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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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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 RECIPIENTSSUBMIT NOMINATION
Nomination Deadline
March 1
Presented at the
Annual Conference
Monetary Award
TBD
The David Okrent Award for Nuclear Safety recognizes recent contributions and accomplishments of significant value to nuclear safety. The award is open to ANS members under the age of 40 (at the time of nomination) active in the field of nuclear safety. Particular attention shall be given to identifying and recognizing valuable contributions by young professionals and students to the safety community and to NISD sponsored activities. Recipient qualifications shall be documented in recommendation letters to the NISD H&AC as part of the nomination process.
This award is not intended to be given on an annual basis, but rather when the NISD H&AC deems such recognition to be appropriate.
The award consists of an engraved plaque that will be presented by the chair of the NISD-EC at the 1st NISD session of the ANS Annual Conference. It may be accompanied by a monetary gift if the NISD-EC so decides. Whether to present a monetary gift and, if so, its amount, will be determined on a yearly basis by the NISD-EC unless a perpetual financial plan is enacted.
This award was established by the Nuclear Installations Safety Division in 2019 and is named in honor of Professor David Okrent to commemorate his many valuable contributions to nuclear technology and nuclear safety made during a lifetime career in research and teaching.
Among his many contributions, Dr. Okrent served for many years as a member and chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) during the formative years for the development and evolution of nuclear reactor safety. His remarkable insight resulted in many valuable contributions covering numerous areas, including (a) probabilistic considerations in nuclear reactor safety (PSA), (b) anticipated transients without scram (ATWS), and (c) safety goals (e.g., answering the question, “how safe is safe enough?”). Many of these contributions are reflected in the current regulatory approach in the U.S. and worldwide. Dr. Okrent was the founding father of the ANS Nuclear Reactor Safety Division (now called Nuclear Installations Safety Division) and was a very active member of ANS during his entire career. He was an outstanding mentor and teacher who always encouraged and assisted his colleagues and students in their professional pursuits. In view of the above, it is only fitting that ANS should honor Dr. Okrent for his many contributions by establishing in his name a national award that emphasizes the importance of recognizing contributions by young professionals and students.
The NISD Honors and Awards Committee (NISD-H&AC) shall administer the selection process. The national Honors and Awards Committee is available for consultation and review as appropriate. The NISD-H&AC shall periodically advertise widely concerning the existence of this award and also concerning how a name can be placed in nomination for it. The NISD-H&AC shall report their activity regarding this award to the NISD Executive Committee (NISD-EC).
Nominations must include the completed nomination form accompanied by the following supporting documents:
View Award
