Contractors and other observers are still waiting to see who will be selected as permanent second in command for the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management (EM).
“We are all waiting on an EM-2” to be named, one industry source said Monday, using the common term for the principal deputy assistant secretary to the nuclear cleanup office. This official would serve as lieutenant to Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (EM-1) Anne Marie White, who was sworn into office in March.
Mark Gilbertson, associate principal deputy assistant secretary for EM’s Office of Regulatory and Policy Affairs, has been acting EM-2 since August.
Longtime DOE official Jim Owendoff stepped down as EM-2 in August and briefly became special adviser for the office at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. This month he became the full DOE chief risk officer, reporting to the department’s chief financial officer.
White said in September she had posted the job to federal job sites, but acknowledged the government hiring process is slow.
White, who ran her own consulting firm before taking the DOE job, would probably like somebody with a corporate management background, a second industry official said last week. But luring such a person could prove difficult given the lower pay in government, he said.
It is also possible Gilbertson, who has over 25 years with the senior executive service, could become the permanent EM-2, a third source said this month.
One senior post at the office was filed this week when Paul Bosco became the associate principal deputy assistant secretary for corporate affairs. Bosco came to the Office of Environmental Management after leading DOE’s Office of Project Management.
Another opening, however, could be on the horizon.
There were unconfirmed reports this week that Ken Picha, acting EM associate principal deputy assistant secretary for field operations, could retire this month, possibly to take an industry job. Picha has 30 years of government experience in engineering and management jobs. In his current role, he oversees all 16 EM sites, including nuclear operations and construction.
The Energy Department does not comment on personnel matters, a spokesperson said Friday when asked about both Picha and the EM-2.
