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No. 98-169

September 17, 1998

Chairman Shirley Ann Jackson of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced that Leonard J. Callan, the Executive Director for Operations (EDO), has informed her of his intention to retire from government service as of Oct. 16.

She also announced that Dr. William D. Travers, presently Deputy EDO for Regulatory Effectiveness, will succeed Callan.

In a meeting of the senior staff of the agency, Dr. Jackson said: "I was profoundly sorry to learn, in the last few days, that Mr. Callan had reached this decision. He has provided outstanding support to the Commission and leadership to the staff, during his tenure as EDO."

Callan was appointed to his current post in January of last year. He said he has enjoyed his experience as the top staff executive, especially during the past several months as the NRC has positioned itself for significant change. But he said he is leaving for personal reasons.

Chairman Jackson said she has relied on Callan's "expertise and leadership in developing policy and implementing many NRC improvements." Specifically, she cited:

o His work as Chairman of the three-person Executive Council which helped lead agency efforts to revise the way the NRC plans, budgets and allocates resources;

o His efforts to guide revisions to the reactor performance process, which included streamlining and adding greater objectivity;

o His emphasis on ensuring that a strong safety focus was maintained by the staff;

o His oversight of two pilot studies to test whether the NRC can and should regulate the Department of Energy's nuclear facilities;

o His leadership of the NRC's regulatory oversight of Millstone and other troubled nuclear power stations;

o His help in bringing the final design approval for the Westinghouse AP 600 advanced reactor design to fruition;

o His coordination of an accelerated review process for both license renewal and license transfer applications;

o And his efforts to devise an agency-wide plan that consolidated, refined and accelerated a set of ongoing initiatives in the following areas: risk-informed, performance-based regulations; reactor inspection and enforcement; reactor licensee performance assessment; NRC's organizational structure; and significant licensing actions.

"Although Mr. Callan's departure will add to the challenge we face," Chairman Jackson told the senior managers, "our commitment to our plans and schedules for an accelerated and effective change to our regulatory process and organizational structure remains unchanged. It is because of Mr. Callan's leadership in beginning a succession planning process that we have been able to quickly identify candidates from a list of potential replacements."

Callan is ending his career in government service which began with 10 years in the Navy nuclear program. He joined the NRC in 1979 as a resident inspector. He served in a number of increasingly responsible positions, including Section Chief, Director of the Division of Reactor Projects and Reactor Safety, and the Division of Radiation Safety and Safeguards in Region IV, in Arlington, Texas. In 1994 he was appointed Regional Administrator of Region IV where he served until being named Executive Director for Operations of the NRC.

Chairman Jackson told the senior staff: "I thank Mr. Callan for his untiring efforts, and personal dedication and sacrifice, during an important time for the agency. I wish him continued success and Godspeed."

Dr. Travers has held progressively more responsible posts since first joining NRC in 1976 as a radiological physicist intern. He is a graduate of Purdue University, where he received a doctorate in 1976 after completing graduate studies in health physics and nuclear engineering.

He was named to his present Deputy EDO position in April after serving since November 1996 as Director of the Special Projects Office in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. In that post, he was responsible for the agency's oversight of the three-unit Millstone station in Connecticut.