Question and Answer: Idaho Manager Provides Practical Advice to Next Generation Workforce

Shawna Burtenshaw, senior project manager of Decommissioning and Demolition (D&D) Projects for cleanup contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition at the Idaho Cleanup Project, stands in front of the Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse naval reactor prototype plant. Crews are set to finish demolition of the plant this year.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Shawna Burtenshaw leads a team gearing up to finish the demolition of a submarine reactor prototype plant this year, a project that will reduce the legacy footprint of the Naval Reactors Facility and advance environmental cleanup at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site.

Burtenshaw is the senior project manager of Decommissioning and Demolition (D&D) Projects for Idaho Cleanup Project contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition.

The Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse (S1W) naval reactor prototype plant once served as a training ground for about 14,000 U.S. Navy submariners and plant operators. Earlier this year, crews successfully removed, transported and disposed of the prototype’s reactor vessel, one of the last heavy components from the S1W, in an onsite landfill at the INL Site.

Burtenshaw grew up on a ranch in Idaho before she started working at the INL Site over 40 years ago. She began her career as a document control clerk at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (CPP), now known as the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. The key project at that time was to construct CPP-666, which is a storage facility that supported the U.S. Department of Energy spent nuclear fuel mission. This project piqued her interest in construction and with the support of her supervisors, Burtenshaw was able to develop skills that helped her advance to the career she has today.

From construction, Burtenshaw moved into scheduling, cost estimation, radiation protection, emergency management, nuclear operations and demolition. Notably, she has worked for nine contractors at eight different facilities on the INL Site. She has served in several management roles throughout the years.

Burtenshaw shared insights from her variety of experiences in a Q&A with EM Update:

What is the best advice you have been given about working in your field?

Expect the unexpected and look ahead.

What are some of your favorite things about your job?

It’s always something different every day. It presents challenges and opportunities so that any given day you may be celebrating success, resolving issues, or managing and recovering from an event.

What challenges do you face in your field?

The work always comes to an end; construction and D&D are always working yourself out of a job.

What has the most difficult day in your career taught you?

Difficult situations arise in any job. I think it’s important to be sensitive while remaining professional and resilient.

How have you overcome hurdles in your career?

I have worked hard, took on a lot of new challenges and have had good management that helped and supported me along the way. With each contractor, career and facility change, you need to be able to adjust and learn from everyone. No matter what the situation, there are always lessons to be learned.

What advice would you give someone considering a career in your field?

Come to work early, work hard, have integrity and earn respect. You would need to like field work, which is cold and dirty, but it is also fun and rewarding. Most of all, surround yourself with good people because your team makes your success.

What advice would you give a woman working in construction, still early in her career?

Learn all you can from everyone you work with, good and bad. Earn your coworkers’ respect, do not demand it. Try anything you think you have an interest in. The important thing to remember is don’t be afraid of change. You cannot grow if you don’t accept change and recognize an opportunity. Keep learning and growing.

-Contributor: Leamarie Mitchell