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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
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August 2025
Latest News
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.
TopFuel 2025: Nuclear Reactor Fuel Performance Conference
Executive Vice President – Fuel Business Unit
Framatome
Ala F. Alzaben was appointed Executive Vice President, Commercial & Customer Center for the Fuel Business Unit, Framatome, effective January 2017. He is responsible for global commercial operations to include sales, marketing, business development, contracts and services.
Alzaben’s career in the nuclear energy industry spans more than 35 years, gaining extensive experience in nuclear fuel, business development and sales. He joined the company in 2003 as Business Development Manager in the Component Replacement & Repair Unit with focus on the growth of the BWR and CANDU product lines.
Alzaben went on to serve as the Sales and Marketing manager with responsibility for fuel fabrication sales and marketing in North America from 2004 through 2008. In October 2008, he was appointed to the position of North America Vice President for Mining & Front End Sales.
Prior to joining the company, Alzaben spent nine years with General Electric (GE) supporting its Fuel joint venture, Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF), where he served in a wide range of technical and commercial roles.
From 1990 to 1994, Alzaben worked for ABB/Combustion Engineering (C-E) as technical team leader responsible for ensuring the safety and performance of multiple U.S. nuclear plants.
Alzaben is a graduate of North Carolina State University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering. He holds an MBA from Averett University.
Last modified September 3, 2025, 8:55am CDT
