Engineers Week Spotlight: EM Experts Help Transform Liabilities Into Opportunities

EM highlights the contributions of five engineers we’ve interviewed across the cleanup complex for National Engineers Week.

Editor's Note: Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, National Engineers Week is dedicated to ensuring a well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. Engineers Week is from Feb. 16-22.

When did you begin working at the site and what got you interested in the cleanup mission?

I began working at the Portsmouth Site in 2013 at the American Centrifuge Plant as a process engineer. I transferred to the Gaseous Diffusion Plant cleanup operations in 2015 as a contractor. Within the last 11 years, I have worked for five different employers here at the Portsmouth Site in varying technical roles: from a non-destructive assay spec II, regulatory document developer, and technical DOE support lead to my current role with the DOE as the Portsmouth Site D&D Federal Project Director (FPD) for the Portsmouth Paducah Project Office (PPPO) since the spring of 2023.

I was born and raised here in Pike County, Ohio, on a 200-acre farm located less than 20 miles from the Portsmouth Site. My grandfather worked on the original construction of the plant and several of my aunts and uncles have worked here over the years in varying capacities. Many of my family members still live close by, including myself. The safe and complaint cleanup of the Portsmouth Site is not only vital for my community and the surrounding environment, but also personal. The opportunity to be part of the amazing team here at PPPO is an honor. 

Can you tell us a little about a project you have worked on?

Currently, I serve as the demolition deputy FPD and as the deactivation FPD. Recently, I served as the deputy FPD on the X-326 Process Building Demolition Project. This was the first of three process buildings to be deactivated and demolished as part of the cleanup here at the Portsmouth Site. The project was completed under budget and ahead of schedule with a total of 161,000 cubic yards of debris disposed of in the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility. As each facility is deactivated, demolished and disposed of, the environmental risk is reduced and the goal of reindustrialization of the land closes in.

How is your expertise making an impact on an EM project, or the mission in general?

Project management and technical communication have been a primary focus of my career with process improvement as a common thread. The DOE has procured the best of the best to complete the cleanup of the Portsmouth Site. It is my job as a federal project director to ensure I understand the challenges of the work to be performed and to engage the right entities to ensure a successful project in all aspects — safe, secure, compliant and cost effective. This is done by incorporating quality from the beginning, communicating often, and maintaining high expectations of myself and the team throughout the span of the project, which can span five-plus years in most cases.   

How do you measure team success?

The number one priority at the Portsmouth Site is safety. We expect all individuals to leave just as they came into work. This is the foundation of a successful team. When individuals feel valued and know their health and safety are truly important, they can do their best work, which will support a successful project. 

Our key performance indicators (KPPs) are driven by EM’s priorities, defined in our project execution plans and flowed down to our work packages that manage the work on the ground. These KPPs are monitored closely with team objectives developed to support the accomplishment of the KPPs. Safe and compliant completion of the project KPPs ahead of schedule and under budget are a recipe for success here at the Portsmouth Site.