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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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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.
Technical Session|Panel
Tuesday, February 4, 2025|3:20–5:00PM EST|Cumberland A
Session Chair:
Drew Thomas (INL)
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
Olivia Blackmon (ORAU)
Community colleges have played a critical role in training the nuclear energy workforce and supporting emerging educational needs both from a regional and national standpoint. In 2007, the U.S. nuclear industry established the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program to support standardization of curriculum supported by industry. The success of NUCP resulted in numerous programs and the reinvigoration of interest in nuclear energy training within the community college system. Since 2007, programs supporting NUCP have continued to decline as the nuclear workforce landscape has shifted in a variety of ways. This panel will explore the origins and history of the NUCP, lessons learned from experiences of the 2000's and 2010's, and discuss what it takes to create viable and long-term workforce pathways, challenges around creating those pathways, and emerging workforce needs for next-generation nuclear reactor development.
Mark Verbeck
TerraPower
Kevin Cooper
Indian River State College
Olivia Blackmon
ORAU
Jesus Mota
Columbia Basin College
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Presentation Slides (Visible to Attendees) — ORAU
Presentation Slides (Visible to Attendees) — RCNET