The Energy Department’s cleanup office will soon formally post openings for two leadership jobs, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management Anne Marie White told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing last week.
The Office of Environmental Management will launch the official government hiring process for its principal deputy assistant secretary post, often referred to as EM-2, White noted following her presentation at the ExchangeMonitor’s RadWaste Summit in Henderson, Nev.
“Anyone is welcome to apply,” White said.
Last month, Energy Department veteran Jim Owendoff stepped down as EM-2 to become special adviser on nuclear cleanup issues at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Another longtime DOE hand, Mark Gilbertson, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for EM’s Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs, has taken over much of the EM-2 duties until someone takes the job on a permanent basis.
A similar posting will also be made soon for the office’s associate principal deputy assistant secretary for corporate services (EM-5). That slot is held on an acting basis by Shari Davenport, according to EM’s most recent organizational chart, dated June 1.
The department has already advertised for its next associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field services, White said. The job is now held on an acting basis by DOE veteran Ken Picha.
Although White will make the final hiring decision, she declined to speculate on when the posts will be filled. It’s the official government hiring process, which takes time, she added.
White, who took office in March, is anxious to finalize her leadership team in order to fully consider how best to act upon a White House report in June on government reform. The report called for streamlining management at the DOE cleanup office. “We’ve been looking at it. We are going to continue looking at it,” White said.
