A longtime staffer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will take over next week as executive director for operations, the agency’s top career position.
Current NRC General Counsel Margaret Doane will replace Victor McCree, who formally retires on Saturday. Doane was selected by the commission to become the first woman to hold the position.
Doane began working at the agency in 1991 as special assistant (legal) in the Office of the Secretary. She quickly transitioned to working as an attorney in the NRC Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication, where she stayed until 1998. For the next six years, Doane worked directly for Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield as legal counsel, deputy chief of staff, and chief of staff. She then served eight years as deputy director and then director of the Office of International Programs before becoming NRC general counsel in 2012.
In her new position, Doane is effectively the chief operating officer for the nuclear industry regulator. She will manage the daily operation of an organization with more than 3,000 full-time employees and an annual budget exceeding $900 million, including oversight of commercial nuclear power and waste operations. That encompasses management and coordination of policy development, operations, and carrying out directions from the five-person commission itself.
McCree has been on the job since September 2015, in a NRC career that began in 1988. His other roles have included program engineer, senior regional coordinator, deputy regional administrator, and regional administrator, among others. Before joining the NRC, McCree served in the U.S. Navy, retiring with the rank of commander.
