NRC regional administrator steps down after 30 years with the agency

Nuclear Regulatory Commission regional administrator Laura Dudes has stepped away from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after 30 years of service.

Dudes began in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1994 as a reactor engineer intern and soon worked up to other positions such as Region I, Division of Reactor Safety inspector. In 2006, she was selected for the NRC’s Senior Executive Services program and held numerous administrative roles.

In 2019, Dudes became the regional administrator in region II, which oversees regulatory activities in the southeast part of the United States. According to her LinkedIn profile, she oversaw the inspection program for 35 operating nuclear reactors, nine fuel cycle facilities and NRC’s center for new reactor construction expertise.

“This work has never been easy, but it has always mattered. Knowing that our collective efforts have helped ensure the safe generation of nuclear power for communities across the country is something I will always be proud of,” Dudes said in an April 18 LinkedIn post.

While Dudes recently closed out her time with the NRC, The Nuclear Company, a private nuclear deployment company, announced Dudes as its vice president of regulation affairs in a Tuesday press release.

“I know firsthand how dedicated America’s leadership is to adding reliable, clean baseload power, and I look forward to helping The Nuclear Company lead the way,” Dudes said in the company’s press release. “The company’s fleet-scale nuclear deployment model is the solution America needs to meet our surging energy demand.”

Dudes earned both her bachelor’s degree and master’s in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.