Lauren Amos
Vice President of DOE Operations
Catawba Corporations
Lauren F. Amos is the Chief Operating Officer for Pinnacle Specialty Group, Inc. Lauren has over 27 years of business operations and project management experience including all facets of business development and proposal management.
Lauren’s vast experience includes small business operations with 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Woman-Owned, and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses as well as large business management. She has a thorough understanding of start-up business requirements including joint-venture development and independent new business development. She has an extensive level of contracting experience under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and human resource compliance with Department of Labor requirements including, extensive knowledge of the Service Contract Act. She serves as a project manager for multiple support service contracts that comprises hundreds of personnel in areas of professional, technical, and information technology support services within multiple government and commercial clients.
Lauren has successfully secured contracts in excess of $500M and managed a cumulative 3000 staff support professionals throughout multiple Department of Energy facilities. She holds a DOE “Q” clearance and has served as a Facility Security Officer since 2003.
Lauren is a graduate of the University of South Carolina – Aiken where she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and an Associates in Accounting.
Lauren has been an active member with the Energy, Technology, and Environmental Business Association (ETEBA) since 2008, where currently she serves as the Past-President of the ETEBA Board of Directors. Lauren has also supported ETEBA as the “acting” Executive Director during tenures when ETEBA needed her to step-up to fill the vacant position. She has served as a Board of Director since 2013 and has served on the Business Opportunities Technical Conference (BOTC) committee, the Golf Scholarship Committee, and the Eastern Member Services Committee since 2010.
Jeff Avery
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Jeffrey Avery serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) in the Office of Environmental Management (EM). In this role Avery works to enable the safe and successful execution of the EM mission, while providing management oversight of activities, operations, and program integration across Department of Energy (DOE) field sites.
Prior to joining EM, Avery served at Naval Reactors (NR) for over 26 years in various program management, policy, and technical roles. Most recently, he worked as the Director of Regulatory and Security Affairs, responsible for NR program regulatory and policy matters, security programs, environmental affairs and associated stakeholder engagement, oversight of work at the Idaho National Laboratory, and nuclear facility lifecycle management.
In a prior role at NR, Avery was responsible for global nuclear powered ship port entry, nuclear propulsion technology exchange programs with the United Kingdom, nonproliferation and export control policy, and strategic communications. Earlier in his career he served in several engineering and quality assurance roles supporting the Navy’s fleet of nuclear powered ships.
Avery has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, holds master’s degrees in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University and Business Administration from Indiana University, and is a graduate of the Bettis Reactor Engineering School. He also completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI fellowship program in national security policy and international relations.
Rich Boukal
Senior Director, Supply Chain & Procurement
Kairos Power
Richard Boukal is the Senior Director of Supply Chain & Procurement at Kairos Power. In this role, Mr. Boukal provides supply chain and strategic leadership to the entire Kairos Power organization.
Mr. Boukal has more than 40 years of procurement/supply chain progressive leadership experience in the power generation industry. Prior to Kairos, he was the Director, Global Sourcing at Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas for 17 years. Prior to Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc., Mr. Boukal was the Senior Procurement Manager at Alstom Power, as well as the Senior Procurement Representative at Siemens Westinghouse Power Generation. Mr. Boukal also held procurement, supply management positions at ABB Power Generation/Combustion Engineering, Inc., and Peter Kiewit Sons Construction Company.
Mr. Boukal graduated from Creighton University with a degree in Marketing and received his MBA with a concentration in International Business from the University of Central Florida.
Lori Braase
Business Development Executive
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), GAIN Initiative
Lori Braase, an Idaho Falls native, is a business development executive at Idaho National Laboratory and an advisor for the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear initiative. Her primary role for both, is to interface with the nuclear industry to understand their commercialization needs and connect them with the expertise at Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories. Fostering private-public partnerships with nuclear technology developers provides the strategic and technical support they can only find in the DOE national laboratory system.
Lori has 32 years of experience in systems engineering, project management, technical integration, and strategic planning. She is a long-standing member of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and the local Idaho Section of ANS. Lori has a bachelor of business administration in business management and a master’s certificate in applied nuclear energy, both from Idaho State University.
Joel Bradburne
Manager
Portsmouth/Paducah Projects Office (PPPO)
Mr. Joel B. Bradburne was named Manager of the Department of Energy’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) on December 13, 2021. In this role, he oversees the deactivation and demolition of the former gaseous diffusion facilities at the Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky sites, and the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF6) Conversion Project at both locations.
Mr. Bradburne previously served as Acting Manager since July 31, 2021. He initially joined PPPO in June 2009 as Site Lead for the Portsmouth Site, and served in that capacity until his promotion to PPPO Deputy Manager in November 2017. As Deputy Manager, Mr. Bradburne provided leadership direction to the Lexington professional staff and site management, and served as manager of the DUF6 project.
Mr. Bradburne’s more than 30 years of experience has included shipyard, commercial nuclear, DOE, and foreign nuclear site decommissioning in various program- and project-management assignments. His DOE experience includes more than 20 years at various DOE sites and projects throughout the nation.
Prior to moving to Portsmouth, Mr. Bradburne was a Senior Project Manager with Nuclear Fuel Services in South Carolina. He held several management positions with Fluor Fernald, Inc. at the DOE Fernald Site near Cincinnati from 1994 to 2004. Mr. Bradburne earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1982 from Bridgewater College in Virginia. In 1996, he earned a master’s degree in Environmental Management from the University of Findlay in Ohio. He is a certified Project Management Professional.
Michael Budney
Manager
Savannah River Operations Office
Michael D. Budney was appointed Manager of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in February 2018. As DOE-SR Manager, Mr. Budney leads a workforce of about 11,000 government and contractor personnel to perform the Office of Environmental Management’s important missions that include nuclear material storage and disposition, tank waste cleanup and management of Savannah River National Laboratory, EM’s corporate lab.
Prior to his assignment to SRS, Mr. Budney was the Director of the Office of Business Operations in the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy where he led EERE’s workforce planning, information technology and project management efforts and coordinated support service contract and acquisition activities.
Before joining EERE in May 2015, Mr. Budney worked at the Northrop Grumman Corporation leading efforts to win major missile defense contracts in information technology, modeling and simulation, wargames and exercise support, radar, and electronic warfare sensor development. He also led corporatewide initiatives to demonstrate technologies applicable to military missile defense missions.
Mr. Budney is a retired Navy Captain with 29 years of service. At sea, he served aboard four submarines and three ships, commanding a Trident ballistic missile submarine. In his major command, he spent two years as commanding officer of the USS Emory S. Land, a U.S. Navy submarine tender. He also served two and a half years as commanding officer of the USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735B). During these tours, he and his family lived in Japan, Scotland and Italy.
Mr. Budney’s final military assignment was as Deputy Director of the Nuclear Command and Control System Support Staff, performing oversight duties of all aspects of the national nuclear command and control system for the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command. Other shore assignments included the Chief of Navy Operations Executive Panel, the U.S. Naval Academy and the Chief of Navy Operations Strategic Studies Group.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the U.S. Naval Academy. He also holds a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College.
Kim Buehler
Director
Army Office of Small Business Programs
Ms. Kimberly D. Buehler was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in August 2019. She currently serves as the Director for the Army Office of Small Business Programs, where she provides executive leadership for all aspects of the Army’s small business mission, including: advocacy and outreach for all small business programs, development and dissemination of policies and procedures for execution of small business functions, and oversight over the execution of the small business program at the Army’s contracting activities, equating to over $24 billion dollars of annual spend. Ms. Buehler represents the Secretary of the Army at congressional committee and subcommittee hearings on small business matters and leads strategic inter-agency communication with the Small Business Administration, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the Minority Business Development Agency (Department of Commerce), and other agencies and presidential commissions.
Dennis Carr
President and CEO
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS)
Dennis Carr is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC (SRNS), responsible to the Department of Energy (DOE) for safe, effective and efficient management and operations of the Savannah River Site (SRS). SRS is one of DOE’s largest production sites, performing activities ranging from environmental cleanup and protection, to nuclear materials storage and disposition, including operation of the only U.S. tritium plant and design and construction of three National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) capital projects, including the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility. His responsibilities include providing vision, leadership, mission growth, technological advancement, and a performance-based culture of safety, security and operational excellence at the Site.
A Vice President with Fluor Corporation, Carr has over 40 years of experience in the execution of government projects in D&D, waste management, environmental restoration, maintenance services, and nuclear operations. He has served in a variety of senior management capacities, with Fluor supporting DOE facilities for more than 20 years.
Before being named President and CEO, Carr served as the SRNS Executive Vice President and NNSA Chief Operations Officer. Prior to this, he served as the Site Project Director and President of Fluor-BWXT, Portsmouth, at the $5 billion Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant D&D Project. His responsibilities at Portsmouth included transition of the facility and its 2,000-person workforce from a private enterprise back to DOE as well as aligning the site’s safety culture and management systems to DOE’s Integrated Safety Management System.
Preceding the Portsmouth assignment, Carr was Project Director for the $1.3 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Project Portfolio at SRS from 2008–2010, safely achieving DOE footprint reduction and transuranic waste shipping objectives.
Carr was also responsible for day-to-day operations at the Fernald Closure Project, serving as Deputy Site Director from 2000 until final declaration of closure in 2006.
Ron Casper
Procurement/Subcontracts Manager
Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, LLC (FRNP)(Paducah)
Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP) Procurement Manager Ronald (Ron) Lee Casper started his career working for and eventually operating his own small business. While his days are now focused on managing procurement operations for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Paducah Site, those early years of experience working with small businesses helped him develop keen insight into the challenges that small business owners face. It’s also given him a unique perspective on the positive impact that federal procurement contracts provide to both small business owners and the individuals who work within the five-county region that surrounds the Paducah Site.
Ron’s practical experience allows him to engage in a diverse range of business management applications, from planning and organizing to managing a staff of ten (10) employees. Ron’s current role is to execute strategies that help ensure FRNP’s procurement practices are in compliance with the expectations and missional goals of DOE. His passion for small business serves as a driver to involve local businesses in the procurement process, opening new doors to growth opportunities for business owners and workers in Western Kentucky.
Ron has been a member of the procurement staff for DOE prime contractors since 2008. His previous positions include Paducah Remediation Services Sub-contract Administrator; LATA Environmental of Kentucky Sub-Contract and Purchasing Supervisor; and Fluor Federal Services Sub-Contract Manager. He has also worked as an educator and small business owner.
Ron has a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education and Biblical Studies from Mid-Continent University and a Master of Business Administration from Liberty University.
Jennifer Cavanagh
Chief, Small Business Programs
Savannah District, USACE
Jennifer Cavanagh serves as the Deputy for Small Business Programs for the Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District. She oversees the District Small Business Program and is the principal advisor to the Commander and his staff on acquisition strategies and small business matters. She has 15 years of federal experience with the Savannah District working in Contracting and Small Business. During her federal career with Savannah District, she has worked in all areas of the District’s mission including large procurements pertaining to the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) and the Cyber Center of Excellence Campus at Fort Gordon.
Mrs. Cavanagh holds a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Armstrong Atlantic State University. She graduated in 2011 with the distinction of Magna Cum Laude. She also is a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. During her time at AASU, she served as the Research Assistant for Dr. Michael Toma and the Center for Regional Analysis. While working in this capacity, she worked to produce economic analysis to aid the City of Savannah and produce the quarterly Economic Monitor Newsletter. After graduation, Mrs. Cavanagh went on to obtain a Level 1 and Level 2 certification in Contracting from the U.S. Army Acquisition Corps.
Mrs. Cavanagh is married to Daniel Cavanagh of London, England. She is a proud mother to her two boys, Tripp (9) and Daniel (17).
Levitte Cox
Vice President and General Manager, Nuclear Projects and Consulting
Jacobs
Levitte Cox has been with Jacobs since 1997 and is the Vice President and General Manager of Jacobs’ Nuclear Projects and Consulting (NPC). NPC provides a diverse range of services including specialty and nuclear engineering design and construction management and nuclear environmental remediation for clients in the nuclear, defense, power, and science and technology markets.
Levitte has more than 30 years of experience in leading and delivering engineering and construction, environmental, and sales. Prior to his current role, he served as Director of Jacobs’ Federal Operations Sales where he led Jacobs’ expansion into new markets and bolstered the company’s presence in existing markets. Prior to joining sales Levitte served as the Project Manager for several large-scale design projects for DOE and the Process Engineering Department manager for Jacobs Federal Operations.
Levitte received his Master’s Degree in Polymer Engineering and Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.
Katie Cunningham
Business Development Executive, Engineering
Spectra Tech, Inc.
Katie Cunningham, Business Development Executive, Engineering, has been with Spectra Tech since September of 2022. In this role, Katie seeks to identify new business opportunities and maintain existing client relationships in the Engineering division at Spectra Tech. Katie has a BS in Education/Business Administration and graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2021. She began her career in Technical Recruiting for IT, professional services, engineering, and project management to provide quality candidates for both federal and commercial entities. Katie is an active member of ETEBA and ETEC and serves on several Kappa Delta AE Alumnae Committees.
John Davis
Business Development Manager
Curtiss-Wright
In early 2023, John made the move to Curtiss Wright Nuclear after having spent over 9 years in sales and business development in the government services division with a specialty fabricator. During that time his main focus was DOE and the supporting industry. John graduated from the University of Colorado and lives in Colorado Springs.
Aaron Deckard
Procurement Director
DOE EM Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC)
Aaron Deckard is the Procurement Director at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Deckard leads the EMCBC, Office of Contracting to acquire, manage, and direct the procurement of supplies and services needed to support the EM mission, including major contracts to further DOE-EM environmental clean-up efforts. Mr. Deckard’s previous positions with DOE and U.S. Customs include leadership roles in acquisition and financial management. Mr. Deckard holds an unlimited Contracting Officer warrant, a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati, and a Masters of Business Administration from Xavier University.
Kristen Ellis
Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Kristen serves as the Acting Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs, and the permanent Director of Regulatory, Intergovernmental, and Stakeholder Engagement, within the US Department of Energy’s Environmental Management (EM) Office. Her portfolio includes infrastructure, waste management, regulatory compliance, intergovernmental, international, and stakeholder engagement. She previously served as EM’s Senior Advisor for STEM and Talent Acquisition, assessing future STEM workforce needs. She also served in the DOE Office of Public affairs during the Biden Administration transition. She also served as the Chief of Staff for DOE Under Secretary for Science, overseeing personnel, budgets, policy, media, and interface with DOE senior leadership. That portfolio included over $14 billion in Federal funding for fundamental energy research, energy technologies, and science; direct management of 11 of the Department’s national labs and user facilities; the environmental and legacy management missions; and technology commercialization activities. Previously, she ran the EM Office of External Affairs, directing the media and Congressional strategies of the EM complex. She also formerly served as Director of the EM Intergovernmental Office. She has also served in multiple position in DOE’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. She received her Juris Doctorate in 2006 from the University of Baltimore School of Law and is licensed to practice in the State of Maryland. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Western Maryland College, with concentrations in Communications and Journalism. She resides in Virginia with her husband and two daughters. She is a volunteer with Girl Scouts of America.
Nicki Fatherly
National Program Manager
Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Ms. Fatherly is the National Program Manager of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at their Headquarters office in Washington, D.C. She is responsible for the overall performance and annual budget defense of a $300 Million dollar plus National cleanup program for sites impacted by low-level radiological wastes resulting from former Manhattan Engineering District and/or early Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) activities. She a recipient of Army and Department of Energy civilian service awards for distinguished service. Ms. Fatherly holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a Master’s of Science in Environmental Technology from Arizona State University.
Joshua French
Commodity Manager
Supply Chain Management Center
Joshua French joined the Supply Chain Management Center (SCMC) in October 2022, serving as a commodity manager for professional services.
Joshua works on the SCMC’s commodity team as a part of the professional services group, strategically sourcing multi-site and enterprise-wide service agreements. The SCMC currently has over 137 agreements and ~$1B in annual value that cover information technology, operational supplies, and professional services.
Josh has more than 10 years of experience in supply chain management, including roles with the Knox County Government, DENSO Manufacturing, and Consolidated Nuclear Security before joining the SCMC.
Josh holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Additionally, he holds designations as a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) from the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC), and a Six Sigma Green Belt certified through Honeywell.
Allison Getsi
President
RSI
Ms. Getsi has more than 20 years of experience in business operations, strategic management, program management, and business development primarily in the federal environmental, nuclear, specialty engineering and construction, and enterprise management and operations markets. She currently serves as President of the RSI group of companies. In this role, she works directly with the executive team to set strategic direction, pace and drive growth, provide operational leadership and guidance, and serve as a culture champion across the organization. Previous roles with RSI include President of 8(a) subsidiary RSI Services and the Director of Business Development. Ms. Getsi began her career in federal business development with Jacobs and continued her growth into strategy, special project, and operational support roles within the legacy Aerospace, Technology, Environmental, and Nuclear line of business. Ms. Getsi graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor’s in English. She also holds a PMI Project Management Professional Certification.
Alex Gorelik
Attorney
Taft
Alexander Gorelik is an Associate Attorney in the Washington, D.C. area office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he helps companies handle the broad range of issues that can arise when supporting federal, state, or local governments – including those on the sustainability front. In his day-to-day, Alex advises contractors on the best approaches for addressing compliance concerns, and represents clients in bid protests, claims, and other challenges against the government or other entities. In his prior life, he spent more than seven years working in federal contracting at the U.S. Department of the Navy, including as a Senior Contracting Officer for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and a Contract Specialist for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program Office.
Ashley Hannah
Small Business Program Manager
Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC)
Ashley Hannah manages the Small Business Program at Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), a prime contractor at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, South Carolina. Her responsibilities include strategic planning and direction of SRMC’s Small Business Program, and developing a diverse, qualified supplier base for the SRMC mission. She also manages the SRMC Mentor Protégé Program and acts as the SRMC Site Coordinator for the Supply Chain Management Center (SCMC)- a collaborative effort that leverages the collective buying power of NNSA and EM sites across the Department of Energy.
Prior to her role at SRS, Ashley spent 15 years working with small business in technology-development organizations that produced advanced processes and applications for the Department of Defense, bioscience sector, and other industries. She assisted in the start-up of an incubation program and supported a start-up company investment initiative for the growth of bioscience and technology-based small business development in the state of South Carolina. During this time, she supported the establishment of a biotechnology agreement with sister-state Queensland, Australia, and the expansion of a statewide industry association where she served on the Executive Board. She led a coalition representing the state of South Carolina with bioscience industry leadership and supported the establishment of an Industry Advisory Board to support small business expansion across the state.
Susan Hiller
Contracting Officer/Small Business Program Manager/Site Acquisition Career Manager
DOE Hanford Procurement Division
I began my federal career with the Department of Energy (DOE) in July 2014. I serve as a Contracts Specialist and one of the Small Business Program Managers for the Hanford Procurement Division. My work includes performing and/or participating in all phases of the acquisition process for contracts. Prior to moving to Procurement in 2018 I was a Contractor Industrial Relations (CIR) Specialist.
Prior to joining DOE, I worked as a Human Resources Specialist for Fluor/ Mission Support Alliance from May 2009 to July 2014. I was with Fluor Government Group from 1998 to 2009 as an Administrative Assistant and Project Controls Specialist at various projects on the Hanford Site.
I earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and master’s degree from Gonzaga University. I was raised in Richland, Washington and graduated from Richland High School.
Paul Hunt
Vice President, Project Director
Fluor
Paul Hunt is the Fluor Mission Solutions Vice President for Nuclear and Civil Solutions Projects.
Paul has 40 years of nuclear operations experience, including programme management, nuclear material operations, waste management, facility decommissioning, and asset management for government clients that include the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). He started his career in the U.S. Navy, retiring as Captain after seven years of active duty and twenty years of reserve service.
Paul has served on U.S. and U.K. corporate Boards for companies delivering nuclear operations and services as well as a number of community service Boards in South Carolina. He holds a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and a M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.
Carol Jennings
Small Business Program Manager
OREM
Ms. Carol Jennings is the Small Business Program Manager in the Oak Ridge Environmental Management (OREM) Office located in Oak Ridge, TN. In her role as the OREM Small Business Program Manager, Carol is responsible for identifying opportunities within OREM and the Oak Ridge EM community and taking positive action to advocate for small businesses. Carol is a military “brat” and was raised in various areas throughout the U.S. and Germany and has lived in East Tennessee for 23 years. Carol has over 30 years with the Federal Government, 19 thereof with DOE in Oak Ridge, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management.
DJ Johnson
Vice President and General Manager
Honeywell Federal Solutions
David “DJ” Johnson is the Vice President for the Federal Solutions Business Enterprise for Honeywell. As the Honeywell Senior Executive for Federal Solutions, DJ serves as the primary interface with federal customers and industry partners. He leads the integration of HON-affiliated sites to drive improved performance. He provides governance leadership through chairmanship and/or membership on several oversight boards for the Limited Liability Companies supporting the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Prior to his current position, DJ served as the Vice President and General Manager for the Defense Systems Customer Business Team. His organization was responsible for overseeing the design, development, production and delivery of products and services that address the specific needs for Honeywell’s defense customers. The Customer Business Team (CBT) acts as the Aerospace single point of contact for Honeywell’s Business-to-Business relationship with Boeing Defense and Lockheed Martin to include customer demand, order & contract management, quality & delivery performance, customer relationship retention and business optimization.
He has held previous customer-facing business leader roles to include VP/GM for the Aircraft Engine Components which included key aerospace customers such as General Electric, SAFRAN, Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies Aerospace Systems, and Rolls Royce. DJ also served as the VP/GM for the Space Business Segment with Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. (HTSI). In this role he was responsible for Honeywell’s business serving the Air Force, NASA, NOAA and USGS.
DJ came to Honeywell after 23 years of service in the United States Air Force. His distinguished Air Force career involved the development, acquisition and operation of command & control systems, computers & communications systems, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, University of Houston – Clear Lake, and the National Defense University. During his 23-year career in active duty with the Air Force, DJ operated dish and phased-array antenna sites in eastern Turkey and North Dakota providing missile warning operations for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
He has served on the Air Staff and on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon as well as the Chief of Satellite Operations at Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In this position, he oversaw the development and implementation of the next generation command & control systems for operating MILSTAR, DSCS, Advanced EHF and Wideband Global communications satellite programs. From 1996-1998, he served a tour with the National Reconnaissance Office while assigned to Fort Meade as the Chief of Mission Planning.
In addition to his military expertise, he holds a Bachelors Degree from the United States Air Force Academy and Masters Degrees from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the National Defense University.
Kenneth Johnson
Small Business Program Manager
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Environmental Management
Kenneth Johnson is the Small Business Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM). He is based at the Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Kenneth has 8 years of federal experience, and is a former DOE Contracting Officer. His prior federal service includes 5 years at the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). While at DCMA, he volunteered as a recruiter for the Workforce Recruitment Program, interviewing college students with disabilities for internship and full-time opportunities in federal service and private sector companies.
He is a former small business owner, and remains committed to supporting those small businesses which make up such a vital element of the Department’s industrial base.
Kenneth earned his B.A. in History from Berea College in 2009 and earned his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2015. He maintains his license to practice law and remains engaged with pro bono projects focused in multiple areas of law including housing and healthcare.
Paul Johnson
VP Business Development
EnergySolutions Federal
Paul has over 35 years in heavy industry and nuclear energy/technology. He has a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an Executive MBA. Paul has advanced nuclear technology on the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor project in South Africa and directed special materials down-blending operations from the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty(s). Paul ran a large backup electric generator assembly company for nuclear power plants. He has also started a small business providing oversight services for the DOE EMCBC. Most recently Paul was the Plant Manager for a large electric motors manufacturing plant, Director of Business Development for a contractor to the NNSA, and currently is a VP of Business Development at EnergySolutions. Paul has a son, daughter, and brilliant wife and resides in Moscow, OH.
Kylie Julius-Schumacher
Communications Manager
Strata-G, LLC
Kylie has over six years of applied business and professional communication experience.
She serves as the Corporate Communications Manager for Strata-G, LLC, managing, designing, and producing internal and external communications for the organization. Additionally, Kylie serves as the Communication Strategist Waste Management Liaison, writing articles in support of the United Cleanup Oak Ridge, LLC’s (UCOR’s) efforts to clean up the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). She has been teaching Business and Professional Communication and Public Speaking at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for five years. Kylie is in pursuit of her doctorate at UT in Communication and Information.
Indya Kincannon
Mayor
City of Knoxville
Indya Kincannon has been Mayor of the City of Knoxville since December 2019. Her professional experience also includes being the Chairperson and Member of Knox County Board of Education, a teacher in Slovenia and Baltimore, MD, Guest Faculty at Harvard University and a Budget Analyst for the Arizona State Legislature. Mayor Kincannon is also a Board Member of several professional service organizations. Further, she is a strong believer in, and involved in, many community service organizations.
Mayor Kincannon holds degrees from the University of Barcelona, Haverford College, Princeton University and the University of Tennessee.
Deb Lewis
Senior Director, Infrastructure Program and Planning
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Deb Lewis is the Senior Director for the Infrastructure Program and Planning Office (IPPO) at Los Alamos Na????onal Laboratory. IPPO was formed in 2022 with the merger of the Weapons Infrastructure Program Office (WIPO) and Infrastructure Program Office (IFPROG) within the Infrastructure and Capital Projects Associate Laboratory Directorate.
Deb works directly with senior leadership to develop an integrated infrastructure strategy mee????ng current and an????cipated future mission requirements.
As the IPPO’s senior director, Deb is responsible for management of the approximately $1 billion program that funds the opera????ons and maintenance of weapons facili????es, recapitaliza????on and small project investments suppor????ng weapons facili????es and the broader Laboratory mission capabili????es, and the programming of line-item projects consistent with the campus master plan.
Deb holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of Santa Fe and a master’s project management certification from George Washington University. She is a graduate of the 2020 Department of Energy Project Leadership Institute cohort.
Deb began her Lab career in 1993 as a project control engineer in Waste Management and remained with Waste Facilities and Operations (WFO) until 2004 in various management roles including the Business Projects/Integrated Management (FWO-IBS) team leader. In 2004 Lewis moved to the Weapons Infrastructure Program Office (WIPO) as a program manager. During her time in WIPO, she oversaw the Weapons Facilities Operations portfolio, as well as the Recapitalization and Capabilities Based Investments group of projects.
Lauren Longmire
Director of Regional Enhancement
Knoxville Chamber of Commerce
Lauren Longmire is a native Knoxvillian and graduate of the University of Tennessee. As director of regional enhancement for the Knoxville Chamber, Lauren focuses her time on workforce development and talent retention and attraction. Engaging with community leaders and regional partners to create a prosperous, inclusive environment for Knox County’s workforce is a priority for the chamber team. She is proud to serve as co-chair of the 865 Academies Steering Committee, member of the United Way’s Bright Steps Leadership Council, member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee’s board of directors, member of Muse Knoxville’s board of directors, member of the University of Tennessee’s Chancellor’s Associates, and part of the City of Knoxville Mayor’s Community Empowerment Roundtable.
Charlie Malarkey
Administrative Services Manager
United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR)
Charlie Malarkey is UCOR’s Administrative Services Manager. With more than 30 years of experience in the field of human resources management and business services, Charlie provides leadership, direction, and strategy for the effective management of human capital programs. He has oversight of the benefits, human resources, labor relations, and administrative professional services organizations and is responsible for staffing, diversity promotion, employee relations, compensation, benefits, morale and motivation, talent development, labor relations and labor standards administration, and optimizing administrative resources.
Charlie previously served as UCOR’s Business Assurance and Compliance Manager. In that role, he oversaw the internal audit, ethics and compliance, business assurance and internal controls reporting, and employee concerns program functions.
Prior to this position, Charlie was a regional human resources director with AECOM for the nuclear environment and non-proliferation and security services business units. He established strategic direction for human resources and developed and implemented comprehensive human resource programs in support of the company’s business objectives.
Charlie served as human resources director for AECOM Technical Services, where he was responsible for human resources, communications, security, and facilities management.
Before joining AECOM, Charlie worked for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). He held various positions of increasing responsibility, including Deputy Director of Human Capital Management, which included site management responsibilities for all staffing activities at SRNS, as well as site training.
Blake Mayes
Chief Strategy Officer
Management Solutions, LLC
Blake Mayes is the Chief Strategy Officer for Management Solutions, a contractor providing clean energy program management, organizational maturity assessment, environmental services, and project strategy and implementation to the Department of Energy.
In this role, Blake is responsible for leading the development and execution of Management Solutions’ corporate growth strategy.
Blake joined Management Solutions from Bain & Company and has previously served in government on the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. He began his career as a Fellow at the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.
Blake holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, an MSc in Finance from the University of St. Andrews (UK), where he was a Bobby Jones Scholar, and a BA from Emory University, where he was a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar. Blake is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and serves on EFCOG’s Operational Human Capital Working Subgroup.
Misty Mayes
President
Management Solutions, LLC
As an entrepreneur, Misty D. Mayes has successfully launched ventures across the engineering, construction, healthcare, and human capital sectors. Mayes is the founder and CEO of Management Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in project strategy, clean energy program management, facilities and administrative management, and human capital transformation, serving customers in the government and private sector in the United States and Europe. Mayes is a 1988 graduate of the Tickle College of Engineering.
For the past twenty years under her leadership, Management Solutions has consistently been recognized as one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Businesses, as one of the U.S. Chamber’s Top 100 Small Businesses, and by the Small Business Administration as the national Subcontractor of the Year. Mayes has received multiple entrepreneurship awards, but is most proud of her work advocating for other female entrepreneurs through Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), for which she was invited to the White House and able to testify before Congress on various topics impacting entrepreneurship and woman-owned businesses, and her lifelong commitment to education and economic empowerment in East Tennessee.
In the midst of her demanding career, Mayes has given back generously to UT. She served as the chair of the Tickle College of Engineering Board of Advisors from 2018 thru 2020, the first female to hold the position. Additionally, she co-founded the Women’s Engineering Council and co-chaired UT’s Women’s Engineer Day; these programs strive to assemble female engineering students, female engineering faculty members and female engineers to help the university attract and retain top female students and faculty. Mayes additionally guest lectures for the ISE Entrepreneurial program and Governor’s school each year. Accompanying her involvement with post-secondary schools, Mayes is also the first female Chair for the Board of Trustees at Webb School of Knoxville, in which she oversaw the construction and program development of a STEM maker space as well as the launch of an Entrepreneurial Chair of Excellence.
In 2020, Mayes launched a new subsidiary of her company called Project Controls Solutions (PCS). PCS’s underlying mission is economic opportunity expansion by training the next generation of project controls professionals. PCS partners with organizations to invest in local communities and expand diversity by recruiting and training aspiring project controllers from historically under-represented backgrounds.
Mayes is a member of the Project Management Institute, certified Project Management Professional, certified Lean Six Sigma professional, and Certified Change Management Professional, while maintaining an active DOE Q clearance. Throughout her career, Mayes has worked tirelessly to support female entrepreneurship, economic empowerment, and education in East Tennessee and beyond. Currently she helps lead the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC), Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, and Restoration House of East Tennessee. Mayes and her husband, Sam, live in Knoxville where they raised three sons and enjoy hiking in the Smoky Mountains, biking, golfing, and admiring the region’s natural beauty.
Johnny Moore
Manager
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Site Office
Johnny O. Moore is the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Site Office manager responsible for management of the operation contracts for the ORNL and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; providing operational oversight and assuring regulatory compliance of contractor operations; providing effective federal stewardship of DOE resources; and managing federal resources to assure effective and efficient operations.
During federal service with DOE, Mr. Moore has developed a diverse professional background. Prior to becoming the manager at the ORNL Site Office, Moore served as the Deputy Assistant Manager for Science, operations division director for ORNL, and waste operations and technical team lead for the Oak Ridge Office Environmental Management organization where he led waste operations and legacy waste disposition activities. He has also served as the acting site manager for the Portsmouth (Ohio) Site Office and the environmental technology group leader, as well as having served as the technology development and transportation team leader. Previously Moore worked in the uranium enrichment program supporting the initial construction and operation of a portion of the gas centrifuge plant and later served as the environmental, safety and health and process and long-range technical support leads in the enriching operations division in DOE.
Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee, is a registered professional engineer in the state of Tennessee, a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and completed the Council for Excellence in Government Fellows Program.
Jay Mullis
Manager
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM)
John Arthur (Jay) Mullis II serves as the Manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM). He has served in this position since November 2017. Mullis is responsible for safely executing the environmental cleanup of the 30,000-acre Oak Ridge Reservation, which entails successfully managing the cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Y-12 National Security Complex. He oversees environmental cleanup and stewardship, decontamination and decommissioning activities, waste processing and management, surveillance and maintenance programs, historic preservation efforts, and procurement and contract functions.
He also recently served as the Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs (APDAS) in the Office of Environmental Management (EM) from November 2021 through January 2023. The office provides technical and policy support in the planning and field execution of EM waste and materials disposition, soil and groundwater remediation, and deactivation and decommissioning of EM facilities. He also provided leadership on matters related to regulatory affairs defined by law or negotiated or stipulated compliance agreements.
Before serving as the OREM Manager, he also served as the Acting Manager and Deputy Manager beginning in February 2015. In this capacity, he helped direct and support the office’s division directors and federal project directors to ensure federal oversight and progress conducting environmental cleanup across the Oak Ridge Reservation.
Prior to his selection as Deputy Manager, he was the Acting Deputy Manager and Director of the Engineering, Safety and Quality Division for OREM.
He also worked about nine years in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion program at Charleston Naval Shipyard with the balance of his service working for DOE in various assignments related to environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning, and waste management activities. He has led or been a member of numerous audits and assessments, including Conduct of Operations and Conduct of Maintenance assessments.
Mullis holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, and he is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of South Carolina. He completed extensive training and was qualified as a nuclear engineer while working for the Navy at the Charleston Naval Shipyard and has been a fully certified Facility Representative for the DOE.
Nicole Nelson-Jean
Associate Administrator, Office of Infrastructure
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Nicole Nelson-Jean is the Associate Administrator for the Office of Infrastructure in the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service. In this role, she is responsible for executive leadership to maintain, operate, and modernize NNSA’s infrastructure in a safe and effective manner. This includes more than 5,000 facilities located in seven states comprising over $130 billion in real property assets. Nelson-Jean oversees programs and construction projects with an annual budget of nearly $6 billion.
Before returning to NNSA, Nelson-Jean was the Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations in the Office of Environment Management (EM), and had overriding responsibility for 15 U.S. sites in the areas of field operations, infrastructure, contract acquisition and administration, project management, safety and security, and the worldwide implementation of the EM technology and development programs for the largest cleanup program in the world, totaling close to $8 billion. She also oversaw EM’s efforts under the Biden -Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. Prior to this position, Nelson-Jean served as the Manager of the NNSA Savannah River Field Office providing oversight for the management, quality assurance, nonproliferation, and national security missions for the Savannah River Site. Prior to Savanah River Site, Nelson-Jean was also the Manager of the Livermore Field Office and the Senior Advisor to the Acting NNSA Administrator at the Los Alamos Site Office. In these roles, she provided executive leadership related to nuclear operations, infrastructure, nuclear safety and security, nonproliferation, business, and contract management. Nelson-Jean served as Energy Attaché to the U.S. Ambassador of the Mission to International Organizations in Vienna, Austria, where she coordinated and oversaw NNSA support of the International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear security. She also served as the DOE Attaché to the U.S. Ambassador to Japan overseeing NNSA interests in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Other positions held in NNSA include Office Director with the Global Threat Reduction Initiative and Deputy Office Director in Material Protection, Control and Accounting Program. Nelson-Jean began her career at Los Alamos National Laboratory over 32 years ago supporting environmental management and national security missions.
Nelson-Jean has been honored with the Department of Energy Career Service Award, the U.S. Distinguished Presidential Rank Award, Partnership for Public Service – Service to America Medal, NNSA Administrator Distinguished Achievement Gold Medal, Savannah River Site Leader of the Year Award, and the Department of Energy Pride Award. Nelson-Jean earned a bachelor’s degree from Grambling State University, and master’s degrees from St. John’s College, and National Defense University. Nelson-Jean is an active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Nicola E. Ohaegbu
Senior Small Business Advocate
DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business (OSDBU)
Nicola Ohaebgu is a Senior Small Business Advocate within the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. Nicola analyzes and interprets contracting policies and directives and provides guidance and assistance to program offices across the Department of Energy (DOE). One of Nicola’s principal duties is to advocate and negotiate for maximum prime and subcontract procurement opportunities for all small businesses.
Prior to DOE, Nicola worked for the U.S. Army Medical Research Material Command – Office of Small Business Programs. Her dedication earned her the Army’s FY 2015 Small Business Specialist of the Year Award for Exceptional Service.
Nicola has a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counselling from Liberty University, a Master of Business Administration from Mount St. Mary’s University, and a Bachelor of Science in General Studies from Northwestern University. Nicola is Level III certified in the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program.
Finally, Nicola served honorably in the U.S. Navy.
Erik Olds
Communications Director
DOE Office of Environmental Management
Erik Olds is the Director of Communications for the Office of Environmental Management. Before this, Erik was the acting Chief of Staff for EM. Prior to this assignment, he was the Direct‐Feed Low‐Activity Waste deputy project integration manager for the Office of River Protection (ORP) at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Erik has worked for DOE for more than 29 years, including over 20 years in the EM program. Prior to his project integration manager role, Erik served as the Chief of Staff for both the Richland Operations Office and ORP at Hanford and was also dual hatted as the Director of Communications at ORP. Prior to working at Hanford, he worked in public affairs at the Yucca Mountain Project in Nevada. Erik holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and a master’s degree in Communications Studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Diana Osbourne
Small Business Program Manager
United Cleanup Oak Ridge, LLC (UCOR)
Diana Osbourne is the Small Business Program Manager for United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR). She has over 18 years of experience as a Small Business Program Manager and 10 years of experience as a senior subcontract administrator.
Previous experience in the DOE complex includes five years with the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) with Bechtel National Inc. at the Y-12 National Nuclear Complex (Y-12) where she served as the Supplier Development and Small Business Program Manager as well as a Senior Subcontract Administrator.
Diana also previously worked for Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, Richmond, Kentucky, and at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Pueblo, Colorado under the Department of Defense (DOD) where she also was the Small Business Program Advocate and Outreach Coordinator.
Diana has overseen over $3.5 billion dollars of spend in her career with over 60 percent going to small businesses.
Dave Pesiri
Senior Director, Project Management Resource Center
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
David Pesiri leads the Project Management Resource Center (PMRC), an organization that enables mission through excellence in project management. PMRC’s support to projects and programs includes core functional disciples such as project management, project controls, construction management, estimating & risk, subcontract technical representatives, startup & commissioning, and earned value management. PMRC also delivers project execution through its Construction Management organization for both self-perform and subcontracted projects. In addition, PMRC maintains the Laboratory’s project management policies and procedures, systems & tools, as well as implementation support through specialized training, development, and mentoring.
Prior to his position leading PMRC, Pesiri co-managed the 2018 M&O Contract Transition for LANS, LLC and then led the Program Performance Services Division from 2018 through 2022. He was the founding Director of the Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation and worked extensively at the intersection of program, ST&E, and the private sector leveraging a technical career within the Chemistry and Materials Science and Technology Divisions. During a break from his LANL tenure, he managed private sector projects in the semiconductor, materials manufacturing, and defense industries. He has had P&L responsibility for several product-based companies and brings a strong background in financial and business systems to LANL’s mission-focused project management.
Pesiri holds a BA from Pomona College and a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both in the areas of chemistry and catalysis, he joined the Laboratory in 1994 as a Graduate Research Assistant followed by a postdoctoral appointment in 1998.
Ron Pierce
Director
DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)
Ron Pierce is the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). In his prior role, he served as an independent management consultant, where he led efforts to address issues on environmental and climate change for several small businesses and military veteran lawmakers.
He spent five years as Senior Director of PBS Veterans and Small Business Initiatives on the Station Services Team. Ron led the national planning, coordination, and implementation efforts for member stations and other public media partners across the country. Over the course of two high-profile presidential campaigns, he was the National Director of small business, veterans, and military family outreach programs at the DNC.
A combat veteran, Ron spent 11 years as a U.S. Army Officer.
He earned his B.S. in Behavioral Human Services from U. S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, and holds a Master of International Affairs from The Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, CA.
Myrna Redfield
President and CEO
Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, LLC
Myrna Espinosa Redfield has over 32 years of experience in the leadership of complex projects as a program director, and project manager, and regulatory affairs director in the nuclear industry. Ms. Redfield currently serves as the President/CEO & Program Manager for Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership’s (FRNP) 10-year, $1.6 billion Deactivation and Remediation Project at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky. In this position, she is responsible for the contract performance and safety of approximately 1000 personnel, including two supporting labor unions.
Prior to FRNP, Ms. Redfield served in various technical and leadership roles on multi-million dollar U.S. Department of Energy contracts. She also worked for the Department of Energy twelve years in various safety, technical and management roles. She is a recognized leader in establishing strong client relationships while implementing programs and strategies to address difficult technical challenges. She holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico.
Rod Rimando
Director, Office of Technology Development
U.S. Department of Energy, EM
Rodrigo (Rod) V. Rimando, Jr. is Acting Director for Office of Technology Development within the Office of Environmental Management. Rod has over 36 years of nuclear experience that started in 1987 as a nuclear engineer at the Navy Department’s Charleston Naval Shipyard. He joined DOE in 1995 at the Savannah River Site bringing with him his newly acquired expertise in nuclear facility decommissioning and environmental cleanup having directed a large portfolio of cleanup projects in support of base closure. From 1995 to 2012, Rod directed numerous high-profile legacy cleanup projects many of which incorporated advanced tooling and innovative solutions. Within that 17-year span, Rod served as the Site EM Federal Project Director at Brookhaven National Lab from 2001 to 2004 and then directed a three-year, $1.7 billion portfolio of Recovery Act projects at SRS from 2009 to 2012. He transferred to EM headquarters in 2012 at which time he was assigned to serve as EM’s program and technical liaison to former Secretary Stephen Chu’s WTP Black Cell Team that ultimately set the course for today’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste approach at Hanford. In 2016, when EM was reorganized, Rod served as the director of the newly formed Office of Technology Development for its first three years. This past April, Rod returned to technology development and is now acting in his old job. Rod has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics/Nuclear Physics from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.
Teresa Robbins
Manager
NNSA Production Office
Teresa M. Robbins serves as the Manager for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Production Office (NPO). She is responsible for the direction of NNSA programs, projects, safety, security, quality, and administrative functions and activities at the Pantex Plant and the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Robbins has over 30 years of experience in nuclear facility operations, engineering, safety analysis, maintenance, and risk analysis within the DOE Complex. She has served in various positions including Deputy Manager, Senior Scientific and Technical Advisor, Assistant Manager for Environment, Safety, Health and Quality, and Federal Project Director.
Robbins received a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering from The University of Tennessee. She is a recipient of the National Nuclear Security Administration Safety Professional of the Year Award. In 2022, Robbins was named to the University of Tennessee School of Nuclear Engineering Hall of Fame and received a Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award.
Candice Robertson
Senior Advisor
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Candice Robertson serves as a senior policy advisor for the Office of Environmental Management (EM). In this role, she leads EM’s efforts to site industrial-scale energy projects at EM sites as part of the DOE Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative.
Candice has nearly 20 years of experience managing critical business functions in both the public and private sectors and is knowledgeable about all aspects of EM’s mission and operations after serving in multiple management and leadership roles in EM including Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Services, Chief Communications Officer, Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, Director of External Affairs, Chief of Staff and Senior Communications Advisor. Candice’s federal experience also includes serving as senior staff for three Energy Deputy and Chief of Staff to Commissioner Bradley Crowell of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mike Robinson
Vice President, Project Management
Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS)
Mike Robinson is the vice president of Project Management for Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, the management and operating contractor for the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Robinson manages a broad portfolio of projects from planning through completion at both sites and is tasked with overseeing substantial growth in capital investments.
Robinson returns to Project Management after serving as the Bechtel National, Inc. project manager of the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) project, where he was responsible for engineering, procurement, construction, and start-up activities. While in that role, Robinson helped the project meet major completion milestones despite the challenges of a global pandemic.
Robinson has held a variety of project management and leadership roles in his 31-year career with Bechtel. He led Project Management for CNS from March 2019 until March 2020, where he oversaw significant program growth. Before joining CNS, he served as Bechtel’s operations manager for its commercial nuclear power business. Prior to that, Robinson was the deputy project director for a joint venture selected to complete front-end engineering design for a new nuclear power station in Wales, UK. Other project management experience includes executing multiple greenfield combined-cycle power plants, one of which earned a Bechtel Safety Excellence award as it completed ahead of schedule. Robinson also directed the largest extended power uprate on an existing nuclear power plant in the United States. That project was recognized as a Power Magazine Project of the Year and was given a Bechtel Project Management Excellence award.
Robinson holds a master of business administration from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Brown University.
Ken Rueter
President
United Cleanup Oak Ridge, LLC (UCOR)
Ken Rueter is President and Chief Executive Officer of UCOR, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) environmental cleanup prime contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation. Having successfully led the $4.2 billion East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) contract for nine years—resulting in the largest environmental cleanup project in DOE’s history—Ken is applying that experience to successfully lead the Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup Contract.
Under the ETTP contract, Ken guided and motivated a workforce of over 2,000 to perform work safely and efficiently, eliminating hazards and reducing environmental liability. Under Ken’s oversight, UCOR 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. In 2019, the National Safety Council recognized Ken’s personal commitment to safety and his philosophy of safety as a prerequisite to all work by naming him a CEO who “Gets It.” This prestigious designation is presented to leaders who go above and beyond to protect employees both on and off the job.
Throughout his 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, and cost and schedule development.
Ken previously served as President of Savannah River Remediation LLC and as Project Manager for the Savannah River Site 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 as well as instituting his shared governance model, which brings all stakeholders to the table to build equity and ownership in decision making.
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 and Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Under Ken’s oversight, UCOR, its workforce, and subcontractors have donated over $3M to local and regional organizations focused on children’s advocacy, education and workforce development, health and wellness, and conservation and preservation.
He serves on the Boards of Directors of the Center for Construction Research and Training, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and American Society of Safety Professionals. He was the 2016 recipient of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ prestigious Management Division Award. In 2017, he was presented with the East Tennessee Economic Council Muddy Boot Award, recognizing his contributions to the Oak Ridge community.
Ashley Saunders
Manager, Program and Sustainability Management
United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR)
Ashley H. Saunders is UCOR’s Program and Sustainability Management Manager. In this role, she spearheads the company’s strategic direction in beneficial land reuse, end-state management, environmental regulation management, program integration, equity programs, sustainability performance, and Oak Ridge Reservation national historic preservation.
Under the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) contract, Ashley served as end states and federal land reuse manager, responsible for all aspects of ETTP reindustrialization and closure.
She also oversaw the new Heritage Center Enterprise, including the remedial action work at ETTP, historic preservation efforts, and the transfer of land from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management for national historic preservation. Under Ashley’s leadership, the former powerhouse area was remediated, with more than 30 acres transformed into a grassy field. The massive slab of the former Centrifuge Complex was also removed, leaving property available for a future planned airport at the site.
In a prior role, Ashley served as UCOR’s Chief of Staff, responsible for coordinating the resources required to deliver the company’s operational vision and support achievement of DOE-related corporate goals and missions.
Ashley joined UCOR in 2015 as government and stakeholder relations manager. Her work included activities and strategies to strengthen existing relationships and foster new alliances with government officials and stakeholders at all levels. In September 2016, she assumed the role of external affairs, communications and community programs manager—directing internal and external communications as well as the company’s community advocacy program.
Prior to joining UCOR, Ashley served as program director for the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC). There she worked with other organizations, elected officials, and businesses in Knox, Anderson, Roane, and Blount counties to promote the values and impact of ETEC membership.
Ashley has a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the University of Tennessee. She was a recipient of East Tennessee Economic Council’s 2019 Postma Young Professional Medal, which honors the accomplishments of young professionals who have made an impact on the community. Ashley is serving a three-year term as a University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Associate and was named to the Knoxville Business Journal’s 2019 “40 Under 40” list.
Martin Schneider
President
Longenecker and Associates
Martin Schneider is a recognized leader with more than 20 years of experience in the defense nuclear, national security and energy sectors. Before being named President in 2022, Martin led strategy and business development for L&A through a period of significant corporate growth that saw L&A emerge as one of the leading small businesses in the U.S. DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) enterprise. Martin also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Roy G. Post Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on awarding scholarships for students pursuing careers in the radioactive waste management, environmental remediation or nuclear energy industries.
Eulanda Scott-Shingleton
Deputy, Small Business Programs
Nashville District, USACE
Eulanda Scott-Shingleton was appointed as the Deputy for Small Business for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Nashville District in May 2021, with responsibility in working with the organization’s senior leadership and program managers in recognizing and advocating the significant capabilities of small businesses. In this position, Ms. Scott-Shingleton is responsible for helping small businesses maximize their opportunities to participate in Corps procurements, ensuring a broad base of capable suppliers to support the Corps mission and strengthen the nation’s economic development.
Over the course of a 15 + year career as an Army Civilian, Eulanda has held positions in the US Army Civilian Human Resources Command, and in the US Army Contracting Command. Early in her career, she worked in Human Resources at Fort Bragg, NC and Redstone Arsenal, AL. After working in Human Resources from 2007-2015, she was accepted into the Pathways Program as a Contract Specialist September 2015 and continued working for the Army Contracting Command until April 2021. Prior to her Army civilian service, Ms. Scott-Shingleton served in the United States Army for 8 years and received 7 Army Achievement Medals, 2 Overseas Service Ribbons, and 1 National Defense Medal after deploying to Kosovo under Operation Joint Guardian II.
Eulanda holds a Masters degree in Acquisition and Contract Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She is a member of Society of American Military Engineers (SAME).
Karen Shears
Procurement Director
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM)
Karen Shears is the Procurement Director for the Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM). The Procurement and Contracts Division is responsible for all aspects of procurement and contracts management and cost estimating for the OREM. Karen has more than 25 years of experience in procurement and contracts and has worked for both the Office of Science and Office of Environmental Management in Oak Ridge. Karen is a level III-certified contracting officer. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama and her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Jason Shergur
Vice President of Business Development
GEM Technologies, Inc.
Dr. Jason Shergur graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1999 with a B.S. in chemistry. While working as an undergraduate, he used neutron activation analysis and particle-induced x-ray emission to determine the provenance of ancient Native American pottery. After graduating, he attended the University of Maryland where he received his doctorate in nuclear chemistry. His research was focused on low-energy nuclear structure of exotic radioisotopes that were produced at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) and at Argonne National Laboratory.
In 2005, he started working at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) as a scientist supporting nuclear safeguards, nuclear interdiction, and weapons transparency programs. During his tenure at LANL, he spent two years supporting operations and research efforts at the Nevada Test Site, now the Nevada National Security Site working at the Device Assembly Facility. From 2008 to 2011, he was detailed to the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) where he provided technical and programmatic leadership which focused on instrument test & evaluation, deployment of radiation detection equipment, and worked with Customs and Border Protection to optimize operations at seaports and border crossings.
After his appointment was complete, he moved onto Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he served several roles including Principal Investigator for the Radiation Portal Monitor Project, Sector Manager for DNDO, and led several programs and projects for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. In 2018, Jason moved to Knoxville, TN, where he served as Vice President of Operations for IB3 Global Solutions, a small nuclear security company who had an interagency portfolio of subject matter experts. Currently, Jason is the Vice President of Business Development at GEM Technologies Inc., an engineering company based out of Knoxville, TN. He currently works with commercial partners and stakeholders to provide needed expertise to assist the Department of Energy through the Environmental Management Office and National Nuclear Security Administration.
Elisabeth Warn
Small Business Liaison
Idaho Environmental Coalition, LLC (IEC)
Elisabeth Warn is the Idaho Environmental Coalition’s Small Business Liaison. As the leader of IEC’s Small Business initiatives, Elisabeth is responsible for ensuring compliance and commitment to Small Business laws and regulations, administering IEC’s Mentor Protégé Program, and participating in outreach and solicitation activities. She is a strong advocate for small business. Her passion is borne out of practical experience and seeing the critically positive role that small businesses have on the economy of communities, and helping smaller firms improve and expand their diversity and inclusion policies. Elisabeth earned her Master of Business Administration from Western Washington University.
Susanna Waters
Vice President of Business Development
Nuclear Services Division
Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc.
Susanna Waters is the Vice President of Business Development for the Nuclear Services division of Perma-Fix Environmental Services, a leading provider of environmental cleanup solutions across the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Maryville College and has completed formal training in corporate leadership and management strategies as applicable to the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and commercial industries.
Jack Zimmerman
Director
DOE EM Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC)
Jack Zimmerman is the Director of the Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center. For the past twenty five years he served DOE in key roles including: the Manager of the Idaho Cleanup Project, Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Federal Project Director and Associate Director of the Mound Closure Project. Mr. Zimmerman is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio. He serves as the co-Chair of the Department’s Safety Culture Improvement Panel. He has over thirty-five years of experience in many aspects of nuclear facility construction, operation and environmental remediation. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a Master’s degree in Radiological Engineering and Bachelor’s in Nuclear Engineering.