Chris Roscetti will become technical director for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) on June 23, the independent federal health-and-safety watchdog for Department of Energy nuclear programs announced May 18.
Roscetti, a naval submarine veteran, previously served as the board’s associate technical director for nuclear programs and analysis, and has also served as DNFSB deputy general manager.
He replaces Steven Stokes, who is retiring, a board spokesperson said. Stokes has been the board’s technical director since 2013.
The DNFSB Office of the Technical Director employs about 80 of the board’s 120 full-time employees, according to the agency’s latest budget request. These employees include the board’s resident inspectors at various DOE nuclear sites.
The board has an annual budget of roughly $30 million to carry out its mission of observing and inspecting DOE nuclear facilities for potential health and safety problems.
The five-person board has no regulatory power, but it may make safety-related recommendations about DOE’s active nuclear-weapon and Cold War nuclear-cleanup programs, with which the secretary of energy must publicly agree or disagree.
