NRC names new Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards director

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission named Marc L. Dapas as the new director of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards director on Monday, where he will oversee the operations and regulations of the safety office.

“Marc Dapas’ experience in a variety of roles across the agency will serve him well as he takes the helm of our nuclear materials office,” Victor McCree, NRC executive director for operations, said. “He has shown an unparalleled commitment to technical and managerial excellence in a wide variety of assignments in our regional offices as well as at NRC headquarters.”

Dapas began his career with the NRC in 1989 as an operations specialist at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, prior to which he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 30 years. Dapas joined the management team in 1998 at Region III, and oversaw safety operations at 18 nuclear reactor facilities. By 2002, he led the entire materials program in the region, and in 2005, he became the deputy regional administrator of the Region I office in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Dapas returned to NRC headquarters in 2011 and has served as leader in incident response and security policy for nuclear facilities and radioactive materials legislation. He has served the NRC for 27 years in various executive roles and will succeed Catherine Heney.