Russell McCallister
Federal Cleanup Director
Russell J. McCallister serves as the Federal Cleanup Director of the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project (UMTRA). The UMTRA Project is a remedial action being performed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Office of Environmental Management to relocate uranium mill tailings and other contaminated materials (residual radioactive material) from its present location, Moab, Utah to the Crescent Junction Disposal Site, also in Utah. McCallister provides project-wide leadership on strategic planning, communications, fiscal planning, and programming, managing project risk, and engaging with stakeholders.
Prior to joining UMTRA, McCallister served as the Quality Assurance (QA) Manager of the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO). McCallister was responsible for the oversight and analysis of QA program guidance, policies, and doctrine to ensure effective QA operations within PPPO.
Before joining PPPO, McCallister served as Team Lead of the transuranic (TRU) waste certification group at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) in Carlsbad, NM. He oversaw all activities of the TRU waste certification acceptance of the waste received from across all of DOE at the WIPP underground waste repository and provided expert direction, policy, program and operational support to the WIPP TRU program.
From 1994-2004, McCallister worked in numerus positions at the Rocky Flats Field Office providing leadership to ensure that all policy, managerial, resource and administrative actions that impacted environmental programs were effectively completed.
McCallister started his federal career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a research chemist in nuclear physics.
McCallister has more than 30 years of federal service that spans the areas of nuclear technology, federal acquisition, program management, environmental management and emergency management. His also includes 10 years in the private sector.
McCallister holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in both Chemistry and Mathematics.