Kriss Kennedy appointed NRC’s Region IV administrator

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently appointed Kriss Kennedy to the position of administrator at the NRC’s Region IV office in Arlington, Texas.

The appointment caps Kennedy’s 28-year career with the NRC, in which he has served most recently as the deputy regional administrator of Region IV for the past two years. He will replace Marc Dapas, who will be relocating to Rockville, Maryland, as the new director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.

“Over the course of his career, Kriss Kennedy has repeatedly demonstrated an exemplary commitment to technical and managerial excellence,” Victor McCree, the NRC’s executive director for operations, said. “The experience he has gained in a wide variety of NRC assignments will serve the agency well.”

Kennedy is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, serving as a nuclear-qualified submarine officer in the U.S. Navy for seven years following his graduation. His career with the NRC began in 1988, when he took a position as an operator licensing examiner in the Region IV office. Subsequent positions included work as a resident inspector, branch chief and deputy regional administrator. Kennedy was honored in 2015 with the Presidential Rank Meritorious Executive Award.

The Region IV office covers 19 reactors in 22 states, where it oversees safety and inspection, as well as user licensing.