Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Nuclear Industry Council's (USNIC) Executive Board is pleased to announce the appointment of the Honorable Clarence "Bud" Albright as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council. Bud was previously serving as the Chairman of the USNIC Board since 2018. Albright is also the former Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy where he provided leadership for energy and environmental programs, including: energy research and development; demonstration and deployment; environmental cleanup; and legacy management and radioactive waste management. He was appointed by President Bush and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Prior to joining the Department, Albright served as Staff Director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.

"USNIC remains the preeminent organization representing the development, deployment and commercial viability of advanced nuclear technology. The future of nuclear development is fast changing, and we are all grateful to the talented scientists, engineers and business leaders engaged in the important work that is producing innovative and promising technology for a cleaner, safer future for the world," said Albright upon his appointment.  

"With the recent passing of our good friend and able leader, David Blee, we at USNIC are committed to enhancing the rich legacy that David left us. For him, our members, and indeed for the world, we are pressing on and redoubling our commitment to excellence in representing our members.  

I am both humbled and highly honored to have been elected to serve as the President and CEO of this leading organization.  You all have my commitment that we will continue to work tirelessly with all parties throughout the world to ensure our vision for the next generation of advanced nuclear development."

The USNIC Executive Board also approved the following appointments:

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• Jeremy Harrell has been nominated to serve as Chairman of the Executive Board. Harrell is Managing Director of Policy at ClearPath and has been serving as the Vice Chairman of USNIC since 2018. Prior to joining ClearPath, he advised Congressional Republicans on energy, environmental, technology, national security, transportation, and tax policies for nearly a decade.

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• Eric Knox has been nominated to serve as Vice Chairman of the Executive Board. Knox currently serves as Vice President, Strategic Development of Nuclear & Environment for Amentum. Knox has also served in senior capacities at the U.S. Department of Energy. There, he was instrumental in both the site selection process and licensing application submitted for Yucca Mountain, as Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Associate Director of OCRWM. He also served as chief of staff to the Under Secretary of Energy. In addition, Knox served as Chairman of USNIC from 2011-2014.

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• Caleb Ward as the Chief Operating Officer. Ward previously served as the Director of USNIC since 2012. Ward has nearly 20 years of experience working in government relations, public affairs, and corporate communications, based in Washington, DC and London. This includes working for trade associations, corporations, and top-tier communication and lobbying firms developing and implementing strategies in support of advocacy campaigns, driving successful public affairs programs, as well as extensive experience with issues management activities and crisis communications.

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• David Jones as the Executive Director. Jones has served previous terms as Chairman and Vice Chairman of USNIC. He was also a Senior Vice President of the Back End Fuel Cycle Business Group of Orano/AREVA in the U.S. from 2010 to 2018, and prior to that served in various roles for Duke Energy including Vice President for New Nuclear Development.

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For more information Contact:

Caleb Ward

202-332-8845

caleb.ward@usnic.org