Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
5/30/2014
Jennifer Woodard has been tapped to serve as the Department of Energy’s new Paducah Site Lead, responsible for overseeing all day-to-day activities at the site, effective June 15. Woodard has been a DOE employee at Paducah for the last six years, during which she has held roles such as Federal Facility Agreement Manager (FFA), Alternate Deputy Designated Federal Official to the Citizens’ Advisory Board, Project Manager and Contracting Officer’s Representative, according to DOE. “Mrs. Woodard is an established leader with a strong technical background. She has a strong commitment to the Paducah community and looks forward to working with local stakeholders and community leaders as the primary mission of the DOE’s Paducah site transitions from commercial enrichment operations to long-term cleanup and decommissioning,” the Department said in a release issued late this week.
The position of Paducah site lead has been vacant on a full-time basis for more than a year—the last person to hold the title, Reinhard Knerr, was detailed in August 2012 to serve as federal project director for the return of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant from USEC; and was permanently assigned to that position last March. Since then, the Paducah site lead position has been held on an acting basis by Regulatory and Environmental Policy Advisor Rachel Blumenfeld. DOE publicly posted the job seeking applicants on two separate occasions—once last summer and again earlier this year.
