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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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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.
UWC Opening Plenary: Driving Transformational Change Keynote SPeaker
Chief Generation Officer and Executive Vice President
Tim O’Connor is Executive Vice President and Chief Generation Officer for Xcel Energy in 2020. He is responsible for all generation assets within Xcel and its jurisdictions nuclear, fossil, hydro and renewables. Responsible for enterprise supply chain and commercial operations which include fuels and energy markets.
Mr. O’Connor was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer for Xcel Energy in 2012. He was responsible for the Xcel nuclear strategic direction, business plans, finance, and operations for the company. That includes corporate, the operations of the Monticello and Prairie Island nuclear generating plants, and the decommissioning and nuclear fuel storage. In June 2012, he was appointed Vice President of Corporate Engineering/Nuclear Regulatory Compliance and Licensing for the nuclear fleet after 5 years as Monticello site vice president.
Mr. O’Connor joined Xcel Energy in 2007 as Site Vice President at the Monticello plant. He has over 38 years of commercial nuclear experience with both boiling water and pressurized water reactors. During that period of time, Mr. O’Connor has held a variety of senior leadership and executive leadership positions in several utilities and sites and variety of complex situations. This also included a position with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) as a Nuclear Plant Evaluation Team Manager on a reverse loaned assignment. Mr. O’Connor received his mechanical engineering degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI and has completed several executive business programs with the Chicago Kellogg School of Business and with GAP International.
He serves on the executive advisor group for the DOE/INL Nuclear Science and Technology areas, the Holtec Decommissioning Industry Advisory Group, NEI coalition of the Nuclear Strategic Industry Advisory Committee, NEI Chairman of the Industry High Level Waste Committee, USA Board of Directors and Terrestrial Energy Industry Advisory Committee. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Minneapolis St. Paul Jeremiah charitable organization for single mothers.
Last modified July 16, 2020, 2:16pm EDT
