The Department of Energy's ETEC team remembers Stephanie Jennings, who dedicated more than a decade to cleanup efforts at SSFL.
Energy Technology Engineering Center
June 9, 2025
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Kindness, resilience, integrity and service.
Those are just a few of the words Stephanie “Stephie” Jennings’ family used to describe her character.
Jennings, the former federal project deputy director for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), died April 5 at the age of 76 from complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease.
“Her loss leaves a profound void in the lives of her family, friends and the countless people she inspired,” said Sarah Jennings, one of Stephie’s daughters. “She was a source of inspiration and comfort to everyone fortunate enough to cross her path.”
Melissa Thomas said her mother’s smile and laugh were contagious and she loved everyone everywhere she went.
“She was always giving and helping others – that’s what she dedicated her life to. And she fiercely loved her family,” Thomas said. “She would always find the good in every situation and she didn’t dwell on the negative. Mom was always saying it will look better tomorrow.”
Jennings brought that same positivity and dedication to her career of more than 40 years in environmental remediation project management, including work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Advanced Sciences, Inc., and DOE.
Prior to joining DOE in 2007, Jennings worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory and led the team that developed national safety standards for transuranic waste facilities. She also participated in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) activities in Idaho and Washington and at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico.
During her tenure at ETEC, Jennings was an integral part of remediation activities in Area IV and the Northern Buffer Zone at SSFL, the portion of the 2,850-acre former rocket engine testing and nuclear research facility where DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) is charged with cleanup. She also oversaw the federal environmental review process in her role as the NEPA compliance officer for the site.
Thomas said their family moved to Simi Valley to support Jennings and her work at SSFL.
“We [as a family] felt strongly about cleaning up the site and were committed to making the community better for her grandchildren. It was often something she said at public meetings,” she said.
John Jones, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Deputy Associate Director for infrastructure and lifecycle management, started working with Jennings in 2011 when he served as the federal project director for ETEC.
“Stephie Jennings was a consummate professional, intelligent, efficient and one of the hardest workers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She was also very competitive and had a fiery spirit,” Jones said. He added that they were a great team with a “Yin-Yang energy” while working toward remediation for the site, and they maintained contact after Jennings’ retirement in 2019.
“I will miss my dear friend and will pray for her loved ones as they grieve Stephie’s loss,” Jones said.
Jennings is survived by her daughters, Melissa Thomas and Sarah Jennings; sons-in-law Eric Thomas and Joshua Ludwick;
grandchildren, Lauryn Thomas, William Thomas and Zackary Thomas; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and
grandnephews.
-Contributor: Melissa Simon