Jeff Avery, a longtime manager with the Office of Naval Reactors, has been selected as the new second-in-command at the Department of Energy’s $7.8-billion Office of Environmental Management.
Avery, current director of regulatory and security affairs with the Office of Naval Reactors, officially becomes principal deputy assistant secretary for Environmental Management, or EM-2, effective in January, according to DOE’s acting head of nuclear cleanup, William (Ike) White.
White made the announcement Wednesday in an “EM Colleagues” email to staff that was viewed by Exchange Monitor.
In his current position, Avery oversees naval reactor work at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, and nuclear facility life-cycle management. He has also collaborated with Environmental Management on projects including a partnership to use the nuclear cleanup office to dismantle legacy radiological facilities at several Office of Naval Reactor sites, White went on to say.
During his 26 years at the Office of Naval Reactors, Avery managed nuclear-powered ship port entry world-wide, nuclear propulsion technology exchange programs with the United Kingdom, and strategic communications, White said. Avery has also held various jobs supporting the Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered ships.
Avery becomes the first permanent EM-2 since Todd Shrader left the nuclear cleanup program to head up a new DOE clean energy program in March.
The interim EM-2, longtime DOE manager Candice Robertson who had held the job since April, is leaving Environmental Management to become chief of staff for commissioner Brad Crowell at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“In his role as EM-2, Jeff will enable the safe and successful execution of the EM cleanup mission, while providing management oversight of activities, operations, and program integration across EM field sites,” White said in the email.
The incoming EM-2 holds a master of business administration from Indiana University, a master of engineering management from Old Dominion University in Virginia, a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in Indiana and is a graduate of the Bettis Reactor Engineering School, a naval postgraduate school.
A DOE Environmental Management spokesperson did not know if an interim EM-2 will be appointed for the period between Robertson’s Dec. 4 departure and Avery filling the post in January. The cleanup office could just have a “gap for a short time” over the winter holidays until Avery comes onboard in January, the spokesperson said.
In addition to White, the senior adviser who has essentially run nuclear cleanup since June 2019, and the incoming Avery, other top roles are field operations chief Nicole Nelson-Jean, the acting head of regulatory and policy affairs Jay Mullis and corporate services boss Dae Chung.
