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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Two steps forward for U.K. advanced nuclear
This week, two significant announcements have emerged from the United Kingdom’s advanced reactor sector.
On June 14, Rolls-Royce, the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced that they had signed two trilateral memorandums of cooperation to collaborate on “advanced modular reactor (AMR) technology, specifically high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR), and the coated particle fuel these reactors will use.”
Separately, on June 16, Bellevue, Wash.–based TerraPower announced that its Natrium reactor design has been formally submitted for U.K. regulatory review. The company also announced the formation of a new subsidiary, TerraPower UK Ltd.
Global 2026
President & Chief Executive Officer
Utilities Service Alliance (USA)
Karen serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Utilities Service Alliance (USA) and has over 40 years of experience in commercial nuclear power. As President & CEO of USA, she oversees the company’s business strategies and objectives and provides organizational leadership for the company. USA is an alliance that is dedicated to helping member utilities achieve and maintain safe, cost-effective top quartile operations.
Prior to joining UUSA, Karen served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Urenco, USA, the nation’s only large scale enricher of uranium for nuclear power. Karen has also served as the Site Vice President for two different nuclear power plants: Vogtle 3 & 4 and Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant. She also served as the Vice President of Nuclear Projects at Xcel Energy and Vice President of Nuclear Oversight at FirstEnergy.
Karen holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Mississippi College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State University. She has a Senior Reactor Operator Certification, Professional Project Management Certification, and attended the Wharton Executive Program. Karen is an active member in the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), the American Nuclear Society, and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council in the Bagley College of Engineering and Foundation Board at Mississippi State University. Karen also serves on the Executive Advisory Council for Women In Nuclear. In 2018, Karen received a Distinguished Engineering Fellow from the Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University. In 2022, Karen was named one of the “Women Worth Watching in STEM” by the Diversity Journal.