NS&D Monitor
8/29/2014
IN THE INDUSTRY
Bechtel executive Kim Cassara is joining Los Alamos National Laboratory as its associate director for Project Management starting Oct. 1, LANL Director Charlie McMillan said in a message to employees earlier this month. Cassara replaces Matt Nuckols, who left Los Alamos earlier this month to work on the Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12. Cassara most recently served as the vice president for Projects, Design, and Construction Services for Savannah River Remediation, LLC. Bechtel is part of the URS-led liquid waste contractor. McMillan said Cassara’s “excellent track record managing high-profile projects, and more than 30 years of experience in the DOE complex, make her uniquely qualified to handle large construction and site projects at Los Alamos, and the complex nature of our expansive and aging infrastructure.”
Former Y-12 Site Office Manager Ted Sherry has been hired as an associate deputy director in the Director’s Office at Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to a lab announcement. Sherry most recently worked as the senior manager for NNSA programs at the consulting firm Longenecker and Associates. He also served as the director of Homeland Protection and Advanced Concepts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory after he left Y-12 in 2011. “Ted’s leadership experience in overcoming major aging infrastructure challenges, his skills in project management and his expertise in nuclear operations are particularly welcome at a time when the Lab faces daunting challenges in each of these areas,” Los Alamos Director Charlie McMillan said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing Ted inject his energy, focus and expertise to help solve problems and spur positive change.” In a statement, L&A President John Longenecker called Sherry an “outstanding manager, a leader, and a friend, and we will miss him as part of our L&A professional family. However, we’re pleased that he has this opportunity with a great company like Bechtel and know that he will be a major asset to LANL in helping to solve the problems of today and the future.”
The consulting firm Longenecker and Associates added B&W executive Brenda Hunter to its roster this month. Hunter will serve as a senior project manager supporting strategic planning and program management for the company’s government and commercial clients. “We are thrilled to have someone of Brenda’s background and qualifications join our team, and look forward to working with her to expand our work in international markets,” L&A President John Longenecker said.
IN THE DNFSB
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board held a second meeting in Washington this week on the topic of safety culture. The meeting involved presentations from a current and a former Navy officer on how the Navy handles safety culture, as well as presentations from government and academic experts on how organizational leaders influence safety culture. The meeting follows one the Board held this spring in Washington to hear from representatives from the NRC and NASA on ways to assess safety culture and identify potential issues. The Board plans to hold a third meeting this fall on safety culture with representatives from the Department of Energy.
