Kenneth Engle
Kenneth Engle has accepted the position of Chief Operating Officer for ORNL’s Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate and will begin June 26. In this position, he is the senior operations leader for ISED, supporting and representing the Associate Laboratory Director to ensure the directorate meets its objectives and maintains excellence in research operations.
Engle succeeds John Gearhart, who is now director of the Environment, Safety, Health and Quality Directorate.
A U.S. Navy Veteran, Engle comes to Oak Ridge National Laboratory from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), where he has been the Construction Management Division Director since late 2021. Overall, Engle has more than 35 years of experience in nuclear power plant operations, construction management, reactor plant construction and refueling, maintenance management, nuclear facility management, nuclear safeguards, commercial power generation and distribution, and petrochemical manufacturing and engineering process improvement. Throughout his career, he has successfully created and implemented new processes, initiatives and restructuring to improve and enhance productivity, quality, safety and employee morale.
Prior to joining LANL, Engle spent more than eight years as senior project manager for Louisiana-based Westlake Chemicals, directing capital projects for multiple divisions. From 2007 to 2013, he held several positions with Nuclear Fuel Services in Erwin, Tennessee, including quality engineer, construction manager, facilities director, and senior engineering project manager. During his time there, he overhauled 50-year-old legacy procedures and processes, creating new departments and infrastructure, and spearheaded a $35 million plant site improvement and security enhancement project.
Engle served the U.S. Navy in several nuclear capacities from 1985 until his military retirement in 2007, including as a Nuclear Limited Duty Officer. During his military career, he received numerous awards for overall performance as well as specific achievements.
“I am confident the breadth of Ken’s experience will be an asset to ISED as we continue to execute and expand our isotope missions,” said ISED Associate Laboratory Director Jeremy Busby. “I’m excited to have him on our team.”
