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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Latest News
The transformation of the NRC: 50 years of commissioners
The dust is beginning to settle following the whirlwind of changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the past year, and 2025 ultimately may be viewed as a transformative year, as well as the year the NRC celebrated its golden anniversary. The 12 months of that milestone year brought more change to the agency in its composition, its mandate, and its relationship to the executive branch than any comparable period in the preceding four decades.
Now at 51 years and counting, the NRC is working with a full commission and issuing new rulemakings to both regulate and support the next round of nuclear deployments. With the turbulence of 2025 still fresh in our minds, Nuclear News decided it was a good time to revisit the professional backgrounds of all 42 NRC commissioners who have served over the agency’s 50-year history to see how the composition of the commission has evolved over time.
Alexander Sesonske
University of Florida (First Place)Kansas State University (Second Place)University of Maryland (Third Place)University of Missouri-Columbia (Third Place_University of New Mexico (Third Place)University of Wisconsin-Madison (Third Place)
William M. Thompson
Ronald M. Gilgenbach
Michael D. McCormickLynn R. Wallis
Trinity (Best Overall, Large)Eastern Carolinas (Best Overall, Small)Eastern Washington (ANS Local Section Exhibit, Section Management, Meetings and Programs, Public Information and Management)Idaho (Membership Development, Section Management, Meetings and Programs)Northern Pennsylvania (Membership Development)Delaware Valley (Meetings and Programs)Pittsburgh (Meetings and Programs)San Diego (Public Information and Management)Florida (Public Information and Management)Connecticut (Public Information and Management)
FFTF Reactor Operations Management Team: R. H. DavisG. B. GriffinD. G. HamrickL. E. HarvilleC. P. WickD. J. SwaimJohn C. Merritt, Jr. (Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company)Team: Shuh-Ji Tsuei (Taiwan Power Company)Shoei-Jin LiaoNeng-Fu Shih
Rizwan-uddin
Chicago Pile - 5 Experimental Boiling Water Reactor High Flux Beam Reactor Northwest Electro-development Laboratory
B. Stephen CarpenterWilliam L. McLaughlin
Arthur B. Chilton
David Okrent
Morris Udall
John O'Sullivan
GraduateUniversity of TennesseeScott Thomas, Leonard Palko, Aiman Amer, Luiz Leal, Jerry KingUndergraduateUniversity of Notre DameDavid Dusing, Gerald Goldner, Michael MacLennan, Yerolemos Michael, John MullaneHonorable Mention - GraduateUniversity of TennesseeJeff Buczek, Mike Roberts, Chris Robinson, Wilson VieraHonorable Mention - UndergraduateGeorgia Institute of TechnologyDavid N. Anthony, Kathleen A. Gustad, Tanya M. Hall, Philip C. Howell, John R. Thatcher, Jr.
Salomon Levy
Spencer H. Bush
Nunzio J. Palladino
