Speaker Bios - Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association

Carol Barajas

Vice President, Nuclear Projects, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Carol Barajas is Vice President of Nuclear Projects & Subsequent License Renewal for TVA. Carol was previously assigned to Watts Bar as the VP of U2 WBN Steam Generator Replacement Project which was successfully completed in the spring of 2022. She previously held the position of TVA’s Vice President of Nuclear Oversight. Carol has a diverse background, with nuclear fleet and site leadership roles at Duke Energy, Progress Energy and Exelon. Before joining TVA, she served as Duke’s vice president of Environmental & Health and Safety for nuclear, generation, transmission, distribution, major projects and renewables. Prior to that role, she was general manager of Nuclear Operations for supporting six Duke Nuclear sites, working to establish their Nuclear Operating Model.
Carol previously served as director of Fleet Operations at both Progress Energy and Exelon. She started her nuclear career in Instrument and Control Maintenance, before earning both a Reactor Operator and Senior Reactor Operator license, and serving various roles in Operations including shift manager, shift operations superintendent and operations director at Exelon’s Dresden Nuclear Station.
Carol holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. She also completed the Executive Leadership program at UNC Kenan-Flager Business School and completed the Senior Nuclear Plant Manager class at INPO. She is a long-time member of Women in Nuclear (WIN) and serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga.
Carol has been married to her husband Chris since 1992 and they have two children Gabby (24) and Chase (19).

Danielle Barnes

Small Business Specialist, MSFC

Danielle R. Barnes, currently serves as a Small Business Specialist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) located on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and guidance for NASA’s Small Business Programs at MSFC, collaborating closely with industry stakeholders. Ms. Barnes has a diverse background, including roles such as Contract Specialist at the United States Marshals Service, Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Program – Northern Tier (ALDOT DBE/SS), and Program Manager for the Missile Defense Agency’s Office of Small Business Programs. Her expertise spans support of government agencies and management of federally funded grant programs in academia. Ms. Barnes holds an M.B.A. specializing in Logistics & Supply Chain Management from Alabama A&M University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida A&M University.

Melody Bell

Director, Army Office of Small Business Programs

Melody Bell is an experienced Senior Executive at the US Department of Energy with over 35 years of combined civilian and military service. Ms. Bell was recently selected as the Deputy Director for the Consolidated Business Center for the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EMCBC). The EMCBC is responsible for developing and executing innovative business strategies and cost effective contracting solutions to enable the Environmental Management (EM) mission. Prior to that she was the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Resource Management in EM providing leadership for the integration of budget and planning; budget formulation; budget execution; oversight of information systems and cybersecurity; workforce management activities enabling the effective execution of the mission.

Ms. Bell also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Business Administration and the Director of Program Execution Support in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at DOE. Additionally, Ms. Bell served as the Procurement Deputy Director of the Office of Transformation for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSAA), Assistant Manager for Contracts and Business Management, at the NNSA Nevada Site Office (NSO), and Director of Contracts and Property Management Division for the Nevada Operations Office (NVO) where she provided leadership, management and guidance in the development, planning, coordination, and administration for all acquisition strategy, financial assistance, contracting and personal property management for NVO.
Before her assignments with NNSA; Ms. Bell worked with DOE’s Rocky Flats office as the Team Lead and Contracting Officer for the Performance-Based Integrating and Management Contract, Kaiser-Hill, and as an environmental engineer.
Ms. Bell began her career as an Officer in the United States Air Force, where she managed several projects and contracts in support of major Air Force weapon systems. Ms. Bell has a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences from the Colorado School of Mines, a Master’s of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering Mechanics from the U.S. Air Force Academy. She is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows program.
Ms. Bell is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts and volunteers as a Troop Leader enabling the transformation of girls into leaders, and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers. She is dedicated to mentoring others and reinforcing the benefits of being a life-long learner.

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.

Rep. Tim Burchett (TN-02)

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Representative Tim Burchett is an East Tennessee native who grew up in Knoxville. He lives in the Gibbs Community of Knox County with his wife, Kelly, and their daughter, Isabel.
Rep. Burchett took office in January 2019, after serving eight years as mayor of Knox County. Thanks to natural growth and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars, his administration was able to build new schools, launch infrastructure projects, and pay down debt—all without raising taxes. Prior to his tenure as Knox County Mayor, he started a successful small business before serving 16 years in the state legislature, four years in the State House followed by 12 years in the State Senate. Rep. Burchett currently serves on the House Committees on Oversight and Accountability; Foreign Affairs; and Transportation and Infrastructure.

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.

Irfan “Andy” Chawdry

Contract Specialist, Department of Energy – Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (DOE-EMCBC)

Andy is a Contract Specialist at the DOE Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to DOE, Andy held IT sales roles at companies including IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Salesforce, helping public sector clients evaluate and implement enterprise software solutions. He joined the DOE in September 2023, as part of the Pathways Recent Graduate program having graduated from Capital University Law School within the previous two years. The Pathways Recent Graduate program allowed him the opportunity to transition into a new role in public service and purse a career in acquisitions with the DOE.

Katie Cunningham

Project Manager, Technical Services, Engineering Services, Spectra Tech, Inc.

Katie Cunningham has been with Spectra Tech since September of 2022. Katie supported Spectra Tech’s Engineering group in Business Development and now supports the Technical Services group as a Project Manager. In her current role, Katie seeks to identify new business opportunities, maintain existing client relationships, oversee daily staff, and ensure proposal deadlines are being met. 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 federal and commercial entities. Katie is an active member of ETEBA and ETEC.

Aaron Deckard

Procurement Director, DOE EM Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC)

Aaron Deckard is the Procurement Director at the DOE Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Aaron 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. Aaron holds an undergraduate business degree from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA 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 Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs within the US Department of Energy’s Environmental Management (EM) Office. Her portfolio includes infrastructure disposition, subsurface closure, regulatory compliance, waste and materials management and packaging and transportation.
Most recently, she was the Director for Regulatory, Intergovernmental, and Stakeholder Engagement within EM.
She has previously served as EM’s Senior Advisor for STEM and Talent Acquisition, assessing future STEM workforce needs.
She served in the DOE Office of Public affairs during the Biden Administration transition.
Previously, as 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.
She held leadership roles in the EM Office of External Affairs, the EM Intergovernmental Office, and held multiple positions in DOE’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs.
She received her Juris Doctorate 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.

Sam Dixon

Net-Zero Strategy and Implementation Manager, Idaho National Laboratory (INL)

Sam Dixon is the Net-Zero Strategy and Implementation Manager at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) where he is working to leverage the potential of INL’s innovations to meet net-zero goals in collaboration with utilities, industry, and other stakeholders. Over the course of his career, Dixon has made many contributions to the defense, aerospace, and energy sectors in project, program, and contract management roles. He joined INL in 2009 after working for Boeing, where he focused on new facilities construction and modifications to key research infrastructure.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03)

U.S. House of Representatives, Chairman, House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee

Congressman Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann is a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee’s Third Congressional District. A Member since 2011, Rep. Fleischmann serves on the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
For the 118th Congress, Chuck is the Chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations. He also serves on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee, and Defense Subcommittee of Appropriations. In addition to his service on the Appropriations Committee, Chuck sits on the Energy Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
During his time in Congress, Chuck has been an active proponent for multiple priorities for East Tennesseans, including increased funding for the Chickamauga Lock and advocating for the Y-12 National Security Complex, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Department of Energy’s Environmental Management program.
In the 118th Congress, Chuck was named the Chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations. As Chairman, Chuck leads the charge to provide funding for the federal agencies and programs responsible for the United States’ national laboratories, nuclear security, and energy independence.
Chuck and his wife, Brenda, have been married for over 30 years and have three boys. They live in Ooltewah, Tennessee.

Michael Heal

President, Clinch River Services, Member, Heal Group, LLC

Michael Heal is an Owner-Member of Heal Group, LLC, and President of one of Heal Group’s subsidiaries, Clinch River Services. Heal Group is a family-owned holding company that formed in 2023 to integrate infrastructure for several subsidiaries, including Clinch River Services.
CRS began operations in September 2020 with a handful of dump trucks and employees. In 2021, Michael was brought in as an Operations Manager and has been the driver behind our rapid growth and success. Michael has expanded the fleet to over seventy trucks in two locations in East and Middle Tennessee.
In 2023, he stepped into the role as President of CRS providing the leadership, management, and vision necessary to effectively grow the organization and to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency. As Michael was working on building CRS, he also successfully received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2022 from the University of Tennessee.

Mary Helen Hitson

Y-12 Field Office Manager, NNSA

Mary Helen Hitson serves as the Manager for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Y-12 Field Office (YFO). She is responsible for the direction of NNSA programs, projects, safety, security, quality, and administrative functions and activities at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Hitson previously served as the Deputy YFO Manager and as the Deputy Manager for the NNSA Production Office which was responsible for operations at Y-12 and the Pantex Plant in Texas. Hitson also served as Acting Manager of the NNSA Savannah River Field Office from October 2023 to March 2024. She has more than 29 years of federal service.
During her career, Hitson has had a broad range of responsibilities, including supervisory and serving as the subject matter expert in a variety of disciplines. As the NPO Assistant Manager for Programs and Projects she provided day-to-day oversight for program and project activities at Pantex and Y-12, covering Directed Stockpile Work, Uranium Modernization Programs, projects, global security, research and development, and strategic partnerships. She also previously served as the Deputy Assistant Manager for NPO’s Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality (ESH&Q), supervising all aspects of ESH&Q contractor performance to include the federal acceptance of nuclear weapons and weapon components at Pantex and Y-12, the implementation of the Federal Governance and Management processes and oversight of contractor assurance. She has also served as a program manager for Information Security, Incidents of Security Concern, Cyber Security and as the Authorizing Official for unclassified and classified cyber systems, Security Program Management and Budgeting, and supporting NNSA HQ on a variety of policy teams, technology deployments, and as the lead for various cyber-related efforts.
She was recognized as the 2009 Security Professional of the Year by the Chief Defense Nuclear Security, in 2010 with the DOE Cyber Security Leadership Award, and is a recipient of the 2012 DOE Secretarial Achievement Award for Commodity IT services (contributions to the Right Path, Cloud Computing, Project as the Cyber Lead). In May 2020, she received the NPO Paul Jones Technical Excellence Award.
Ms. Hitson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Carson-Newman University. She holds a professional certification as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional and qualifications as a Contracting Officer Representative. She also maintains DOE Technical Qualifications in Information Protection, Quality Assurance, and is a qualified Senior Technical Safety Manager.

Glenn Jacobs

Mayor, Knox County

Glenn Jacobs is currently serving his second term as Mayor of Knox County, TN. Prior to becoming Mayor in 2018, Jacobs enjoyed a successful career in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)—most notably under the stage name “Kane”—culminating in his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020. A staunch fiscal conservative and fierce advocate for limited government, during his first term, Jacobs delivered on his campaign promise of no tax hikes as well as pushed back against government overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his second term, he is prioritizing workforce and economic development to make East Tennessee even more competitive in a rapidly evolving innovation-based global economy. Glenn and his wife, Crystal, have two daughters and two grandchildren.

Carol Jennings

Small Business Manager, OREM

Carol Jennings is the Small Business Program Manager, as well as a Contracting Officer, 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 24 years. Carol has over 30 years with the Federal Government, 20 thereof with DOE in Oak Ridge, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management.

Ben Jordan

Business Development Manager, Centrus Technical Solutions

Ben Jordan is the Business Development Manager for Centrus Technical Solutions. Dr. Jordan is responsible for identification and development of business opportunities that support Centrus’ strategic plan and leverage the technical, manufacturing, and operational strengths of the Field Operations sector. Field Operations includes the Technology and Manufacturing Center in Oak Ridge, TN and the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, OH.
Dr. Jordan has over 20 years of experience with Manufacturing, Engineering, Operations Management, Research and Design, and Entrepreneurship. He joined Centrus from Fleetguard (Cummins Subsidiary) where he served as the Manufacturing Supervisor. In this capacity, Dr. Jordan was responsible for the financial performance, production targets, and quality performance of two high change-over assembly lines.
Dr. Jordan earned a Master of Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. Additionally, with the full support of Centrus, Dr. Jordan completed a PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on May 21, 2022. He has obtained certification as a Project Management Professional and is a Derivative Classifier of Centrifuge information.

Reinhard Knerr

Deputy Manager, Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office/DOE

Reinhard Knerr is the Deputy Manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) in Lexington, Kentucky. In this role, he assists the PPPO Manager in overseeing the deactivation and demolition of DOE’s former gaseous diffusion plant (GDP) facilities at the Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky sites. Part of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), PPPO also oversees the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF6) Conversion Project facilities at both GDP sites.
Mr. Knerr returned to PPPO on January 29, 2023 after serving from July 2020 as EM’s Carlsbad Field Office Manager. At PPPO, he was previously the DUF6 Federal Project Director and held both leadership and strategic planning roles at the Paducah Site starting in 2004. At Paducah, he managed environmental remediation work at the site, returning the former gaseous diffusion plant from a commercial enrichment company back to DOE and initiating several utility and infrastructure optimization projects.
Since joining DOE in 2001, Mr. Knerr has also served as the transuranic waste certification team leader at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and led a project team of DOE waste management experts in resolving multiple complex-wide radioactive waste management issues.
His background includes radioactive and hazardous waste management, nuclear criticality safety, nuclear safety, transuranic waste characterization and certification, nuclear facility decontamination and decommissioning, environmental regulations, project management, strategic planning, and baseline management. Mr. Knerr also has over nine years’ experience as a nuclear criticality safety engineer supporting contractor operations at DOE’s Pantex Plant, Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and Y-12 Plant.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering from Penn State University.

Joel Leeman

Senior Director, Infrastructure, Nevada National Security Site

Joel Leeman serves as the Nevada National Security Sites’ (NNSS) Senior Director of Infrastructure, which comprises Program Management, Project Planning and Delivery, Engineering, Construction, Maintenance and Site Services functions. Made up of ten locations, NNSS provides unique national security experimental capabilities with the largest site (over 1,300 square miles) located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Leeman has spent more than thirty years in federal or contractor management positions/assignments at key sites within the nuclear weapons complex and Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) offices. From facility operations to senior program management positions, Leeman has served at various sites, including Los Alamos, Albuquerque Operations Office and DOE Headquarters. His training and duties have included management, support or oversight of technical organizations conducting operations, manufacturing, construction, security, etc., as well as federal and contractor budget and business management processes.
Leeman joined the NNSS in 2010, and the Infrastructure portfolio has experienced significant growth with major improvements in strategic and integrated planning, project management, field execution, sustainability, and site consolidation and modernization. NNSS Infrastructure includes an approximate $400 million annual portfolio and 1,000 person technical and craft workforce that ensure weapons programs, site infrastructure and related capabilities are available and sustained to meet national security mission and modernization objectives. Primary emphases are on planning and execution within a structured, risk-based, business approach to nuclear and high-hazard activities in a high-security operating environment.
Prior to joining the NNSS, Leeman joined Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2004 as Deputy Associate Director for Operations. From 2006 to 2010, he served as Deputy Principal Associate Director for Weapons Programs and Program Director for Weapons Infrastructure, with responsibility for a $600 million/year portfolio that supported a wide array of nuclear and high-hazard facilities, cutting-edge technologies, a highly trained workforce and complex construction projects.
Leeman holds undergraduate and graduate engineering degrees from Pennsylvania State University and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Gary Lyttek

Senior Business Source Manager, Office of Partnership & Acquisition Services, NNSA

For twenty-four years, Mr. Gary G. Lyttek has been the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Senior Business Source Manager, for Small Business Programs. He is responsible for small business program efforts nationwide for this nuclear defense-oriented organization with obligations of over $22 billion dollars annually. In FY 2024, through his leadership, NNSA has funded over $5 billion with small businesses through prime and subcontracting programs. Gary’s focus is to expand small business capabilities into some of the most demanding and technically sensitive functional areas of the organization. He has been recognized for his innovation and leadership as well as receiving several awards for his dedication in promoting “maximum practicable opportunities” for small businesses. He has thirty-nine years of Federal service.
His education includes: Annenberg Leadership Institute Fellowship graduate; Masters of Public Administration – Budget and Public Finance concentration, George Washington University, Washington, DC, 1994, U.S. Department of Energy Management Intern Development Program – 1991, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois, 1989.

Bridgitte Mase

CEO, DeMase Technical Services, LLC

Ms. Mase is the CEO of DeMase Technical Services, an SBA-Certified small, women-owned business in the Oak Ridge, TN area, created by experts in the energy, nuclear, and defense market to enable safe, secure development and operation of the nation’s information technology and nuclear infrastructure. Ms. Mase leads professionals in the fields of cybersecurity, next generation information technologies, artificial intelligence, nuclear engineering, and nuclear technologies. Ms. Mase is an expert in cybersecurity technologies and compliance, serving the U.S. Defense Industrial Base leading CMMC assessments as a lead CMMC Certified Assessor and establishing secure government cloud environments for government agencies and government contractors. She additionally facilitates secure operations for critical infrastructure systems and enterprise information systems, leading teams of highly qualified industry leaders in the Cybersecurity, IT, and nuclear industries. She supports the Department of Energy and Department of Defense, as well as private sector clients in establishing and maintaining a secure, compliant cybersecurity infrastructure.
Ms. Mase is a University of Tennessee Alumni and holds a B.A. in Technical Writing and an M.S. in Computer Science and more than twenty-years of experience leading the implementation of innovative solutions to complex problems in highly controlled environments holding executive leadership roles across government, national laboratories, nuclear, and scientific research business lines. Prior to starting DeMase Technical Services, she held other key executive leadership roles such as the Vice President of Cyber and Technology Solutions at Boston Government Services, Director of IT and Cyber Security for Atkins Global Nuclear, VP of IT/Cyber at Nuclear Safety Associates. She has served as CISO, vCISO, IT Program Manager, Information Systems Security Manager, and Operations Manager for various government contracts, led cyber security audit and assessment efforts, and facilitated major IT consolidation and transition efforts. She also managed the Computing Integration and the Scientific Information Systems Groups at Oak Ridge National Laboratory supporting multiple 24-hour User Facilities at the Spallation Neutron Source and High Flux Isotope Reactor. Ms. Mase is heavily involved in initiatives supporting Women in Cyber Security and STEM. She serves on multiple IT Advisory Councils and professional organizations, including serving as Chair of the Energy Facilities Contractors Group (EFCOG) Cyber Security Working Group. She is dedicated to technology advancements that ensure a safe, secure, energy-efficient national infrastructure.

Karen Massey

Senior Energy and Sustainability Consultant, AECOM

Karen Massey is the Operations Leadership Senior Manager for AECOM’s Energy and ESG Advisory Practice where she leads a team of consultants and provides technical expertise and guidance on projects relating to decarbonization, grid modernization, resilience, and sustainability. Her clients include National Laboratories, state and municipal entities, non-profits, and private businesses. An attorney by training, she has experience in innovative finance, energy and environmental policy, regulatory affairs, and infrastructure development. Prior to joining AECOM Karen worked in state government as the executive director of Missouri’s energy and pollution control financing authority. During this time, she led teams and developed programs providing over $2 billion in funding for industry, business, utilities, and governmental entities for projects relating to decarbonization, renewable energy, energy efficiency, water, wastewater, and solid and hazardous wastes.

Robert Meek

Small Business Program Manager, DOE-Savannah River Site (DOE SR)

Mr. Robert Meek currently serves as the Small Business Program Manager and Business Management Analyst for Savannah River Sites, Office of Acquisition Management. In this capacity, he provides overall small business program direction, program oversight, and reporting of the Savannah River Sites Small Business Portfolio, as well as all acquisitions-related reporting and analysis. These portfolios approach an annual small business spend in excess of $1 billion.
Mr. Meek received his BS in General Studies, with an emphasis in Intelligence Studies and Analysis, from American Military University. He is a graduate of numerous military leadership programs, and he has over 28 years of experience in analytics, policy, and contracting with the federal government.
Mr. Meek began his federal service career as an active-duty member of the United States Army before retiring after 20 years of service and beginning work for DOE at Savannah River Site in 2016. Mr. Meek is a proud father of four children. When not at work, he spends his time with family and enjoys being in the outdoors. His love for the outdoors has led to his volunteering with youth and service member groups to assist with education and discovery of hunting and fishing opportunities in Georgia and South Carolina.

Michael Mikolanis

Manager, Savannah River Field Office, NNSA

Michael A. Mikolanis is the Manager of NNSA’s Savannah River Field Office (SRFO), a
position he has held since March 2024. As the SRFO Manager, he leads a team of approximately 50 Federal employees in managing and operating contracts with an annual budget of $2.9 billion, and a contract workforce of over 5,000 people. He is responsible for the implementation of national security and nonproliferation missions by providing oversight of program management, nuclear operations, security, quality assurance, environment, safety and health, and the overall execution of key mission deliverables. He is a member of the Senior Executive Service.
Before coming to SRFO, Mr. Mikolanis served as the Manager of the Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) from August 2021 to March 2024. As the EM-LA Manager his primary responsibility was to oversee the safe, efficient legacy waste cleanup from the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This included the shipment of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, NM, and soil and groundwater remediation programs. Additionally, Mr. Mikolanis led the planning and preparation for future below-ground waste remediation at LANL with the EM-LA team and legacy waste cleanup contractor. Stakeholder, community, and pueblo engagement was a top priority for Mr. Mikolanis, and under his leadership, EM-LA has enhanced and increased outreach and public participation opportunities.
Previously Mr. Mikolanis served as Assistant Manager for Nuclear Material Stabilization at the Savannah River Site (SRS) for four years. In this capacity, he was responsible for providing overall leadership and direction of activities related to the receipt, storage, stabilization, and disposition of nuclear materials, spent nuclear fuel, by-products, and activities associated with the Savannah River National Laboratory and multiple SRS analytical laboratories.
Mr. Mikolanis has held other leadership positions at SRS, including Assistant Manager for Infrastructure and Environmental Stewardship, Site Chief Engineer, and Waste Disposition Engineering Division Director. Prior to SRS, he served as a Departmental Representative Issue Lead in the Office of the Undersecretary of Energy, where he was responsible for overseeing engineering and nuclear safety activities at facilities that treat and dispose of legacy transuranic waste and liquid high-level radioactive waste.
As part of his vast 37 years of experience, he held leadership positions with Bechtel Power Corporation and the U.S. Navy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a professional engineer, licensed in the state of Maryland.

Jay Mullis

Manager, DOE Oak Ridge Environmental Management (OREM)

John (Jay) Arthur Mullis II is the Field Office Manager of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM). He has held this post from November 2017 until November 2021 and again from January 2023 until present. As the Manager, he is responsible for safely executing the environmental cleanup of the 32,400-acre Oak Ridge Reservation. He is proud that his federal and contractor team delivered the completion of all facility decontamination and demolition at the East Tennessee Technology Park four years ahead of schedule and well under budget.
From November 2021 until January 2023, he served as the acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs (EM-4) for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. In this role, he provides day-to-day oversight and management of the EM regulatory and policy affairs operations including infrastructure; deactivation and demolition (D&D); soil and groundwater remediation; tank closures; waste disposal; packaging & transportation; and regulatory, intergovernmental and stakeholder affairs.
Jay 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 was a fully certified Facility Representative for the DOE.
Jay has more than 30 years of federal service. His experience consists of approximately nine years working 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.

Nicole Nelson-Jean

Associate Administrator for Infrastructure (NA-90), 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.

Diana Osbourne

Small Business Program Manager, 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 $4 billion dollars of spend in her career with over 60 percent going to small businesses.

Ron Pierce

Director, OSDBU

Ron Pierce is the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU). Previously, he served as an independent management consultant, addressing issues on environmental and climate change for small businesses.
He spent five years as Senior Director of PBS Veterans and Small Business Initiatives on the Station Services Team.
Ron served 11 years as a U.S. Army Officer. He earned his B.S. from U. S. Military Academy at West Point and holds a Master of International Affairs from The Naval Postgraduate School.

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.

Candice Robertson

Senior Adviser, DOE Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM)

As the Senior Advisor for Environmental Management, Candice Robertson provides leadership for the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy brought about from eight decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.
Robertson has over 20 years of experience leading all aspects of radioactive waste management, with more than a decade in senior executive roles at the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Previously, she served as a senior policy advisor for the Office of Environmental Management (EM). In this role, she led EM’s efforts to site industrial-scale energy projects at EM sites as part of the DOE Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative.
Robertson’s experience spans the entirety of the EM mission, having served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Services, Director of External Affairs, and Chief of Staff. In addition to her leadership within EM, Robertson previously served as a Nye County Commissioner in Nevada, DOE’s Chief Human Capital Officer, senior staff for three Energy Deputy Secretaries and Chief of Staff to Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Bradley Crowell.

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.

Jason Scarberry

Director, Process Building Deactivation, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth

Jason Scarberry has 22-years as an experienced project manager and engineer with expertise in the nuclear and commercial manufacturing industries, including 12+ years at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) in Piketon, Ohio. His experience includes being a key member of the site’s leadership team, strategy development for deactivation, and leading a team of over 400 professionals in a decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) environment. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio and a Certified Project Management Professional.

Jake Sena

Deputy, Mission Execution, Acquisition Services Management, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

As an ASM Deputy Division Leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Jake is responsible for leading the Groups that deliver procurement services to programs and projects across the institution. Jake has been in this current Deputy Division Leader role at LANL for nearly a year and previously served in multiple management roles within the Procurement and Prime Contract organizations at Sandia National Labs for over 13 years. Jake gained his passion for the national security mission and started his career in Contracting at General Dynamics- Ordnance and Tactical Systems in St. Petersburg, FL in 2005. Jake holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s in business administration and has earned recognition for his dedication to supporting critical programs and for his commitment to philanthropy.

Dana Sexton

Chief, Project Delivery Section, USACE Nashville District

Dana Sexton received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 2010 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2015. She started her professional career as an engineer at Arnold Air Force Base in 2010. In 2016, she joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District where she worked as a project manager on multiple business lines including water supply, flood risk management, and hydropower. She is currently the Chief of the Project Delivery Section where she supervises project managers working to deliver the Civil Works mission of the Nashville District. She is also a registered professional engineer (PE) in the state of TN and project management professional (PMP). Mrs. Sexton resides in Hendersonville, Tennessee with her husband, two sons, and dog.

Jennie Stults

Deputy Project Manager, Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo)

Jennie Stults is the Deputy Project Manager for the Central Plateau Cleanup Company, an Amentum-led DOE contractor leading operations at Hanford’s 10-year, $10 billion Central Plateau Cleanup Contract. CPCCo is the main environmental remediation contractor at Hanford, where they lead nuclear operations for 14 hazard category 2/3 facilities.
Jennie has 27 years of experience in the nuclear and environmental cleanup field, serving both as a leader on complex projects and a change agent in program organizations. She has worked on diverse projects executing cleanup priorities for the Department of Energy Environmental Management, serving in key business-development, regulatory-strategy and compliance-focused leadership roles.
As Deputy Project Manager, Jennie directly supports execution of all management, cleanup and operating functions for CPCCo, performing activities ranging from high-risk environmental cleanup, groundwater remediation to nuclear material storage. She supports the President in providing vision, leadership, and driving advancement of the closure mission.
She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, majoring in microbiology and chemistry and is a certified PMP.

Rich Tighe

President and Chief Executive Officer, Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS)

Mickey Wade was named Associate Laboratory Director for the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate in April 2023. Before that, he served as Division Director for Fusion Energy for three years.
Wade recently served as deputy director of the Magnetic Fusion Energy Division for General Atomics and has extensive experience in fusion energy research, programmatic development, and strategic planning.
Under his leadership, the Fusion Energy Division is developing the understanding required for an attractive fusion energy source through domestic and international research collaborations, pursuing near-term applications to close the fusion fuel cycle and mitigate plasma disruptions, and developing solutions to materials and fusion nuclear science challenges presented by the harsh fusion environment. The organization also supports the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment. As part of his role, works closely with the U.S. ITER Project Office, which is based at ORNL.
In 15 years at General Atomics, Wade also served as the DIII-D national fusion program director and DIII-D experimental science division director. From 1994-2005, he was a senior scientist at ORNL. He was also a leader in developing support and advocacy for ITER and served as co-chair of the U.S. Magnetic Research Strategic Directions Community Workshops.
Over more than 30 years, Wade has written or co-written more than 300 publications and been involved in numerous fusion energy community activities. He was named a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2010 for his outstanding contributions to burning plasma physics, impurity transport and the development of advanced tokamak scenarios.
Wade received a bachelor’s degree in nuclear science and engineering from Virginia Tech and master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear engineering from Georgia Tech. He is a member of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, where he co-chairs the Science Committee. He is also a member of the KSTAR, EAST, and WEST international advisory committees.

Mickey Wade

Associate Laboratory Director for Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Colby Yeary

Site Manager, Pantex Plant, Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS)

Colby Yeary serves as the site manager of the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. In this role, he oversees operations at the plant to sustain a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent. Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC is the management and operating contractor for the Pantex Plant and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
In his previous role as the Chief Operating Officer for CNS, he oversaw the administrative and operational functions of Pantex and Y-12. Prior to that, he served as the executive action officer for Pantex Production Optimization and led a cross functional team tasked with maximizing weapons deliverables and positioning the plant to deliver production output on significant increases in future work.
Colby also previously served as acting vice president for Mission Engineering, where he led more than 1,400 engineers, scientists, and contracted staff at Pantex and Y 12.
Previously, Yeary was the deputy manager for Mission Engineering. Before joining Mission Engineering, Colby provided leadership as the senior director of Stockpile Programs within Program Integration. He was responsible for the successful execution of weapons development and sustainment activities in accordance with the scope, schedule, quality, and cost expectations – roughly a $750M portfolio. Colby has worked at Pantex for more than 15 years and has experience in Program Management, Project Management, Operations, and Weapons Engineering organizations. He has had management responsibilities at both Pantex and Y 12 since the start of the CNS contract.
Prior to joining Pantex, Colby served in a variety of engineering and project management capacities with Chevron USA Incorporated. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Nebraska and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University.

Brian Zieroth

Project Manager, Uranium Processing Facility (UPF), Bechtel International

Brian Zieroth brings nearly three decades of industry experience with Bechtel. He currently serves as the Senior Project Manager for the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) in Oak Ridge, TN, a plant designed to replace older, outdated facilities and meet modern safety and environmental standards. Upon completion, UPF will replace WWII-era production facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. At UPF, Brian provides senior leadership across all aspects of engineering, procurement, construction, startup, and commissioning activities.
Other key roles in Brian’s career include Director for Enterprise Line-Item Projects at Consolidated Nuclear Security, where he provided oversight for the Y-12 site in Oak Ridge and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, TX; Project Manager for the Chemistry and Metallurgy Replacement Project (CMRR) at Los Alamos National Laboratory; and Area Project Manager for High Level Waste (HLW) at the Waste Vitrification Facility in Hanford, WA. He has also held management positions at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project, and the Iraq Infrastructure Reconstruction Project.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The London School of Economics and Political Science.