Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
5/9/2014
Oak Ridge cleanup chief Mark Whitney has been tapped to serve as the new No. 2 official in the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. Effective May 18, Whitney will hold the position of EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, replacing Jim Owendoff, who will return to his previous role as EM senior advisor. Whitney currently serves as Manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, and among his previous roles he has served as acting Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation in the National Nuclear Security Administration. “In his leadership roles at the Department, Mark has shown an exceptional ability to develop high-performing organizations and teams. Mark’s experience leading field operations coupled with his deep understanding of headquarters operations make him an ideal selection for the EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary,” DOE cleanup chief David Huizenga said in a message to employees late this week. At Oak Ridge, Deputy Manager for Environmental Management Sue Cange is set to replace Whitney on an acting basis.
The No. 2 position in EM has been vacant on a full-time basis since Tracy Mustin retired from federal service at the end of last year. Huizenga also said in his message to employees that Whitney would serve as acting head of EM once he returns to the NNSA as planned, though the timing of that move remains unclear. In March, the White House nominated Monica Regalbuto to serve as Assistant EM Secretary, though it remains to be seen when she will be confirmed by the Senate. Regalbuto currently holds the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fuel Cycle Technologies in DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy. For his part, Huizenga will hold the position Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation once he returns to NNSA.
