Director, Chief Operating Officer

As the Director of NRIC, Brad assumes the critical role overseeing daily operations and ensuring strategic alignment with its objectives. Brad’s tenure as Chief Engineer for GE Oil and Gas provided him with a deep understanding of engineering principles and their application in complex industrial settings. Additionally, Brad’s role as COO and Director of Major Demonstrations at the National Energy Technology Laboratory equipped him with expertise in orchestrating large-scale initiatives and fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Brad’s multifaceted background and leadership acumen position him as a driving force behind NRIC’s initiatives, ensuring operational excellence and strategic advancement in pursuit of its mission.

Deputy Director and Chief Program Officer

Collins is the deputy director and chief program officer for the National Reactor Innovations Center. Collins has over 35 years with INL with extensive experience at the Materials and Fuels Complex and the Advanced Test Reactor in a variety of individual and management roles. He has also supported and directed other major INL programs and projects, the most recent being the Versatile Test Reactor project. He has supported NRIC in an acting manager capacity for the past year.

Department Manager

Reiss is the NRIC department manager. He previously supported NRIC working with reactor developers Oklo, BWXT, Aalo and NanoNuclear. Prior to joining INL, Reiss spent seven years at 3M working in product development and engineering. Reiss has a bachelor’s in nuclear engineering and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering and engineering physics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Reiss is pursuing an MBA from the University of Indiana – Bloomington.

Collaboration Manager

Sanjay serves as NRIC’s collaboration manager as well as supports NRIC’s maritime activities. As NRIC’s collaboration manager, Sanjay is assisting advanced reactor companies with demonstrations in order to bring new sources of energy to market. He has prior experience working for the federal government, a Texas nuclear power plant, and as an adjunct professor all of which contribute to facilitating collaboration across many sectors.

Program Manager

Marvin Fielding is a civil engineer with 22 years of experience in consulting. Marvin supports NRIC’s Maritime activities and provides project support on the NRIC DOME. Marvin’s experience is mainly in planning, designing, and managing the construction of municipal water, wastewater, and transportation infrastructure. Marvin’s expertise spans all project phases, from initial concepts to final implementation.

Experiment Design Engineer

Dr. Thomas Folk currently serves as the Experiment Design Manager for NRIC where he specializes in reactor testing at the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiment (DOME) facility. In addition to his role with the physical test bed, Thomas is the Technical Program Manager for the Virtual Test Bed (VTB) and Digital Twin projects, which are dedicated to leveraging advanced modeling and simulation (M&S) tools to accelerate the deployment of novel reactor concepts. Thomas has a B.S. in nuclear engineering from N.C. State University, and a M.S.E and PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan. Thomas studied computational reactor physics and developed advanced methods for the reactor two-step procedure.

Technical Program Manager

Joshua is a technical program manager for NRIC with experience in engineering and nuclear facility operation. He oversees the delivery of Demonstration of Microreactor Experiment (DOME) projects and the completion of the Molten Salt Thermophysical Examination Capability (MSTEC) shielded modular hot cell. Joshua holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University and an M.Engr. from the University of Idaho. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Before joining NRIC, Joshua spent nearly two decades at the Naval Reactors Facility, where he held various engineering and operations positions. Most recently he was the operations manager responsible for spent fuel packaging and storage and M-290 shipping container unloading operations.

Technical Program Manager

Tom Gualtieri is a Technical Program Manager supporting maritime activities and various customer programs focused on advancing nuclear industry technology and developments. He holds a B.S. in material science & engineering and an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Washington State University. Prior to his role at NRIC, Tom spent eight years at General Dynamics, where he gained experience in development and testing within the defense industry. At General Dynamics, Tom worked on projects including rocket motors, artillery projectiles, and guidance kits. He brings expertise in project engineering, product development, and cross-functional team leadership to NRIC’s missions.

Configuration Management Manager

AnnMarie, with over 20 years of Configuration Management experience, is the NRIC Manager of configuration management where she oversees implementation of Configuration Management programs and related activities for NRIC projects and initiatives as well as the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE) and the Pele project. Prior to joining NRIC, AnnMarie was the Manager of Configuration Management at GE-Hitachi in New Plant Projects and the Infrastructure Programs Manager for the Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) Project.

Technical Program Manager

Caysie Marshall serves as Technical Program Manager at NRIC where she lends her expertise to the advancement of TerraPower’s Natrium Demonstration Reactor through research and development (R&D) initiatives. In this capacity, Caysie leads multi-discipline teams focused on nuclear fuels and materials research to support next generation nuclear power. With a decade of experience at INL, Caysie has spent the last three years at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) managing the Advanced Fuel Fabrication R&D project for Natrium. Caysie has a B.S in Industrial Technology and an M.S in Technology Management from the University of Idaho.

Configuration Management Coordinator

Katie serves as a Configuration Management Coordinator for NRIC, where she plays a pivotal role in providing configuration management support to the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment project as well as NRIC’s test beds, and DOME and LOTUS. Katie has obtained her MBA, specializing in engineering management.

Technical Program Manager

Curtis Nielsen currently serves NRIC as a technical program manager responsible for NRIC’s collaboration initiatives work package as well as helping NRIC with new and irradiated fuel management and ensuring timely and efficient delivery of Demonstration of Microreactor Experiment (DOME) projects that support the next generation of advanced reactors. Prior to NRIC, Curtis worked 16 years at the Naval Reactors Facility in Spent Fuel Packaging and Storage.

Administrative Assistant

As NRIC’s administrative assistant, Nelly Olivas plays a crucial role in facilitating the organization’s mission of advancing reactor development. She provides vital support to program leadership, ensuring smooth operations and effective coordination of tasks.

Configuration Management Coordinator

Salome currently serves as a Configuration Management Coordinator with the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) supporting configuration management needs, streamlining processes, and ensuring seamless integration within project frameworks. Prior to joining the lab, Salome’s career was focused on higher education administration in Ghana and the United States. She obtained a BA and MBA from the University of Ghana and a Masters in Education (Med) from Idaho State University.

Technical Program Manager for DOME Ecosystem

Patterson has over 40 years of experience across the nuclear fuel cycle. His experience ranges from operating, maintaining and refueling a Naval nuclear propulsion plant to storing, transporting and recycling spent nuclear fuel, operating nuclear waste treatment processes, and remediating deactivated nuclear facilities. As an engineer, he models and analyzes the techno-economic feasibility of nuclear-coupled industrial systems in specific applications. As a manager and director, he led and executed multiple nuclear demonstrations, programs and infrastructure projects. Most recently, Patterson’s focus is on developing and executing the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) Program for the NRIC. He is certified as a project management professional and holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, a master’s in nuclear engineering, and is an all-but-dissertation Ph.D. candidate at the University of Idaho. He is a member of the University of Idaho’s Engineering Academy.

Technical Program Manager

Chance is a technical program manager for NRIC where he oversees the construction and infrastructure development for the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME). With over 20 years at Northrop Grumman’s Propulsion Systems, he brings extensive experience in project engineering, leading the integrated product team, business development and program management, to his role.

Technical Program Manager

Jacob Rymer brings 10 years of experience to NRIC where he serves as a technical program manager for LOTUS design and construction, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and siting evaluation activities, and regulatory and economic risk reduction. He is dedicated to assisting advanced nuclear reactor companies demonstrate their novel designs to advance nuclear energy generation within the United States.

Technical Program Manager

Turner is a technical program manager at the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). In this role, he drives a variety of customer programs and initiatives to advance nuclear industry technology and developments. Turner leads multidisciplinary teams focused on nuclear reactors, fuels and materials research, fueling the nuclear renaissance’s next generation of nuclear power. He expertly guides customers through the complex nuclear laboratory and Department of Energy landscapes, accelerating their initiatives and efficiently helping them deploy world-changing nuclear energy solutions globally.

Turner joined INL in 2020, initially working in the Nuclear Science and Technology directorate’s Nuclear Fuels and Materials Testing group. Over five years, he served as an experiment project manager, overseeing novel nuclear fuel and material testing at the Advanced Test Reactor.

Before his tenure at INL, Turner spent a decade in the oil and gas industry with the Williams Companies Inc. as an engineer, project manager and manager of projects. In this role, he managed programs and projects with multidisciplinary teams across the United States, delivering clean-burning natural gas to consumers nationwide.

Turner also served four years in the United States Navy before earning his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, with a focus in nuclear engineering, from the University of Utah.

Technical Program Manager

Luke is the technical program manager for the advanced construction technology initiative (ACTI). Luke brings 14 years of experience to NRIC. His journey began as a nuclear engineer at the Department of Defense (DoD), where he played a role in overhauling power plants on aircraft carriers and submarines. Through this hands-on experience, Luke acquired the specialized knowledge and skills crucial for the development of the next generation of reactors.

Sr. Project Manager

Allen Fetter is a senior project manager at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission with nearly 18 years of experience. For the past 12 years, he has specialized in safety and environmental reviews for new reactor licensing. Allen is on special assignment to NRIC under the intergovernmental Personnel Act. He is supporting NRIC’s Advanced Construction Technology Initiative (ACTI).