» Agenda

Agenda

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Tuesday | September 3

12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
REGISTRATION
Sponsored by:
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM
WELCOME and INTRODUCTIONS
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Program Perspectives from the DOE Office of Environmental Management
Sponsored by:
This session will discuss the DOE Office of Environmental Management new and continuing initiatives for radioactive waste management.
- Todd Shrader, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
- Colin Jones, Vice President, Deputy General Manager, North American Nuclear Group, Jacobs
Todd Shrader

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Environmental Management

U.S. Department of Energy

Mr. Todd Shrader is currently serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) in the Office of Environmental Management (EM). In this role he works to enable the safe and successful execution of the EM mission, while providing management oversight of activities, operations, and program integration across DOE field sites. Prior to becoming the PDAS he served as the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) Manager from October 2015 until June 2019. Under Mr. Shrader’s leadership, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) successfully restarted waste emplacement operations and the shipping of waste from around the DOE Complex to WIPP after a nearly three-year recovery effort. The CBFO provides federal oversight to the National Transuranic Program (NTP) and WIPP, the nation’s only geological repository for the disposal of defense related nuclear waste. During this time, he was awarded a Meritorious Service Presidential Rank Award. Mr. Shrader previously served as the Director of the DOE headquarters office responsible for supporting Hanford’s Office of River Protection and held a leading role in developing a path forward that allowed for accelerated treatment of Hanford tank waste. Prior to that, he was assigned to DOE’s Office of Loan Programs, where he led technical reviews of over twenty energy generation projects that eventually received over $13 billion in loan guarantees. Earlier, he was a project manager for the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, leading key components of the NRC licensing process for the Yucca Mountain Project. He began his DOE career at the Hanford Site and held various positions including service as the Hanford Site TRU Program Manager and the Facility Area Engineer for the Pretreatment Facility at the Waste Treatment Plant. Mr. Shrader earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida and a Master’s degree in Engineering from North Carolina State University. He is registered Professional Engineer. He was appointed to Senior Executive Service in November 2012.

Colin Jones

Vice President, Deputy General Manager, North American Nuclear Group

Jacobs

Colin has over twenty years of experience in the nuclear industry, working for multi-national corporations, the federal government, a national laboratory, and the United States Senate. As the Deputy General Manager for the Jacobs North American Nuclear Group, Colin is responsible for assisting in the management and oversight of 10 Department of Energy and Canadian Nuclear Laboratory contracts. Colin joined DOE’s Office of Environmental Management in March 2010 and served as the EM Chief of Staff, supporting the Assistant Secretary in all aspects of managing the EM program from 2013 to 2015. During his time in the Senate, Colin was responsible for coordinating the development and analysis of energy policies and legislation related to various government agencies through congressional committees on Appropriations, Energy, Environment, Armed Services, and Commerce. Colin graduated from the University of Humberside U.K., with a BA in Business Studies and in October 2007 he became a U.S. citizen.
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
New Procurement Initiatives and its Benefit for All Stakeholders
The Energy Department Office of Environmental Management hopes to slash its life-cycle costs at cleanup sites through its end-state contracting philosophy, a key reform initiative. The principle idea is to pay more fee for early completion of work and, in the process accelerate completion of environmental cleanup. This session will discuss the progress and goals for this program.
- Tamara L. Miles, Procurement Director Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center, U.S. Department of Energy
- Cathy Hickey, Executive Vice President, Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc.
Tamara Miles

Procurement Director Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center

U.S. Department of Energy

Tamara L. Miles is the Federal Procurement Director at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ms. Miles, with nearly twenty years of contracting experience, oversees the acquisition and management of multi-million dollar environmental clean-up contracts nationwide. Prior to joining DOE in 2008, Ms. Miles served as a Contract Specialist at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and C-17 Program Office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Ms. Miles is Level III certified under the Federal Acquisition Certification Program in Contracting and holds an unlimited Contracting Officer Warrant. She attended the University of Cincinnati earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and a MBA degree.

Cathy Hickey

Executive Vice President

Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc.

Cathy has over 35 years of nuclear project management and business development experience and is currently the Executive Vice President for Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc., a small, women- owned business headquartered in Oak Ridge, TN. Prior to joining Navarro, Cathy served as the President of Westinghouse Government Services LLC, a small subsidiary of parent company Westinghouse Electric Company, that specialized in government services. Over her career, Cathy has worked for firms including Bechtel, CH2M, and URS Corp. She has experience leading large, complex proposal and capture efforts valued at tens of billions of dollars and has served in several nuclear infrastructure and environmental remediation project leadership roles for site management contractors. Throughout Cathy’s career, she has been able to integrate the necessary technical knowledge and problem-solving capabilities with her leadership and communication skills to be highly successful in environments that require interactions with regulators, communities, and other site stakeholders. Cathy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from East Tennessee State University and attended Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. She and her husband Jerry have two daughters and reside in Knoxville, Tennessee.
3:45 PM – 4:15 PM
NETWORKING BREAK
4:15 PM – 5:00 PM
Budget, Policy and Legislative Outlook
This session will discuss the current state of the budget at the end of FY2019 as well as the expectations and outlook for the FY2020 process. Additionally, the session will update the audience on current legislation approved and pending before this Congress.
- Seth Kirshenberg, Executive Director, Energy Communities Alliance
- Colin Jones, Vice President, Deputy General Manager, North American Nuclear Group, Jacobs
- Mark Morgan, Vice President, Business Development, ATKINS
Seth Kirshenberg

Executive Director

Energy Communities Alliance

For over 20 years, Mr. Kirshenberg has been the Executive Director of the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), the national non-profit organization of elected local government officials adjacent to defense nuclear facilities in the United States. He oversees the daily activities of the organization and ensures that Congress, the Administration, DOE/NNSA, industry and others understand and address local issues and integrate them into policy decision-making. In addition, Mr. Kirshenberg is a partner in the law firm of Kutak Rock LLP and specializes in the privatization of federal, state and local government assets for developers, financing entities, states, cities and federal agencies and assists communities with the development of former federal property. He also specializes in financing federal energy projects. He has worked on several high profile projects and has worked on approximately $20 billion of such transactions, including several that have been awarded transaction of the year by the Bond Buyer and National Council of Public Private Partnerships. Early this year he represented the issuer in the financing of first ever capital markets financing of a spent nuclear fuel facility (the project is located in Ukraine). He has written several books and articles on environmental cleanup, spent nuclear fuel, small modular reactor development, public private partnerships, public participation, and energy production and he regularly speaks at conferences and meetings. He has participated on several national federal advisory committees and boards on International Atomic Energy Agency, DOD, EPA and DOE issues and has participated on several national initiatives including those led by the Aspen Institute, Keystone Institute and others around the areas of the environment, public private partnerships, nuclear waste, spent nuclear fuel, nuclear energy production and national defense. Mr. Kirshenberg holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the Washington College of Law at the American University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida.

Colin Jones

Vice President, Deputy General Manager, North American Nuclear Group

Jacobs

Colin has over twenty years of experience in the nuclear industry, working for multi-national corporations, the federal government, a national laboratory, and the United States Senate. As the Deputy General Manager for the Jacobs North American Nuclear Group, Colin is responsible for assisting in the management and oversight of 10 Department of Energy and Canadian Nuclear Laboratory contracts. Colin joined DOE’s Office of Environmental Management in March 2010 and served as the EM Chief of Staff, supporting the Assistant Secretary in all aspects of managing the EM program from 2013 to 2015. During his time in the Senate, Colin was responsible for coordinating the development and analysis of energy policies and legislation related to various government agencies through congressional committees on Appropriations, Energy, Environment, Armed Services, and Commerce. Colin graduated from the University of Humberside U.K., with a BA in Business Studies and in October 2007 he became a U.S. citizen.

Mark Morgan

Vice President, Business Development

ATKINS

Mr. Morgan is the Vice President of Business Development for Atkins Nuclear Secured. He is currently responsible for Atkins’ DOE Tier 1 business pursuits. Mr. Morgan has more than 24 years’ federal contracting experience with more than 20 years supporting the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. He has lead business development, proposal and operations teams on DOE projects as well as international projects in the UK, Japan, China, and South Africa. Mr. Morgan graduated from George Mason University.
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
OPENING RECEPTION

Wednesday | September 4

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Sponsored by:
7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Registration Open
8:30 AM – 9:15 AM
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Updates
Stakeholders will offer updates on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s new nuclear decommissioning and Part 61 rulemakings, as well as other initiatives such as GTCC waste disposal that could significantly affect the nuclear power, waste, and cleanup industries.
- Larry W. Camper, USNRC Retired, Nuclear Safety Consultant, Talisman International LLC
- J. Scott Kirk, CHP, Manager, Environmental Compliance, Savannah River Remediation, LLC
- Joe Klinger, Interim Executive Director, LLW Forum, Inc.
- Stephen S. Koenick, Branch Chief, Low Level Waste Branch, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs (DUWP), Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Larry Camper

USNRC Retired, Nuclear Safety Consultant

Talisman International LLC

Mr. Camper is an experienced health physicist, radiation safety expert, environmental remediation expert and executive with 40 years of professional experience with various aspects of the nuclear industry within both the private and public sectors including: radiation safety; medical, research and academic uses; commercial uses; industrial uses; environmental assessment and management; low-level waste oversight; uranium recovery; decommissioning of reactors and complex material sites; spent fuel management and performance assessment. Mr. Camper has been very involved both nationally and internationally and increasingly has focused on the nexus between nuclear materials uses, energy production and related environmental concerns as well as stakeholder outreach and coordination. Mr. Camper is the President and Executive Consultant with Advoco Professional Services, LLC. Advoco provides a broad spectrum of professional consulting services focused on environmental assessment and remediation, health physics issues, nuclear regulatory policy, environmental conflict resolution, communications strategy, facilitation and stakeholder outreach, nuclear technical issues, NEPA support, Federal and State agencies coordination and executive management. Mr. Camper is also associated with Talisman International, LLC as a senior nuclear safety consultant dealing with a broad spectrum of nuclear issues.

J. Scott Kirk, CHP

Manager, Environmental Compliance

Savannah River Remediation, LLC

Scott has over 25 years of broad experience working in the nuclear industry. He is currently employed, as a BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) affiliate, with Savannah River Remediation, LLC in Aiken, SC, to manage the environmental compliance and waste characterization departments for Liquid Waste Operations involving the vitrification and treatment of High Level Waste for the Department of Energy pursuant to Section 3116 of the Ronald Reagan National Defense Authorization Act of 2005. Scott also served as the Director of Regulatory Affairs for the BWXT Technical Services Group. In this capacity, he provided guidance on a variety of regulatory affairs matters, focusing on radioactive waste management. Scott has a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Health from East Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology/Physics from Appalachian State University. He is also certified in the comprehensive practice of health physics by the American Board of Health Physics.

Joe Klinger

Interim Executive Director

LLW Forum, Inc.

Joe Klinger was recently hired as the Interim Executive Director of the Low-Level Waste Forum, Inc. He retired from Illinois state government in December 2017, where he served as the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s (IEMA) Acting Director under three different governors, and Head of the Illinois Nuclear Safety Program. While IEMA Acting Director, Joe managed the day-to-day operations of the Agency, which has approximately 152 employees and an annual budget of approximately $513 million. He managed all state emergency management and nuclear safety activities within Illinois. Joe worked for IEMA for almost 30 years. Prior to working in Illinois, Joe was the Head of Licensing for the Texas Bureau of Radiation Control. Joe is a Health Physicist and Emergency Management Consultant and continues to serve as Chair of the Central Midwest Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission. He is the former Chair of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc., (CRCPD) He continues to serve as Chair of the CRCPD E-34 Committee on Unwanted Radioactive Materials. He has served as a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency and has been the recipient of numerous awards including the CRCPD’s highest, the Gerald S. Parker Award. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s from Texas State University. He is also a retired Navy Captain and former combat marine.

Stephen Koenick

Branch Chief, Low Level Waste Branch, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs (DUWP)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

As of October 1, 2018, Stephen S. Koenick became the Chief, Low Level Waste Branch, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs (DUWP), Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS). Since joining the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1992, Mr. Koenick has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility including currently the Chief, Material Decommissioning Branch, DUWP, NMSS. Mr. Koenick has held positions in NMSS, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and the Office of New Reactors and has held titles of Reactor Systems Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Project Manager, Quality Advisor, Senior Policy Analyst and Senior Project Manager. Of note, from January 2010 through July 2013, he was a cost free expert to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where he was a Senior Safety Officer, in the Regulatory Activities Section of Division of Nuclear Safety Installation Safety. Mr. Koenick received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and an Environmental Engineering master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. He is a graduate of the NRC’s NRR Reactor Engineer Intern Program in 1994.
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM
State/Local Level Involvement and Community Outreach
Like politics, radioactive waste is local – at least as long as it remains near dozens of communities throughout the U.S. Speakers will discuss their role in determining how radioactive waste is managed and stored. State and local tax implications will be addressed.
- Rod McCullum, Senior Director, Fuel and Decommissioning Programs, Nuclear Energy Institute
- Leonardo Blundo, Liaison Commissioner for Nuclear Issues, Nye County
- Sharon Raye Brown, Senator, State 8th Legislative District, State of Washington
- Rick McLeod, President and CEO, Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO)
Rod McCullum

Senior Director, Fuel and Decommissioning Programs

Nuclear Energy Institute

Rod McCullum has been working on regulatory issues at NEI since 1998. He has 30 years of nuclear engineering, licensing, management and regulatory policy experience. Currently, at NEI, he leads industry efforts to reduce business risks associated with used nuclear fuel management, commercial nuclear power plant decommissioning, emergent material degradation issues, and the introduction of accident tolerant fuels by directing broad scope technical and regulatory programs. He held prior positions in Government (with the Department of Energy) and Industry (at three commercial nuclear power plants). He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering (University of Cincinnati, 1985) and a Master of Business Administration degree (Lewis University, 2000).

Leonardo Blundo

Liaison Commissioner for Nuclear Issues

Nye County

Commissioner Blundo is the board's liaison on nuclear issues including the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, and sits on the National Site Security Advisory Board (NSSAB). He serves as chairman of the county's Board of Highway Commissioners and chairman of the Nye County Regional Transportation Commission. He is passionate about filling potholes for constituents and addressing difficult kick-the-can issues such as Yucca Mountain. Commissioner Blundo represents Nye County's Commission District IV located in Pahrump, Nevada. Mr. Blundo has lived in Nevada for over 25 years before being elected to the Nye County Board of Commissioners in 2018.

Sharon Raye Brown

Senator, State 8th Legislative District

State of Washington

Senator Sharon Brown represents the 8th Legislative district, located in the Tri-Cities area of Eastern Washington. Brown is a state and national leader on energy issues, and is the Senate’s leading advocate for nuclear power. She is active on international trade, economic development and small business issues. She has also been instrumental in crafting and advancing the Legislature’s efforts to address suicide prevention and the state’s mental health system. Brown served as Vice President Pro Tempore (2014-16) and is currently Deputy Leader of the Republican Caucus. She served 22 years as a business attorney before being elected to the Kennewick City Council in 2009. In 2010, she was elected Mayor Pro Tempore of the City of Kennewick, where she focused on increasing job growth in the city. An active member of the Tri- Cities community, Brown was appointed to the Washington State Senate by the Benton County Commission and assumed office on February 4, 2013. She was elected to serve a full term in November of 2014, and re-elected to a second full term in 2018.

Rick McLeod

President and CEO

Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO)

Rick McLeod is the President/CEO of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) and has managed the organization since June 2008. The SRSCRO is a non-profit regional group focused on supporting job creation in a five-county region of South Carolina and Georgia, including Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties in South Carolina and Richmond (Augusta) and Columbia counties in Georgia. In representing the SRSCRO as a unified regional voice, Rick speaks widely to public groups about issues affecting the Savannah River Site and the region.
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
NETWORKING BREAK
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
DOE EM’s Mercury Challenge for Decontamination and Decommissioning at Oak Ridge
Panelists will discuss the unique challenges presented by mercury and other hazards that will be encountered in decontamination and decommissioning of large mercury-contaminated facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN.
- Renee Echols, President, Firewater LLC
- David Adler, Director, Quality & Mission Support Division, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
- J. Kent Fortenberry, Manager, Technical and Nuclear Services, URS CH2M Oak Ridge LLC
Renee Echols

President

Firewater LLC

Ms. Echols serves as the president of FireWater, LLC which is a woman owned small nuclear waste management company established in 2009. Ms. Echols is responsible for directly growth and expansion of the company’s business with government and commercial clients. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the environmental and waste management areas beginning her career as a health physicist and regulator with the state of Mississippi Division of Radiological Health. Ms. Echols has a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University. Ms. Echols is active in industry organizations that support DOE clean-up missions including serving as Vice Chair of the EFCOG Waste Management Working Group.

David Adler

Director, Quality & Mission Support Division, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management

U.S. Department of Energy

David Adler serves as the director of the Quality and Mission Support Division for the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. In this role, Adler is responsible for leading and directing a diverse team of professionals that support and enable the cleanup mission in Oak Ridge. Together, his teams focus on quality assurance, regulatory and environmental compliance, reindustrialization, and community outreach. Specifically, Adler will oversee activities in two branches, each with differing areas of focus. The first is responsible for ensuring quality assurance across Oak Ridge’s cleanup program. Employees develop procedures for operations, maintain a training program, conduct internal and contractor assessments, measure organizational culture trends, and interface with external groups on quality issues. The other branch provides services focusing predominately on regulatory and environmental compliance, facility management, future development at the East Tennessee Technology Park, and public outreach. Team members work to ensure OREM’s cleanup will help shape the East Tennessee Technology Park’s future, including historic preservation and reindustrialization. Prior to his selection, Adler served as the branch chief for OREM’s Program Support Branch. In his 30 years of experience, he has worked with multiple federal and state environmental regulatory agencies and private sector environmental services companies. Adler holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in toxicology from the University of Michigan.

J. Kent Fortenberry

Manager, Technical and Nuclear Services

URS CH2M Oak Ridge LLC

Kent Fortenberry is UCOR's Technical and Nuclear Services Manager. He has 38 years of experience in the design, licensing, operation, and safety oversight of both government and commercial nuclear facilities. He was previously Savannah River Remediation’s (SRR) Chief Engineer, where he managed, planned, and integrated all engineering services required to support the liquid waste work scope. He implemented and managed programs for systems engineering, configuration management, commercial grade detection, nuclear safety, and fire protection. He provided engineering for operations support, including surveillance, maintenance, and system modifications and upgrades. He provided engineering leadership for SRR projects and also supported projects with engineering staff and functional support. He also served as SRR’s Waste Disposal Authority. Kent started his career as a nuclear propulsion design engineer at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. He moved into commercial nuclear power with the Entergy Corporation, where he built a solid base of expertise, including plant operations as a licensed Senior Reactor Operator, nuclear fuels engineering, reactor physics, safety analysis, and licensing. He previously worked for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), where he played a significant role as that agency's Technical Director, providing nuclear safety oversight of design, construction, operation, deactivation, and research and development activities throughout both DOE-Environmental Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration. After 16 years with the DNFSB, he joined the Parsons Corporation to provide technical services related to the design and construction of uranium processing, uranium enrichment, and high-level radioactive liquid waste treatment facilities. During this time, Mr. Fortenberry also directed Parsons’ engineering activities at the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. He joined the AECOM Corporation (previously URS) in 2009, working on radioactive waste missions at both Hanford and Savannah River Site. In addition, he worked on corporate performance assurance and oversight to support safe and effective execution of nuclear activities across the DOE complex and abroad.
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Addressing Idaho National Laboratory Waste Challenges Through Technology Innovation
This presentation and discussion will provide an overview of technology innovations being developed to address challenging legacy waste at Idaho National Laboratory. Hear from Bob Miklos on how the impact of legacy waste, primarily generated from the EBR II Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor Program, has been addressed and how technology innovations are focused on reducing manual activities and secondary waste stream generation. Ron Mitchell will discuss expected benefits to waste stream reductions, ALARA, and disposition cost reduction that can be used by other sites.
- Robert P. Miklos SCPM/PMP, Director, Production Facilities & TSDFs, Material Fuels Complex, Idaho National Laboratory
- Ron Mitchell, Project Manager and Operations Manager GeoMelt® Richland, VNS Federal Services
Robert Miklos

Director, Production Facilities & TSDFs, Material Fuels Complex

Idaho National Laboratory

Robert Miklos, PMP/SCPM has over 30 years of experience in disciplined operations of nuclear facilities include hot cells, waste handling treatment and processing capabilities ,non-nuclear facilities, start-up and testing, integrated safety management, used fuel handling, fuel processing ,TRU waste and mixed waste projects and project management. He led establishment of the INL Project Management Office which included implementation of laboratory-wide tailored project management systems, including DOE Order 413 implementation and EVM certification strategy. He is currently the Director of Production Facilities & Treatment Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) with line management responsibilities for safe and efficient operations, maintenance and project activities within multiple Nuclear and Radiological facilities including Fuel Condition Facility (FCF), TSDFs, INL Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) facilities and operations of the new Remote Handled Low Level Waste Disposal Facility (RHLLW). Prior to joining the INL community, he gained 18 years of large-scale commercial construction, capital asset projects and DOD construction, overhaul and refueling, defueling and decommissioning experience when employed by Newport News Shipbuilding and its subsidiary company, Newport News Reactor Services. He is member Board of Directors of the Energy Facilities Contractors Group (EFCOG) and previously chair, Project Delivery Working Group (PMWG), EFCOG INL Executive Council Member, undergraduate Degrees in engineering from Pennsylvania State University and Old Dominion University, a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and Stanford University Certified Project Manager (SCPM).

Ron Mitchell

Project Manager and Operations Manager GeoMelt® Richland

VNS Federal Services

Ron Mitchell, of Veolia Nuclear Solutions – Federal Services, is a Project Manager specializing in delivery of waste treatment and remediation solutions. Ron is responsible for managing a portfolio of projects and proposal efforts globally. Additionally, he is the Operations Manager of the newly commissioned GeoMelt® Richland waste treatment system at the Perma-Fix Northwest facility. Based in Washington, Ron has over 10 years of experience delivering engineered solutions to the world’s most critical projects in the nuclear industry and to high-profile sites such as the Idaho National Laboratory and Hanford in the United States, Sellafield in the United Kingdom, and the Daiichi 1F Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Ron holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University and is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
NETWORKING LUNCH
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM
Consolidated Interim Storage
Community acceptance and approval of radioactive waste remains a hotly debated topic. Nevada remains strongly opposed to building the Yucca Mountain repository, while local communities in southeastern New Mexico have formally partnered with Holtec International to develop a consolidated interim storage facility for used reactor fuel. A separate storage site is planned just across the border in West Texas, under management of an Orano-Waste Control Specialists venture formally called Interim Storage Partners. Meanwhile, Deep Isolation is proposing a new disposal method for high-level waste. Panelists will discuss opportunities and challenges associated with state, and local jurisdictions as they seek to site, construct and operate nuclear waste storage facilities.
- Eric K. Knox, Vice President of Strategic Development, Nuclear & Environment, Management Services Group, AECOM
- Rod Baltzer, Chief Operating Officer, Deep Isolation
- Rita Baranwal, PhD, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
- David Carlson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Waste Control Specialists, LLC
Eric Knox

Vice President of Strategic Development, Nuclear & Environment, Management Services Group

AECOM

Eric Knox currently serves as Vice President, Strategic Development, Nuclear & Environment for AECOM. He also serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Executive Committee for the United States Nuclear Infrastructure Council (NIC), a leading not-for-profit think tank advocate group for nuclear energy new-build in the U.S. with more than sixty members representing an "International Who's Who" of global nuclear energy utilities, manufacturers and suppliers. As Chairman of NIC from 2011- 2014, he was the longest serving Chairman in the history of the organization. Prior to joining AECOM, he served at the U.S. Department of Energy as Associate Director for System Operations and External Outreach in the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) where he led the successful Yucca Mountain Site recommendation effort and helped conclude the successful submission of the Yucca Mountain License Application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Mr. Knox served as a Senior Advisor to three Secretaries of Energy – Watkins, Abraham and Bodman; and also served as Senior Policy Advisor and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Under Secretary of Energy from 2002-2006. From 1990 - 1992, he served in OCRWM and as Associate Director of Political Affairs at the White House during the Administration of President George H. W. Bush. Mr. Knox has an extensive energy, business and political background. He served as President and CEO of American Target Resources, LLP, a service organization representing national not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Knox has over 25 years’ experience working with state, local and national political candidates and party organizations. In addition to his business and political endeavors, Mr. Knox spent one year supporting global medical mission efforts working with the blind and disabled. He is a graduate of Clemson University and currently serves on their Washington, DC Alumni Board and served as President of the Board from 1992-1999.

Rod Baltzer

Chief Operating Officer

Deep Isolation

Rodney (Rod) Baltzer is the Chief Operating Officer of Deep Isolation. Deep Isolation is a private company focused on the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high level waste deep underground in horizontal drill holes. Rod is responsible for the areas of the company that include interactions with communities, utilities and government entities. Rod has over 20 years of experience in leadership positions in the nuclear waste industry. He received a BS in Agricultural Economics and Accounting from Oklahoma State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Rita Baranwal, PhD

Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy

U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Rita Baranwal serves as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Dr. Baranwal leads the office’s efforts to promote research and development (R&D) on existing and advanced nuclear technologies that sustain the existing U.S. fleet of nuclear reactors, enable the deployment of advanced nuclear energy systems, and enhance the U.S.A.'s global commercial nuclear energy competitiveness. Prior to her current role, Dr. Baranwal directed the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative at Idaho National Laboratory. She was responsible for providing the nuclear industry and other stakeholders access to DOE's state-of-the-art R&D expertise, capabilities, and infrastructure to achieve faster and cost-effective development, demonstration, and ultimate deployment of innovative nuclear energy technologies. Under her leadership, GAIN positively impacted over 120 companies. Before joining the U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Baranwal served as Director of Technology Development & Application at Westinghouse. There, she led the creation and development of game-changing technologies and managed characterization and hot cell laboratories. Her previous positions at Westinghouse included director of Core Engineering and manager of Materials and Fuel Rod Design. Prior to joining Westinghouse, she was a manager in Materials Technology at Bechtel Bettis, Inc. where she led and conducted R&D in advanced nuclear fuel materials for US Naval Reactors. Dr. Baranwal has served on Advisory Boards for MIT’s Materials Research Laboratory and UC Berkeley’s Nuclear Engineering Department, and also was adjunct faculty at University of South Carolina's nuclear engineering graduate program. Dr. Baranwal is a past Chairman of the Executive Committee of the American Nuclear Society's (ANS) Materials Science and Technology Division. Dr. Baranwal has a bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in materials science and engineering and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in the same discipline from the University of Michigan.

David Carlson

President and Chief Operating Officer

Waste Control Specialists, LLC

David Carlson is President and Chief Operating Officer of Waste Control Specialists, operator of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Texas. Carlson has more than 25 years of experience leading the growth and operations of nuclear energy and environmental management companies. He previously served as senior vice president of Veolia Nuclear Solutions (Kurion) where he provided technology solutions for nuclear decommissioning, including support of recovery from the accident in Fukushima Japan. Prior roles include chief operating officer and chief nuclear officer at Gen4 Energy – an advanced reactor startup company, chief operating officer of Aqua-Chem – a manufacturer of water purification equipment, and chief operating officer of Duratek – a radioactive waste management company. Carlson graduated from the US Naval Academy and began his career as a nuclear submarine officer.
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
NETWORKING BREAK
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Hot Topics on TENORM Waste Management
This panel will explore the latest changes in regulations, analytical practices, processing, and disposal practices for TENORM waste.
- Ken Grumski, Senior Vice President, SECUR LLC
- Steven H. Brown, CHP, President, SHB, Inc.
- Andrew J. Lombardo, CHP, Senior Vice President, Nuclear Services, Perma-Fix Environmental Services
Ken Grumski

Senior Vice President

SECUR LLC

Ken brings over 22 years of experience providing a unique blend of commercial and federal radioactive waste management program implementation. His entrepreneurial style promotes his ability to implement cost effective customer-centric programs to meet or exceed strategic D&D, waste treatment and disposal related milestones. Ken has a wide variety of waste management expertise in rail/truck logistics, radioactive waste disposal, container design, container manufacturing, radioactive waste processing, hazardous waste management, and transportation of hazardous materials. He possesses the ability to implement customer-oriented waste management programs and provide effective leadership to produce successful project results in a demanding customer environment. Ken has a tremendous amount experience in strategic business development activities in the radioactive waste markets and has provided technical field support for the US and UK markets. He has a diverse background, demonstrated by his supporting the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in the UK where he provided written cost savings for decommission work scopes, and developed plant outage techniques for Torness Nuclear Power Plant in Scotland.

Steven Brown, CHP

President

SHB, Inc.

Mr. Brown is a board certified health physicist and Fellow of both the Health Physics Society and Waste Management Symposium Inc. with over 45 years of nuclear industry experience. He has worked as a licensee of the AEC/NRC and Agreement States in the commercial nuclear fuel cycle, for large nuclear decommissioning / decontamination and radioactive waste management projects and as a contractor to the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) in the U.S. nuclear weapons and environmental management programs. He is recognized as an expert in environmental, safety and health aspects of uranium and plutonium facilities and at sites containing elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM/TENORM). He is currently the US representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA – United Nations) working group on occupational radiation protection in uranium mines and processing facilities and has recently been appointed by the Governor of Colorado to the State’s Radiation Advisory Committee.

Andrew J. Lombardo, CHP

Senior Vice President, Nuclear Services

Perma-Fix Environmental Services

Mr. Lombardo has over 35 years of experience in radiation protection/health physics and the management of radioactive material sites including radiological engineering, hazardous and radiological waste characterization, project management, decontamination and decommissioning, and environmental remediation. Projects include DOE, DOD and USACE remedial actions as well as commercial and industrial D&D projects; Mr. Lombardo is also an industry expert in the characterization and management of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) and technologically enhanced NORM (TENORM) and has recently been appointed to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement Commission on TENORM.
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
The Difference Makers: Cleanup Strategy and Implementation in Oak Ridge
This session will discuss the differentiators in the Oak Ridge environmental cleanup program that have enabled risk reduction and end state realization. Audience members will gain insight on best practices including partnerships and goal alignment that have been critical to cleanup success.
- Tammy Monday, Vice President Business Development and Sales, Studsvik
- David Adler, Director, Quality & Mission Support Division, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy
- Ken Rueter, President and Chief Executive Officer, UCOR, LLC
Tammy Monday

Vice President Business Development and Sales

Studsvik

Tammy Monday has over 30 years’ experience in the environmental and nuclear industry supporting Commercial, Federal and International clients solving their waste management challenges. Tammy joined Studsvik in May 2019 as the Vice President of Business Development and Sales where she will continue to use her technical knowledge and years of industry experience to provide cost effective solutions that mitigate client's risk. Prior to joining Studsvik, Tammy served in a variety of capacities with Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. With Perma-Fix, she served as Vice President of Waste Services Sales and Business Development planning and directing all aspects of the division’s business development and sales program for the Government, Commercial and International waste services markets. Prior to that role, she was Director of Sales focusing primarily on DOE sites across the Complex. In her early years with Perma-Fix, she managed the Customer Service Division which included responsibility for Perma-Fix’s waste brokerage services, waste shipments and meeting customer’s needs and expectations. Tammy has been an active member of the Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG) since 2012 and is currently the Vice Chair of the Waste Management Working Group and Chair of the Challenging Waste Subgroup.

David Adler

Director, Quality & Mission Support Division, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management

U.S. Department of Energy

David Adler serves as the director of the Quality and Mission Support Division for the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. In this role, Adler is responsible for leading and directing a diverse team of professionals that support and enable the cleanup mission in Oak Ridge. Together, his teams focus on quality assurance, regulatory and environmental compliance, reindustrialization, and community outreach. Specifically, Adler will oversee activities in two branches, each with differing areas of focus. The first is responsible for ensuring quality assurance across Oak Ridge’s cleanup program. Employees develop procedures for operations, maintain a training program, conduct internal and contractor assessments, measure organizational culture trends, and interface with external groups on quality issues. The other branch provides services focusing predominately on regulatory and environmental compliance, facility management, future development at the East Tennessee Technology Park, and public outreach. Team members work to ensure OREM’s cleanup will help shape the East Tennessee Technology Park’s future, including historic preservation and reindustrialization. Prior to his selection, Adler served as the branch chief for OREM’s Program Support Branch. In his 30 years of experience, he has worked with multiple federal and state environmental regulatory agencies and private sector environmental services companies. Adler holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in toxicology from the University of Michigan.

Ken Rueter

President and Chief Executive Officer

UCOR, LLC

Ken Rueter is UCOR’s President and Chief Executive Officer. As President of UCOR, Ken guides and motivates a professional management team and hundreds of skilled workers as they successfully undertake the largest environmental cleanup in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) history. UCOR is the lead contractor for cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) and other site's on DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation. Under Ken’s oversight, UCOR has experienced an unmatched record of success— not only finishing major projects ahead of schedule and under budget but doing so safely as demonstrated by DOE awarding UCOR Star status in its Voluntary Protection Program. As a result of Ken’s leadership, UCOR’s incentive award fees from DOE have been among the highest in the complex. During almost three decades of industry experience, Ken has led all aspects of site cleanup and remediation, radioactive waste treatment and project integration, including construction, risk management as well as cost and schedule development. Previously, Ken served as President of Savannah River Remediation LLC and as Project Manager for the Savannah River Liquid Waste Project. Earlier in his career, Ken served as Chief Operating Officer for the Hanford Tank Operations Contract in Washington State and as Director of Project Integration for Washington River Protection Solutions at DOE’s Hanford site. Ken is most proud of building investment-worthy enterprises that deliver more value to the customer for every dollar spent. That philosophy is paying off as DOE has exercised the option period of UCOR’s Oak Ridge contract, opening the door for even more work through 2020. In Oak Ridge, Ken is an active community leader, representing UCOR as a member of local organizations that promote economic development, entrepreneurship, health and wellness, outdoor recreational opportunities, and civic pride. These groups include the East Tennessee Economic Council, the Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association and the Tennessee Valley Corridor. Under Ken’s oversight, UCOR, its employees and subcontractors also donate more than $100,000 to area United Way organizations each year.
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
RECEPTION

Thursday | September 5

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
7:30 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTRATION OPEN
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
US Army Corps of Engineers-Decommissioning Opportunities
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is taking bids for decommissioning of its deactivated nuclear reactor facility at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and is preparing for a corresponding procurement for the retired power plant at Fort Greely, Alaska. These historic reactors were built and operated under the Army Nuclear Power Program and ceased operation in the early 1970s. Both projects will present unique challenges -- working on a small footprint close to research and residential areas at Fort Belvoir, near Washington, D.C., for the SM-1 reactor; and removal of the encased SM-1A reactor components from an operating heating plant while working around the extreme Alaskan weather at Fort Greely. The Army Corps will discuss the contract opportunities, with awards expected next year for the SM-1 reactor and in 2022 for the SM-1A.
- Chris Schneidmiller, Editor in Chief, ExchangeMonitor Publications & Forums
- Hans Honerlah, CHMM, Chief, Radiation Safety Office-Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Chris Schneidmiller

Editor in Chief

ExchangeMonitor Publications & Forums

Chris Schneidmiller is Editor-in-Chief of the ExchangeMonitor Publications & Forums, encompassing the daily Weapons Complex Monitor Morning Brief and three weekly newsletters: Weapons Complex Monitor, RadWaste Monitor, and Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor. He has more than two decades of experience as a reporter and editor for news publications across the country, most recently as editor of Global Security Newswire, a Washington, D.C.-based online publication that covered international security and WMD proliferation issues. Chris received his bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Texas in Austin, TX, and started his career as a reporter in Roswell, NM.

Hans Honerlah, CHMM

Chief, Radiation Safety Office-Baltimore District

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Hans B. Honerlah Health Physicist - Chief Radiation Safety Office/Program Manager for the Baltimore District Radiological Health Physics Regional Center of Expertise Environmental and Munitions Design Center Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Serves as the Program Manager for the Regional Center of Expertise (RCX) for Health Physics in the Baltimore District USACE. The RCX team supports decommissioning and remedial action efforts for the Deactivated Nuclear Power Plant Program, Formerly Used Sites Remedial Action Program, Formerly Used Defense Sites, EPA Superfund Program, and other Federal Customers. The RCX team has supported radiological surveys and removals worldwide for multiple Federal Agencies. The RCX team plans, organizes, conducts, directs, or reviews surveys of radiation areas. In addition, the team assesses the level of risk associated with the radiation hazards of operations performed within mission areas, as well as interpret and apply Federal and State Regulations, Army Regulations, and USACE Regulations for radiation safety and remediation activities. Mr. Honerlah serves as an active member of the USACE Radiation Safety Support Team, assisting USACE District’s worldwide by addressing any radiological questions and concerns. Mr. Honerlah holds a B.S. Health Professions, Southwest Texas State University and achieved Certified Hazardous Material Manager (CHMM), Master Level, Feb 2001
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Tribal Strategies and Opportunities in Radioactive Waste Management
Tribal governments can be instrumental to help manage radioactive materials and nuclear facilities. Tribes located near a nuclear power reactor, may have concerns about the operation of the reactor or the at-reactor storage of spent fuel. There are many incidents that tribal governments have expressed interest in actually hosting a site for a spent fuel storage facility, such as the Private Fuel Storage facility in Utah. This session will discuss the opportunities available for industry to work with tribal governments ensuring that radioactive waste transportation and use are managed safely and efficiently.
- Richard Arnold, Chairman/Spokesperson, Pahrump Paiute Tribe/CGTO
- George Gholson, Tribal Council Member, Timbisha Shoshone Tribe
- Floyd Velasquez, Tribal Emergency Services Administrator, Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Richard Arnold

Chairman/Spokesperson

Pahrump Paiute Tribe/CGTO

Richard Arnold is Southern Paiute and serves as Chairman of both the Pahrump Paiute Tribe in Southern Nevada and the State of Nevada Indian Commission. Richard has over 40 years experience serving in administrative capacities that focus on progressive approaches for integrating tribal communities through increased interactions with local, state and federal agencies. He is a former delegate to the White House Conference on Indian Education and has collaborated on various reports and NEPA documents while co-authoring several journal articles relating to tribal issues. Richard serves as Spokesperson for the Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations comprised of 16 Tribes from Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona, who are collectively responsible for enhancing tribal relations with the Department of Energy in tandem of the Air Force. Richard serves as a Liaison to the NNSS Site Specific Advisory Board and is a member of the State Tribal Government Working Group managed by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Emergency Management. He is a founding member of Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group and facilitates tribal interactions with the Office of Nuclear Energy and focuses on expanding tribal involvement in departmental programming and other activities under its authority. He serves as co-chair for the Tribal Radioactive Materials Transportation Committee and is a founding member of the National Transportation Stakeholders Forum where he often interfaces with Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, State Regional Groups and industry representatives to expand tribal participation.

George Gholson

Tribal Council Member

Timbisha Shoshone Tribe

My name is George Gholson I am a member of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe in Death Valley California. I have been on Tribal council for the last eleven years. I was the Chairman for ten of those years. During that time the Tribe was recognized as an affected government by the federal government/BIA. I was born and raised in Grants NM. My father was a chemist in the nuclear mining industry. My brothers worked in the uranium mines when I was growing up. When the Tribe was recognized as an affected government and people I was more familiar with nuclear and the affects of radiation. I was also aware of the affects of long term exposure. My father had many different types of ailments due to his exposure to the chemicals and materials involved in the uranium processing activities. I was exposed to radioactive material when I was stationed overseas when the Chernobyl disaster occurred. As a Tribal leader it is important to educate our people about radioactive material and the impacts on the land and our beliefs on how we should take care of the land.

Floyd Velasquez

Tribal Emergency Services Administrator

Morongo Band of Mission Indians

Floyd Velasquez is a Tribal Emergency Services Administrator for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians for the past eight years, and he sets on FEMA’s region IX Regional Advisory Council for tribal representation, and he also sets on Cal OES senior leadership steering committee for the Southern California Catastrophic Earthquake plan and facilitator for the So Cal tribal Emergency mangers group.
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
NETWORKING BREAK
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Recent Developments in High-Level Waste Transportation
This panel will highlight existing and new container technologies, government regulations, rules and commercial professional practices that assure the safe transportation of high level radioactive materials and wastes throughout the nation. The panel will feature presentations from representatives of the container technology industry, government transportation agencies and professional firms that package, ship and manage safe transportation activities.
- Eugene J. Gleason, President and Managing Director, Nuclear Management Associates LLC
- Robert J. Bavier, Hazardous Materials Management, Union Pacific Corporation
- Jonathan Blankenship, President and CEO, ALARA Global Logistics Group
- Jeff England, Director, Transportation & Packaging Site, NAC International, Inc.
Eugene Gleason

President and Managing Director

Nuclear Management Associates LLC

Eugene Gleason possesses a valued blend of professional governmental and business experience in the nuclear and radioactive waste industry. During the last four decades Mr. Gleason has held several Key senior positions in government and the private sector. Gene served as Deputy and Acting Commissioner of the New York State Energy Office for twenty years. Among other things, he: managed the five New York State/NRC radioactive program agreements; helped develop and administer the NYS Low Level Radioactive Waste program; played an active professional role in the creation of the West Valley Nuclear Management program; helped create the NRC LLRW disposal program (10CFRPart 61); and served as the New York State Senior Nuclear Liaison Officer with agencies of the federal and state governments and LLRW commissions. In the private sector Eugene: created and grew a successful nuclear consulting business that serves several major clients: helped develop and expand the low level radioactive waste management business for Envirocare of Utah, the forerunner of Energy Solutions; and was a senior member of the original MHF Logistical Solutions team that introduced the use of rail and soft side packaging technology to the US and UK nuclear industry. Mr. Gleason is also the Vice President for Business Development at GLSEQ.LLC. Gene holds advanced degrees and certifications from Villanova University, SUNY at Albany and Harvard University. Mr. Gleason is a veteran of the US Air Force and lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Robert Bavier

Hazardous Materials Management

Union Pacific Corporation

Robert Bavier has been in the hazardous materials emergency response industry since 1993 and has worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 18 years 4 of those years as a Sr Manager. Robert is responsible for the safe implementation of the mission of prevention, and planning. As part of this mission, he manages hazardous materials incidents, trains first responders, develops emergency response plans, and performs a variety of community outreach programs and is a Type 1 incident commander. Prior to joining Union Pacific Railroad, Robert spent 8 years as a hazardous materials emergency response contractor. In these roles, he managed hazardous materials incidents in all modes of transportation.

Jonathan Blankenship

President and CEO

ALARA Global Logistics Group

Jon Blankenship has worked in the logistics industry for over 20 years with a primary focus on high consequence international transport. He was a founding member of Alara Logistics and was promoted to CEO in 2010. With a business management degree from University of New Orleans, today he leads a global group of companies that comprise Logistics, Health Physics, Training and Consulting. The Alara Group maintains a focus on high consequence international transport. With offices on three continents, the company is a leading provider of transport solutions to the Nuclear Industry.

Jeff England

Director, Transportation & Packaging Site

NAC International, Inc.

Jeff England is the Director of Transportation & Packaging for the NAC Site and Transportation Business unit. He is responsible for continuing to develop and support operations of Department of Energy, other government agencies and commercial projects. He has over 40 years of operations, engineering, project management, program management, mission execution and mission development experience. He has a broad background in radioactive material processing and management. He worked 28 years at the Savannah River National Laboratory. At Savanah River Site, Jeff has served in several multiple technical, management and program manager roles at SRS, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National Nuclear Security Agency Headquarters. He started off his career at SRS in the Systems Engineering Department supporting Process and Fluid Systems.
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Workforce Training/Retention/Recruitment
Representatives from government, contracting and labor will address workforce trends and challenges affecting environmental cleanup at Department of Energy sites. Panelists will discuss employment projections and skills needed to maintain/sustain an effective cleanup workforce; workforce development including training and certification; and workforce recruitment including Apprenticeship Readiness Programs, academic partnerships, and rural workforce development.
- Wayne Barber, Reporter, Exchange Monitor Publications & Forums
- Melinda Higgins, NE Tribal STEM Advisor, CNI Global Solutions, LLC, Office of Nuclear Energy, US Department of Energy
- Rick McLeod, President and CEO, Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO)
Wayne Barber

Reporter

Exchange Monitor Publications & Forums

Wayne Barber is a reporter for ExchangeMonitor Publications. Before the radioactive waste beat at ExchangeMonitor, he spent five years as co-editor of GenerationHub, a publication on construction and regulation of electric power plants. Since 1991, he’s written for various daily and weekly newsletters covering energy, the environment, and natural resources. His reporting includes work for Coal Outlook, Mine Regulation Reporter, Nucleonics Week, and Power Daily. A graduate of Radford University in Virginia, he also spent five years as a newspaper reporter.

Melinda Higgins

NE Tribal STEM Advisor, CNI Global Solutions, LLC, Office of Nuclear Energy

US Department of Energy

Melinda Higgins is a Nuclear Energy Tribal STEM Advisor with CNI supporting the Office of Nuclear Energy at the United States Department of Energy. Her background in STEM education and research segues well with her focus—working to ensure equal access to STEM opportunities for students in tribal communities. The STEM engagement and outreach efforts work to expose, engage and inspire underrepresented and underserved populations in STEM fields so they can be aware and open to pursue STEM careers for economic empowerment, especially in the nuclear energy fields. Melinda works in collaboration with the Tribal Working Groups at the Department of Energy to support tribal interests and efforts in STEM Education. Higgins formally held an appointment as a Science and Technology Policy (ORISE) Fellow in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy. Melinda has worked across Department of Energy program offices to support minority education, minority business development, civil rights, and international affairs. Prior to her appointment, Melinda was a STEM educator for 22 years at The Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, TN, an all-girls independent school. She taught chemistry, biology and engineering and served as the Science Department Chairperson for 10 years. Melinda also conducted Engineering research at Vanderbilt University for 7 summers and wrote, published and implemented curriculum based on her research. During her teaching tenure, she was chosen as a 2013-2014 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at NASA Office of Education, working at both Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA Headquarters. Melinda worked on various projects at NASA, from interagency collaborations and experiential learning opportunities to leading a preliminary feasibility analysis focusing on a model for professional development for educators at NASA Centers. She also had the opportunity to work at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as an Education Program Specialist, writing activity challenge curriculum to augment inventor cards and facilitating professional development opportunities for educators in Intellectual Property and STEM arenas. Melinda received her M.Ed. in Science Education from Vanderbilt University and a B.S in Chemistry from Spring Hill College.

Rick McLeod

President and CEO

Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO)

Rick McLeod is the President/CEO of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) and has managed the organization since June 2008. The SRSCRO is a non-profit regional group focused on supporting job creation in a five-county region of South Carolina and Georgia, including Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties in South Carolina and Richmond (Augusta) and Columbia counties in Georgia. In representing the SRSCRO as a unified regional voice, Rick speaks widely to public groups about issues affecting the Savannah River Site and the region.
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Romania Ministry of Economy, Nuclear Agency and Radioactive Waste (ANDR)
This session will provide an overview and update of the current status and plans for nuclear waste storage and disposal in Romania, including prospective schedule of business opportunities and tenders. The update will be provided by senior level officials representing the Romania Ministry of Economy, Nuclear Agency and Radioactive Waste (ANDR).
- Eric K. Knox, Vice President of Strategic Development, Nuclear & Environment, Management Services Group, AECOM
- Cornelia Paraschiv, General Secretary, Romania Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR)
- Ramona Georgiana Popescu, Head of Section for Technical International Collaboration, Romania Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR)
- Andreea Udrescu, Chief of Staff, Romania Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR)
Eric Knox

Vice President of Strategic Development, Nuclear & Environment, Management Services Group

AECOM

Eric Knox currently serves as Vice President, Strategic Development, Nuclear & Environment for AECOM. He also serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Executive Committee for the United States Nuclear Infrastructure Council (NIC), a leading not-for-profit think tank advocate group for nuclear energy new-build in the U.S. with more than sixty members representing an "International Who's Who" of global nuclear energy utilities, manufacturers and suppliers. As Chairman of NIC from 2011- 2014, he was the longest serving Chairman in the history of the organization. Prior to joining AECOM, he served at the U.S. Department of Energy as Associate Director for System Operations and External Outreach in the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) where he led the successful Yucca Mountain Site recommendation effort and helped conclude the successful submission of the Yucca Mountain License Application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Mr. Knox served as a Senior Advisor to three Secretaries of Energy – Watkins, Abraham and Bodman; and also served as Senior Policy Advisor and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Under Secretary of Energy from 2002-2006. From 1990 - 1992, he served in OCRWM and as Associate Director of Political Affairs at the White House during the Administration of President George H. W. Bush. Mr. Knox has an extensive energy, business and political background. He served as President and CEO of American Target Resources, LLP, a service organization representing national not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Knox has over 25 years’ experience working with state, local and national political candidates and party organizations. In addition to his business and political endeavors, Mr. Knox spent one year supporting global medical mission efforts working with the blind and disabled. He is a graduate of Clemson University and currently serves on their Washington, DC Alumni Board and served as President of the Board from 1992-1999.

Cornelia Paraschiv

General Secretary

Romania Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR)

Ms. Cornelia Paraschiv is the General Secretary within the Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR) from Romania. She is in charge with the coordination of all the ANDR activities related to financial matters, international cooperation, maintains the liaison with the Government and Ministries in the field. She is a member of the team for the development of the Low and Interim Level Waste Repository (DFDSMA) that is to be built in Romania, most probably in 2026. Nuclear Agency and Radioactive Waste is the competent national authority in the field of promotion, development and monitoring power and non-power applications of nuclear energy in exclusively peaceful purposes, safe disposal of radioactive waste and decommissioning of nuclear installations. Ms. PARASCHIV served as Chief of Staff within the Ministry of Economy from 2013 to 2015, having among the main responsibilities the approval of the documentation for the radioactive waste management related activities that were carried out by ANDR. She was also a Chief Environment Commissioner between 2012 – 2013, as well as a municipal counsellor at Targoviste city. She has extensive experience in public administration and management of public authorities. She graduated the Faculty of Law in 2004 and began her activity as a legal adviser.

Ramona Georgiana Popescu

Head of Section for Technical International Collaboration

Romania Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR)

Ms. Ramona Georgiana POPESCU is Head of Section for Technical International Collaboration, within the Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR) from Romania since 2012. She is the National Liaison Officer for Technical Cooperation Issues and the Coordinator of the technical cooperation program with the IAEA at national level, including the elaboration of the Country Nuclear Programme Framework and the coordinator of the IAEA research programs at national level. She is also the coordinator of the national institutions participations in the technical cooperation activities within the framework of Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). She was involved in the activities related to update the national strategy in the nuclear field and in the radioactive waste management field. She was since 2004 to 2012 Head of Projects Management Section within the National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control. She has a Licence Diploma in Economics, a Diploma in Security and National Defense and a Master Diploma in Economics in Foreign Language (English).

Andreea Udrescu

Chief of Staff

Romania Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR)

Ms. Andreea UDRESCU is Chief of Staff within the Nuclear Agency and for Radioactive Waste (ANDR) from Romania. She is involved in the coordination of the ANDR activities related to maintaining the liaison with the Government and Ministries, stakeholder’s involvement, public debate pertaining to the construction of the low and interim level waste repository. She is a member of the team for the development of the Low and Interim Level Waste Repository (DFDSMA) that is to be built in Romania, most probably in 2026. Nuclear Agency and Radioactive Waste is the competent national authority in the field of promotion, development and monitoring power and non-power applications of nuclear energy in exclusively peaceful purposes, safe disposal of radioactive waste and decommissioning of nuclear installations. Ms. UDRESCU was previously a Councilor as well as a Director of an Insurance Company. She has extensive experience in public administration public relations and mass media relationship. She has a Master Degree in Management of Social and Health Services.
12:00 PM – 12:00 PM
CONFERENCE ENDS