Jim Daffron is the acting portfolio federal project director for environmental cleanup at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM).
As federal project director, Daffron oversees all of the planned and ongoing environmental cleanup operations at ORNL. That work includes decommissioning and demolishing ORNL’s former nuclear research and isotope production facilities, eliminating the inventory of uranium-233 stored at the site, ensuring aging buildings and waste treatment systems remain safe, and completing the processing and disposal of the remaining transuranic waste.
Previously, Mr. Daffron served as a senior project manager for OREM. He has more than 25 years of engineering and management experience. Prior to joining the Department of Energy, he served in various engineering and management positions supporting government and private environmental cleanup and energy conservation studies, design, and construction projects. He is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, with 30 years of active duty and reserve service, providing extensive leadership, engineering, and construction experience.
Mr. Daffron is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Tennessee, and he is a certified Project Management Professional. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Tennessee. He also received a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.