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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
NUCLEAR AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPACE (NETS-2025) PLENARY SPEAKER
Harsh has over 16 years of experience in developing and deploying clean energy technologies. In his current capacity as the Chief Commercialization Officer, he is responsible for supply chain, policy and government affairs efforts for Zeno Power.
His past roles include being a senior manager at the Nuclear Energy Institute, Advisor at the US Department of Energy, advisor to the executive leadership of the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, senior nuclear engineer at Knolls Atomic Lab and nuclear engineer at GE. Notably, Harsh served as the ANS Congressional Fellow and Legislative Advisor in the U.S. Senate covering energy, transportation, climate change, and appropriations portfolios.
Harsh has an MBA from New York University’s Stern Business School, along with BS & MS in Nuclear Engineering from NC State University.
Harsh currently serves as an officer the American Nuclear Society as Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors. He is a Non-resident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council and serves on the NC State’s Nuclear Engineering Department Advisory Committee.
Harsh enjoys going on adventures, such as chasing tornadoes, being an avid photographer, brewing, and gardening with his mini-me.
Last modified April 16, 2025, 1:50pm CDT