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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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September 2025
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August 2025
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From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
Recertification is intended to ensure continued competence through the ongoing development of knowledge and skills in the nuclear field. The process reinforces a commitment to professional growth, safety, regulatory awareness, and evolving industry practices.
All CNPs are required to renew their certification every three years, with the certification cycle ending on December 31 of the third year following initial certification or the most recent renewal.
To maintain the CNP credential, certificants must meet the following recertification requirements:
As an alternative to submitting CE hours, certificants may choose to renew by examination. This option requires the individual to meet all other renewal requirements and successfully pass the current version of the CNP examination under the eligibility criteria in effect at the time of renewal.
All certificants are responsible for tracking their own recertification dates and maintaining records of their continuing education or examination activities. Continuing education must be relevant to the core competencies of the CNP program and aligned with professional roles and new or more recent information stemming from the nuclear industry.
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