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In memory of

Antionette Grayson Joseph

Bethesda, MD, USA

July 31, 1940 - August 6, 2019

Jul 31, 1940 - Aug 6, 2019

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Antionette (Toni) Grayson Joseph, age 79, a resident of Bethesda, Maryland, died on August 6, 2019.
She was preceded in death by William Grayson (husband), Eva Joseph (mother), and Anthony Joseph (father). She is survived by William Joseph Grayson (son) and his wife Michelle Siegel of Washington, DC; Katherine Grayson (daughter) of New York City; Rev. Tony Joseph (brother) and his wife Patsy of Johnstown, PA; Sandy Joseph (sister) and her husband Malcolm Vosburgh of Olney, MD; Jeannette Joseph (sister), her husband Fred Mortensen, and son Casey (nephew) of White Rock, NM; Curt Grayson (stepson), his wife Nona, and John (grandson) of Aliso Viejo, CA; Jack Grayson (stepson) of Livermore, CA, and Mark Grayson (stepson) of California; Tony R. Joseph (nephew) and his wife Mary of Kitty Hawk, NC; Tricia Honeycutt (niece), her husband Craig, and daughter Vera of Nags Head, NC.
Toni graduated from Windber High School in Pennsylvania in 1958. She received a B.S. in education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 1962, an M.A. in history from the University of Missouri in 1963, and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1971.
A lifelong career civil servant, Ms. Joseph worked for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and its superseding organizations, the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and Department of Energy (DOE). She joined the AEC as an intern in the Office of the Secretary to the Commission in 1964, where she worked with Glenn Seaborg.
From 1967 to 1970, working in the Office of the Special Assistant for Disarmament, she worked on international aspects of nuclear arms control and disarmament, interacting with US executive and legislative offices, as well as with the IAEA in Geneva and Vienna. She proposed policies for nuclear free zones and nonproliferation treaties.
Serving in the Office of the AEC General Manager, she initiated meetings of the directors of the national laboratories to discuss common issues and needs as the labs were identified as an invaluable resource for addressing the nation’s energy needs. This coordination carried over into ERDA, where she served as Executive Director of the Office of Laboratory and Field Coordination, which oversaw operations offices, national laboratories, and energy research centers.
In 1976 she married the love of her life, Bill Grayson, and they soon began raising two children together while she continued her career.
From 1976 to 1978, she was executive director of the ERDA San Francisco Operations Office. After returning to Washington, DC, she became Associate Director for the Office of Laboratory Coordination in the Office of Energy Research, which oversees 10 national laboratories. She initiated the laboratory planning process, DOE Work for Others procedures, laboratory performance evaluation process, lab-directed R&D program, and the multipurpose laboratory general purpose facilities funding program, developed to address laboratory infrastructure needs separate from research program needs. All these efforts continue today in the Office of Science and are hallmarks of excellence.
She was a strong supporter of women in the workplace and of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. Programs that she helped develop and nurture included the National Science Bowl, the Solar Decathalon, and dozens of education and technology transfer programs across DOE’s national laboratories.
In 1995 she served as a delegate at the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing. In 1998 she was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni award from IUP. She was a senior editorial coordinator for the year 2000 edition of America's Commitment, about federal programs to benefit women. And she was one of the first female members of the Senior Executive Service of the US Government.
In 2005, after more than 42 years of government service, she retired from the DOE as Associate Director for Laboratory Planning.
Despite suffering from dementia late in life, she radiated kindness to her family, friends, caregivers, and others she encountered. The family wishes to thank her loving caregivers, particularly those at Sunrise on Connecticut Ave.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimers Foundation of America or the Association for Women in Science.
A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on September 8th in Bethesda. Please contact a family member for information.

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