UCOR announces new COO

(UCOR press release) United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR), the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s lead environmental cleanup contractor, is announcing the following key business leader appointment, which is effective April 1, 2023.

UCOR Chief Operating Officer Tom Dieter has announced his intent to retire March 31, 2023. Over his 30-year career, Dieter earned a national reputation as an industry leader in leading more than $3 billion in cleanup successes in complex nuclear enterprises in several states. “Tom led UCOR’s transition for our 10-year, $8.3 billion Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup Contract, and we’re grateful for his leadership in the company maintaining a strong safety performance in our first year,” said UCOR President & Chief Executive Officer Ken Rueter.

Kent Fortenberry is appointed UCOR Chief Operating Officer. Fortenberry comes to this assignment from his role as UCOR Critical Projects Director. He brings more than four decades of relevant experience in operations, decontamination & decommissioning, environmental remediation, and safety oversight of government and commercial nuclear facilities in the U.S. and overseas. At UCOR, Fortenberry has managed engineering, environmental services, nuclear safety, and technical services functions, as well as serving as UCOR’s Chief Regulatory Officer. “Kent brings a breadth of experience from the Naval Reactors Propulsion Program, commercial nuclear power operations, DOE/NNSA’s nuclear weapons and nuclear cleanup enterprises, as well as from serving as technical director for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board,” added Rueter. “He is well suited for our next phase of cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation. His broad range of industry expertise will ensure UCOR continues its emphasis on safety and environmental compliance in all aspects of our operations and support organizations.”

UCOR is the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s lead environmental cleanup contractor. The company is a partnership between Amentum, Jacobs, and Honeywell. The company’s 2,100+ workers are dedicated to safely reducing environmental risk on the Oak Ridge Reservation while helping DOE’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration continue their important missions. Learn more about the company at www.UCOR.com.