Candidates announced for the 2026 ANS national election
Candidates have officially been named to fill six ANS leadership positions with terms beginning in June 2026. Candidates for the one-year term as vice president/president-elect will succeed Mark Peters, who will in turn succeed Hash Hashemian as current ANS president.
Four U.S. director spots are opening with the conclusion of the following directors’ terms: Kelsey Amundson, Han Gyu Joo, Temitope Taiwo, and Leigh Winfrey. One non-U.S. director spot is opening with the conclusion of Catherine Prat’s term.
Ballots will be sent via email on February, 27, 2026, and must be submitted by April 1, 2026. As we get closer to the election, Nuclear News will publish candidates’ statements. For now, read brief summaries of each candidate below:
Vice president/president-elect:
Steinman
Rebecca Steinman, ANS member since 1993, is the senior manager of licensing at Constellation. She is also the chair of the Society’s Certification and Workforce Development Committee and served on the ANS Board of Directors from 2018 to 2021.
Stout
Dan Stout, ANS member since 2009, is the founder and managing director at Advanced Nuclear Advisors, a project development firm. From 2022 to 2024, he served as the chief nuclear officer at Ultra Safe Nuclear. He served on the ANS Board of Directors from 2022 to 2025.
Carasik
Lane Carasik, ANS member since 2011, is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been an associate editor of ANS’s Fusion Science and Technology journal since 2022.
Desai
Harsh S. Desai, ANS member since 2011, is the chief commercialization officer at Zeno Power. He recently served as the ANS treasurer and on the Board of Directors. He was a recipient of ANS’s 2014 Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship.
Laurin-Kovitz
Kirsten Laurin-Kovitz, ANS member since 2013, is the associate laboratory director of nuclear technologies and national security at Argonne National Laboratory. She recently served as the general chair of the 2025 ANS Annual Conference.
Parks
Leah Parks, ANS member since 2007, is a siting manager for Kairos Power. She previously served in a variety of roles at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and ANS. Parks previously served on the Board of Directors among other positions and is currently a member of the Society’s External Affairs Committee.
Sloan
Sandra Sloan, ANS member since 1990, is a senior advisor of product development at BWXT Advanced Technologies. She is a past board member and is currently chair of the Society’s Virginia local section.
Sowder
Andrew Sowder, ANS member since 2008, is a senior technical executive at the Electric Power Research Institute. He has been a member of the Society’s Standards Board since 2015 and its chair since 2023.
Wilson
Paul Wilson, ANS member since 1992, is the Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering in and Chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was named an ANS Fellow in 2023 and previously served on the Board of Directors.
Non-U.S. director:
Hill
Deborah Hill, ANS member since 2004, is a criticality technical leader, a senior fellow in criticality safety, and the head of fellowship at United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory. She was named an ANS Fellow in 2024 and has served in many roles, including as chair, of the Society’s Nuclear Criticality Safety Division.
Prat
Catherine Prat, ANS member since 2012, is a lead engineer at Westinghouse Electric Company. She is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors and is the founding member of the Special Committee on Certificate and Certifications.
