Unlocking Africa’s Potential with Nuclear Energy

Seth is currently an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Ghana. He is the technical director of the Nuclear Power Institute (NPI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) that represents the technical arm of the Government Nuclear Power Programme Implementation Organization. Seth’s areas of specialization span Thermal Hydraulics, Modeling & Simulation and Nuclear Programme Infrastructure Development (NPID). Seth is also an international expert in infrastructure development and has performed expert missions for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in various newcomer countries. He has been very instrumental in the progress Ghana is making in its nuclear power programme including the development of Ghana’s nuclear program comprehensive report. Seth has also been involved in addressing issues of climate where he contributed the nuclear component of the Ghana’s fourth communication to the UNFCC.

Aleshia currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cooperation in the Office of Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. She also currently serves as Chair of the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC).

Aleshia has worked in various capacities in the international nuclear energy policy arena, both domestically and abroad, managing bilateral and multilateral relationships on several continents.

Aleshia has completed two overseas posts. In 2016, she joined the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in France, as the policy adviser to IFNEC, where she coordinated the policies and programs of its 65 member countries and four international organizations with the common goal of the safe, reliable use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. She continued in that role in 2017 in addition to serving as the Director General’s Senior Advisor for Multilateral Coordination and Secretary of the NEA Steering Committee until her departure at the end of 2018.

From October 2010 to December 2013, Aleshia was posted at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, as the Director for Nuclear Operations and served as a diplomat in the capacity of Energy Attache. She had the opportunity to liaise with the government of Japan regularly before, during and after its change in nuclear policies and was awarded the Secretary’s Honor Award for her efforts in supporting the coordination of the United States crisis response to Fukushima.

Aleshia has also been a trailblazer on numerous gender balance and youth empowerment initiatives, including but not limited to serving as Vice-Chair of the NEA’s High-Level Group on Improving the Gender Balance in the Nuclear Sector, co-founder and frequent instructor for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Lise Meitner Programme, and active participant in her local DC WiN Chapter as part of the leadership team.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from Trinity University in Washington, DC.

Rebecca joined the NEA in January 2019 and is responsible for advancing information exchange and studies in the fields of radioactive waste management, nuclear facility decommissioning, and legacy management. She has over 30 years of domestic and international experience in the operation and radiation safety of research reactors, fuel fabrication facilities, nuclear power plants and biomedical research facilities.

Prior to joining NEA, Rebecca held various senior level technical positions at the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Prior to her appointment with NRC, she worked for private industry and Federal Government as a Radiation Physicist at Exelon Nuclear Corporation, General Atomics, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Rebecca is a US national and holds a BS degree in Radiation Physics from Purdue University and an MS degree in Environmental Science/Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Lisa is the Assistant Extension Professor at NC State University Department of Nuclear Engineering and VP/President-Elect for the American Nuclear Society. Professor Marshall joined the department as their Director of Outreach, Retention and Engagement and has 20+ years of experience in pre-college, undergraduate and graduate outreach, recruitment, and retention.

She works at the social sciences – science/engineering nexus, contributing as a working group member for the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Global Forums on gender balance, and nuclear perception and society. She is the co-PI for the US Department of Energy (DOE)-funded Consent Based Siting for Interim Storage and served as the educational outreach director for the DOE-funded Consortium for Nonproliferation Enabling Capabilities. Lisa teaches in NC State’s Engineering First-Year Program and co-directs its Study Abroad Program in Engineering and Social Sciences. She served as the co-chair for the Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the American Association of Geographers, co-founded the ANS Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is an advisory member for the NC State Engineering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee.