Jan Carlin has stepped down as managing director of the Waste Management Symposia (WMS), the nonprofit organizer of the annual conference in Phoenix for the nuclear cleanup and waste management industries.
Carlin, a nuclear business consultant, started on the job in September 2017 and had only intended to remain for two years, but stayed on past the March 2020 conference, according to a press release Tuesday. Waste Management Symposia President Jim Fiore is heading up a search panel for Carlin’s successor. The position will be held in the interim by WMS director Robert Weiler.
The Waste Management Symposia conference drew about 2,100 participants this year, down 10% from usual levels, as the severity of the COVID-19 health crisis was becoming more apparent. Nearly all large events around the world have since been postponed or canceled for the year.
Two WMS participants afterward showed signs of potential infection by novel coronavirus 2019, but both tested negative.
“In these uncertain times we will have a challenging period up until the March 7-11, 2021 conference,” Fiore said in the release. “We will need to appoint a person who can take up this challenge and ensure we have a successful 47th year of providing the premier global conference on radioactive waste management.”
Carlin is director of business development for robotics company Walischmiller Engineering GmbH, along with owner of Carlin Consulting Services, according to her LinkedIn profile. She has committed to staying on as an adviser for WMS through September.
