. In that capacity she led the laboratory’s high performance computing efforts, one of the premier computing centers in the world. Prior to her LLNL appointment in July 2001, Ms. Crawford had been with Sandia National Laboratories since 1976, serving on many leadership projects.

She is currently president of the Livermore Lab Foundation, a 501(c)(3), whose mission is to promote the philanthropic engagement of informed, highly motivated donors to advance promising scientific research, technology development and educational endeavors at LLNL.

Ms. Crawford has served on advisory committees for the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation. She co-chaired the Council on Competitiveness High Performance Computing Advisory Committee and co-chaired the CRDF Global Board. She is a board member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute; a member of the Strategic Research Advisory Council at Purdue University; and a member of the California Council on Science and Technology, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Ms. Crawford holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Redlands University (California) and a master's degree in operations research from Stanford University.