Effective today, longtime James Owendoff has left his job as the No. 2 official in the Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) to become a special adviser on nuclear cleanup issues at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
Mark Gilbertson, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for EM’s Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs, will do double duty as acting principal deputy assistant secretary.
Owendoff became principal deputy assistant secretary for environmental management in June 2017, after having served as a special adviser in the office since 2010. In a new role as EM special adviser for the Savannah River Site, he will focus on closer collaboration between DOE’s nuclear cleanup office and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management Anne Marie White announced the moves Friday in a widely circulated email obtained by Weapons Complex Morning Briefing.
“Over the past year, Jim Owendoff has been able to utilize his vast experience and knowledge of the EM program as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary to help us realize continued progress,” White wrote.
Angela Watmore, a senior adviser at the Environmental Management office, will handle procurement issues previously under Owendoff. Gilbertson will manage the rest of the job until a permanent appointment is made. Gilbertson has held roles with DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for more than 35 years.
It was unclear if Owendoff will work from South Carolina.
A retired Air Force officer, Owendoff has served in management roles at DOE and its cleanup office since the 1990s. One source on Friday lauded Owendoff’s work at the department — “He’s done every job there.” At the same time, “putting your own team on the field” is important for White, who took over as “EM-1” at the end of March.
Owendoff also served as acting assistant secretary for environmental management for a few months starting in June 2017, replacing Susan Cange. When his tenure as acting EM-1 expired, Owendoff remained principal deputy and essentially ran the office until White arrived.
