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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
NUCLEAR AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPACE (NETS-2025) PLENARY SPEAKER
Joseph K. Miller is the president of BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC (AT), a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) focused on demonstrating and deploying new nuclear technology for terrestrial and space applications. He is also president of subsidiaries Cunico Corporation and Dynamic Controls, Ltd.
During his 24-year career, Mr. Miller served in the U.S. Navy onboard the USS Norfolk (SSN 714). He was mechanical test engineer for new construction of Virginia-class submarines, as well as a semiconductor equipment engineer.
At BWXT, Mr. Miller served as a system design manager of various nuclear engineering projects as well as test engineering manager, validating the design of the mPower™ small modular reactor nuclear steam supply system.
Under Mr. Miller’s leadership, Advanced Technologies is currently active in delivering the advanced microreactor demonstration for Project Pele and its commercial microreactor product named BANR. AT is also serving as the designer and manufacturer for DARPA and NASA’s DRACO program to demonstrate space nuclear propulsion.
Mr. Miller holds a master’s degree in radiation health physics from Oregon State University. He serves on the Central Virginia Community College Educational Foundation Board, the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization Ltd. Board and the Oregon State University Nuclear Science and Engineering Advisory Board.
Last modified February 26, 2025, 3:51pm CST