ANS Fireside Chat introduces new leaders for ANS, UCOR

On Tuesday, during Mark Peters's last days as the American Nuclear Society's vice president/president-elect before assuming the presidency on June 4, he sat down with ANS CEO Craig Piercy for a Fireside Chat at the Annual Conference.

The MITRE CEO weighed in on his career path, what excites and worries him about the resurgence of nuclear energy, and juggling work-life balance with his new duties as ANS's 72nd president.

"It's going to be a lot of fun. It's an important year," he told Piercy.

But the Fireside Chat wasn't all about Peters. Piercy also went one-on-one with United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) president and CEO Jim Blankenhorn, who just this spring took the lead at the environmental cleanup contractor. Like Peters, Blankenhorn is in the early days of a new professional chapter. And like Peters, he is no stranger to the nuclear energy industry.

Peters weighs in: An ANS member since 2007, Peters spent more than 25 years leading federally funded research and development centers before joining MITRE-a nonprofit that manages these types of centers-in 2024. He is former director of Idaho National Laboratory, former president of Battelle Energy Alliance, and former executive vice president for laboratory management and operations at Battelle Memorial Institute.

Peters said he was the first external CEO MITRE ever hired.

"I wasn't looking-I loved what I was doing-but the opportunity to sort of finish out my career as the CEO for an organization like that was a cool opportunity," he said.

He arrived at MITRE just months before the 2024 presidential election. Since early 2025, plenty has transpired on a federal level that placed nuclear at the forefront of energy discussions, such as the four nuclear-related executive orders that have led to the streamlining, restructuring, and reinvigoration of government departments and projects and the Department of Energy's request for information on proposed Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.

When it comes to the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, Peters called the initiative "disruptive"-but in a positive way.

"You wouldn't be surprised to hear that I'm actually very in favor of trying to close the fuel cycle. . . . Closing the fuel cycle to me is the right thing for this nation to do over time," he said. "But you can't do any of that in a meaningful way if you don't break open the Nuclear Waste Policy Act or do something to disrupt. What I love about the Nuclear Lifestyle Innovation Campuses approach is it's a disruptor; it's going to push the conversation ahead."

It has been a "12-to-14-year journey" for the nuclear industry to reach this point, Peters said, with the nuclear resurgence starting well before 2025 and traversing multiple administrations. The ADVANCE Act, for instance, was approved with bipartisan support during the Biden administration; and the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA), Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), and the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) all preceded the ADVANCE Act.

Peters said it's the most hopeful he's ever been for the industry-but he's been hopeful before. He remains cautiously optimistic that the industry can sustain this momentum. Consolidation of ideas, businesses, and concepts will inevitably happen, he said-and some will have to fail.

"What if an event happens? Especially given we have this momentum and we're moving fast," he added. "I'm not suggesting we're not moving smart, but we're moving really fast. You have to worry about that, because if an event happens, this momentum goes away overnight."

How will Peters manage the ANS presidency while also heading MITRE and finding time for a personal life? "My board is asking the same question," he joked.

The ANS opportunity came at the right time, he said. If it had come a few years later or a few years earlier, he probably would have declined. Living in the Washington, D.C., area helps as well with this position.

"I've probably got too much on my plate, Craig, but I like it that way," he told Piercy.

Blankenhorn on UCOR: When Blankenhorn became president and CEO at UCOR, he was already well known at the company, which is the lead environmental contractor at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation. At the time of his appointment, he was vice president of Amentum's E&E North America. (UCOR is an Amentum-led company.) He is also a past chair of UCOR's Board of Managers.

"It's a great time for UCOR," Blankenhorn said, as the company's work plays a key role in the growth of nuclear industry, Oak Ridge, and eastern Tennessee.

Blankenhorn shared with the audience the completed, ongoing, and future deactivation and demolition work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. He said both projects should keep UCOR busy for several years with complex challenges ranging from congested space to proximity to the public and transportation corridors.

"It's a very high-risk effort that requires us to work hand-in-hand with the landlords-with ORNL and Y-12-because we have to conduct the mission, but we have to conduct it in a way that doesn't impact in a negative way their ongoing missions and operations," he said.

UCOR employs between 2,300 and 2,500 people and has established a good work culture and reputation, Blankenhorn said. Investments by UCOR and its parent company in workforce development can be seen through initiatives like its partnership with ANS to establish a framework to advance ANS workforce training and certification programs.

But it, too, is competing with other nuclear-related companies for workers. Blankenhorn said the workforce is the "number one" most important thing for nuclear companies. UCOR's successes cleaning up sites for reindustrialization has led companies to setting up in Oak Ridge-leading to new challenges.

"That's attracted over 20 companies now to the area, and that is exciting and that is great for our industry. But it does introduce a new challenge for us . . . there is a fierce competition for qualified nuclear workforce," he said.