Joel B. Bradburne was named Acting Assistant Secretary for the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM) on Sept. 10, 2025, bringing his over two decades of service with DOE projects across the nation. He provides leadership for the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy brought about from eight decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.
He comes to EM headquarters from his position as Manager of the Department of Energy's Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO). He joined PPPO in June 2009 serving as site lead for the Portsmouth Site until becoming Deputy Manager in 2017 and then Manger in 2021. In this capacity he is responsible for the deactivation and demolition of the former gaseous diffusion facilities at the Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky sites, and the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Project at both locations.
His more than 30 years of program and project management experience includes work in shipyards, commercial nuclear, and foreign nuclear site decommissioning.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Bridgewater College in Virginia, a master’s degree in environmental management from the University of Findlay in Ohio, and is a certified project management professional.