LM’s Sara Woods Promoted to Oversee UMTRCA Title I Sites

Grand Junction Site Manager Sara Woods’ journey with the Office of Legacy Management (LM) began with an internship while studying Biological Sciences at then Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University) in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her father, a hydrogeologist who worked with the LM Support Partner (LMSP) for over three decades and had supported LM’s mission since its inception, told Woods about the opportunity, and the rest, as they say, is history.  

Now, Woods has been promoted to program manager for all Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) Title I sites. She’ll also continue to manage the Grand Junction Disposal and Processing Sites as well as the future Moab and Crescent Junction sites in Utah. Those sites are continuing the transfer of residual radioactive materials. 

“After my internship and obtaining my degree, I accepted a full-time job on the LM contract, specializing in environmental compliance for 12 years. This provided me with the opportunity to work on many LM sites under different regulatory requirements and diverse stakeholders,” said Woods.  

That experience positioned Woods well for overseeing one of LM’s largest site portfolios. 

“In October 2020, I had the opportunity to move to the federal side to serve the mission in a different capacity,” she said. “I’ve been blessed with many mentors over the past 18 years who have taught me and believed in me, helping me to have a depth of understanding of the LM mission that has led to my new role. I’m really looking forward to my experience in this next chapter.” 

Woods’ new role includes a wide range of responsibilities beyond ensuring the long-term stewardship of sites in her portfolio. She’ll mentor site management teams, compile and analyze sites trends and information, assess and reduce risk, and develop budgets, all with the aim of protecting human health and the environment. 

“My role as site manager for the Grand Junction sites, particularly the Grand Junction disposal site, has allowed me to work closely with Title I sites, providing a disposal option for residual radioactive material generated from those sites and across the region,” said Woods. “I’ve been able to collaborate with site managers and site leads, as well as support groups such as Environmental Compliance and Safety and Health, to ensure proper and safe disposal of Title I waste at LM’s only open disposal cell.” 

“Sara is a welcomed addition to the UMTRCA leadership team,” said LM Office Director Paul Kerl. “She was carefully selected as a strong match to both existing organizational culture and her ability to bring diverse expertise and continually improve and refine operations and site management going forward.” 

UMTRCA Title I sites are former uranium ore processing sites that finished operations by 1978. Currently, there are 22 UMTRCA Title I sites; 19 of these sites have engineered disposal cells created during remediation that contain uranium mill tailings and other low-level radioactive materials. 

Woods will remain with LM Environmental Team 1. LMSP UMTRCA Title I Site Manager Jordan Cario will serve as her programmatic peer alongside multiple site managers and site leads. In her new role, Woods will work closely with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, LM’s primary programmatic regulator, as well as numerous states, sites, and Tribal partners. She’ll coordinate closely with LM’s Site Transition Program Manager Tiffany Drake for future site transitions, including the UMTRCA Title I Moab and Crescent Junction, Utah, sites.  

Those who have worked alongside Woods say her promotion reflects years of technical expertise, leadership, and collaboration. 

“Sara has routinely brought together a trifecta of competence, compassion, and courage in all she does on both the contractor and federal teams to LM’s mission for more than 15 years,” said Kerl. “She also routinely sought out diverse multidisciplinary opportunities to further LM’s mission and help others in execution of their work. She is a natural and relatable leader who also has demonstrated capacity to lead others in a greater capacity.”