Herb L. Debban
Director, Facilities and Operations
Under Mr. Debban's leadership, the eight divisions of the ORNL Facilities and Operations Directorate provide a variety of support services to the Laboratory, including laboratory operations, operation of facilities, laboratory protection (security, fire protection, emergency preparedness, and emergency management), engineering and construction management, fabrication and site services, logistical functions, and craft services. Mr. Debban's accomplishments at ORNL have included modernization of the facilities, implementation of the landlord-tenant model for operating facilities, efficiency and customer satisfaction improvements of more tham 30%, and a 90% improvement in safety performance.
Mr. Debban has more than 30 years of experience in nuclear and facilities operation, engineering, and project management. Before joining ORNL, he was responsible for facility operations at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where he implemented customer-oriented processes that reduced cycle time and significantly improved research customer satisfaction. Prior to his PNNL career, Mr. Debban managed several very large organizations, including the fuel fabrication, reactor operation and fuel storage at Hanford, all utilities on the 640-square-mile Hanford reservation, and projects of over $200 million. He was chairman of the Westinghouse Operations Council, which encompassed all six Westinghouse government-owned, contractor-operated facilities.
Mr. Debban earned an engineering degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and an MBA from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He is a registered professional engineer and serves on the board of directors of the ORNL Federal Credit Union and on the Industrial and Information Engineering Advisory Board of the University of Tennessee.
 Office of Science |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
 Department of Energy |