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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.
View Recipients
Downloads: Download Nomination Form
Nomination Deadline
March 1
Presented at the
Annual Conference
The Meritorious Performance in Operations Award recognizes outstanding performance by both licensed and unlicensed personnel in the operation of nuclear facilities. It can be awarded to an individual or group who worked as a team.
The outstanding performance may be activities of the following type:
Nominees need not be ANS members, but shall be individuals of good character who are, or who have been, active in nuclear operations.
The award consists of an engraved plaque to be presented to the recipient(s) at an OPD function at the ANS Annual Conference.
This award was established in 1984 on the recommendation of the Operations and Power Division (previously known as the Reactor Operations Division) . A major objective is to encourage exemplary performance in nuclear operations and to recognize truly meritorious contributions irrespective of organizational affiliation.
Nominations of worthy candidates for the award are solicited by the chair of the OPD Honors and Awards Committee and can be submitted by any member of the Society. The award need not be given in periods when qualified candidates are not submitted. Multiple awards are allowed in a year when more than one exceptionally qualified candidate is submitted.
The award is intended for both licensed and unlicensed personnel who comprise an active part in the operation of a nuclear facility and who have performed in an exemplary manner.
Indications of such performance may be the following:
A panel constituted by the chair of the OPD Honors and Awards Committee makes the selection of the recipient. The ANS Honors and Awards Committee is available for consultation and review as appropriate.
Nomination forms and supporting documents (in Word or Adobe Acrobat) should be emailed to honors@ans.org.
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