WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman today announced the swearing in of Dennis Spurgeon as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy.  Assistant Secretary Spurgeon was nominated by President Bush on February 13, 2006, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 27, 2006. 

 

“Dennis’s leadership will be a valuable addition to the department as we work together to expand our country’s use of nuclear energy as a safe, environmentally friendly power source,” Secretary Bodman said.  “President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative calls for a significant increase in nuclear energy research at the Department of Energy, and Dennis will help lead the development and deployment of these cutting-edge technologies.”

 

Assistant Secretary Spurgeon is the first person to serve in this position in more than a decade.  In this position, Assistant Secretary Spurgeon is responsible for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) nuclear energy enterprise, including nuclear technology research and development, management of the department’s nuclear technology infrastructure, and support to nuclear education in the United States. 

 

Mr. Spurgeon also leads the recently announced Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), a comprehensive strategy aimed at accelerating the demonstration of a more proliferation-resistant closed fuel cycle and bringing the benefits of nuclear energy to the world in a safer and more secure manner, reducing the possibility that nuclear energy could be used for non-peaceful purposes.  GNEP is part of the President’s Advanced Energy Initiative.

 

“I am excited for this opportunity to work with Secretary Bodman and my colleagues to achieve a more secure energy future for Americans,” Assistant Secretary Spurgeon said.  “I am honored to be part of the department’s efforts to ensure that the benefits of nuclear energy are realized here in the U.S. and in the world.”   

 

Most recently, Assistant Secretary Spurgeon served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for USEC, Inc. an international supplier of enriched uranium for nuclear plants.  Prior to that, he served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and principal owner of Swift Group, LLC, an international leader in shipbuilding for commercial and military markets.    

 

He also held executive positions at the former United Nuclear Corporation, where as Chief Operating Officer he managed the manufacturing of reactor cores for the Navy and operation of the department’s former N-reactor, located at the Hanford Reservation.   Assistant Secretary Spurgeon also worked for the General Atomic Company, where he assisted in the development of nuclear reactor plants for electric power generation.  Additionally, he served in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of Captain.  

 

Assistant Secretary Spurgeon also held posts in the Ford Administration, including an assignment as Assistant Director for Fuel Cycle in the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration.  He also served as a member of the White House task force that developed President Ford’s nuclear policy.  Earlier in his career, as a U.S. Naval officer, he served as technical assistant to Commissioner Tommy Thompson and later to Dr. Glenn Seaborg, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and predecessor agency of DOE. 

 

Assistant Secretary Spurgeon graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy.  He holds a Masters of Science in nuclear engineering and the degree of Nuclear Engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.