NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP DAY 1: ECA BOARD MEETING AND EARLY CAREER SESSION
It's finally that time of year! The National Cleanup Workshop kicked off today with the Early Career Workshop this afternoon, at the same time that ECA held a Meeting of Board Members, where EM-1 Senior Advisor Candice Robertson, EM-2 Jeffery Avery, and EM-4 Kristen Ellis delivered remarks.
The ECA Board meeting was attended by over 30 ECA Board members representing communities from all across the country. Board members met to discuss ECA's activity over the past few months, upcoming ECA meetings and initiatives, planning and retooling ECA's future, and considering how to fortify ECA's relationship with its Board Members.
Candice Robertson and Jeff Avery provided remarks and held an open discussion with ECA members. The Senior Advisor reflected how a phone call to ECA evolved into a 10-year partnership that created the National Cleanup Workshop and numerous other achievements. She listed EM's priorities pertaining to rejuvenating EM's workforce, innovating EM programs and policies, supporting community needs for risk-based cleanup, increasing and improving transparency with ECA communities, and incorporating more input from the communities. Above all, the Senior Advisor emphasized that DOE-EM is here to support communities, and that it is eager to work with ECA through the upcoming transition of administrations. After her remarks, the Senior Advisor opened up the discussion to the ECA board, addressing topics including how EM can facilitate economic growth at sites, future growth of the Cleanup to Clean Energy Program, long-term stewardship concerns, and increased EM cooperation with other government agencies and programs.
EM-4 Kristen Ellis also spoke at the meeting, highlighting the accomplishment of 10 years of partnership and progress with ECA, and reaffirmed EM's commitment to always consider future reuse and pursue future economic projects. Ellis also addressed the importance of increased DOE cooperation with the NRC, cooperating with communities to define Legacy TRU Waste, and EM's initiatives to combat staff turnover and rejuvenate its workforce.
An integral part of that initiative for EM, and following up from last year’s first ever session, is the Early Career Workshop at the National Cleanup Workshop. The pre-conference workshop focused on workforce development and is dedicated to setting up early-career professionals professional growth. Session participants heard from EM Senior Advisor Candice Robertson and participated in numerous roundtable discussions and networking opportunities aimed at helping early career professionals learn more about the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) and how to grow and succeed in the DOE cleanup program.
EM-1 Candice Robertson, Senior Advisor for Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, met with the group to hold a conversation about early career and career paths in cleanup work. Other speakers included Jason Chavez, an City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tempore of Carlsbad New Mexico who outlined considerations when running for public office, and ECA's own Faith Sanchez, who spoke at the panel "Roundtable Discussion: Early Career Perspectives". Review the speakers and agenda from today's session below!
ECA is looking forward to what developments the following days of the workshop may bring, and is excited to bring you more updates as the Workshop continues through Tuesday and Wednesday.
Hosted by ECA with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors Group and DOE-EM, the workshop brings together more than 800 senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry leaders, local elected officials, contractors and community stakeholders to discuss EM’s progress to address the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons program.