There is a changing at the guard in upper management ranks of Oak Ridge, Tenn.,-based Navarro Research & Engineering as Ryan Overton, formerly of GEM Technologies, becoming executive vice president, gradually takes over the role from industry vet Cathy Hickey who plans to retire from the company next year.
“Ryan is fabulous,” Hickey said in a recent press release. “She is not only an expert in business development, but also possesses exceptional management capabilities for technical and environmental programs.”
Overton, who has over 20 years of industry experience, oversaw environmental and technical service divisions with contracts valued up to $395-million at GEM Technologies, where she was also responsible for leading strategic planning geared toward Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration markets.
Overton rejoins Navarro after working for the company during a six-year stint that ended in 2008, when she played a key role in six major contract award transitions, according to the press release. Overton was an asset to Navarro the first time around, “and I am excited to partner with her again to embark on this next chapter of growth for Navarro,” said President and CEO Susana Navarro in the release.
Navarro works at multiple defense nuclear sites, including the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where the company has supported construction of the Uranium Processing Facility.
Hickey has spent 40 years in management ranks with contractors around the DOE weapons complex. She joined Navarro as a vice president four years ago after spending two-and-a-half years as president of Westinghouse Government Services. Prior to Westinghouse Hickey spent about eight years as a vice president for business development at CH2M, now part of Jacobs.
Since the early 1980s, Hickey has spent time in other business development or operation management roles at URS Corp., now part of Amentum, CH2M and Bechtel.
Hickey told Exchange Monitor Wednesday she is still fleshing out her plans, but intends to keep an active hand in the nuclear business at least on a part-time basis.
