About Us

Our Mission

The mission of the ANS Washington D.C. Section is to promote the awareness and understanding of nuclear science and technology within the local community, support the professional development of our members, and serve as a technical resource for policymakers and the public.

Who we Are

Our membership spans a diverse range of organizations, including the Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), national laboratories, utilities, vendors, consulting firms, local universities, and non-governmental organizations. This unique blend makes ANS-DC a premier forum for cross-industry networking and collaboration.

Our Current Leadership (July 2025 - June 2026)

Chair:

Amber Johnson

Amber is the Director of the Nuclear Reactor and Radiation Facilities at the University of Maryland. Amber has served as Chair of the ANS DC section Education Committee. She is responsible for organizing our membership to judge area science fairs and ensuring that selected winners receive a check and certificate.

Vice Chair:

Steve Mirsky

Steve is a licensed professional nuclear-mechanical engineer with over 44 years of experience in U.S. and foreign nuclear power design, licensing, safety, and operations. He has worked for two operating U.S. nuclear power plant utilities for a wide range of U.S. and international government agencies and nuclear corporations. Mr. Mirsky has been with NuScale Power for 11 years including five years as the Manager of Licensing in Rockville, MD interacting with the USNRC during DCA pre-application, readiness assessment, and DCA review. He is currently a Senior Technical Advisor in the NuScale Power Office of Technology. His areas of expertise include licensing, safety analysis, thermal-hydraulics, fuel design and performance, criticality analysis, shielding and dose analysis, environmental impact dose consequences, PRA systems analyses, and containment-sub compartment pressurization and equipment qualification calculations. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and Cooper Union with degrees in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering. He is a long-time member of both the ASME and ANS and has published over 150 papers, technical documents, and reports and has co-authored three patents.

Secretary:

Stefani Buster, JD

Stefani Buster, JD is the Senior Advisor for Research Security and Export Control at UW-Madison. Her work experience includes her role as executive director at the North Carolina State University Department of Nuclear Engineering; assistant director at the Consortium for Nonproliferation Enabling Capabilities; associate project officer at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. She has membership at the State Bar of Wisconsin, Women in Nuclear, Women's Council of Energy and the Environment, International Radiation and Radioisotope Measurement Application 10th International Meeting and the American Association of Blacks in Energy Legislative Committee. Buster has been an ANS member since 2015, NNPD TPC chair since 2020; NNPD executive committee treasurer, communications committee member, international committee member, and the M&C 2021 conference planning committee diversity and inclusion liaison.

Treasurer:

Neal Mann

Neal Mann has 62 years of experience in computer software development for various industries including banking, grocery, and (most recently) nuclear. He has 15 years of experience in nuclear reactor technology and nuclear reactor core physics simulation with MCNP and SCALE. Neal Mann has been an American Nuclear Society Member since 2011 and has served as the ANS DC Section treasurer chair since 2022. He has had 13 technical papers presented at American Nuclear Society meetings and authored a patent for a nuclear reactor control method.

Directors At Large:

Jim Behrens

James Behrens is a former Board Member of the American Nuclear Society and is retired from his work as a Senior Technical Advisor for the U.S. Navy at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He previously held positions as a Senior National Security Analyst for Department of Defense (DOD) Contractors, was the Executive Assistant on numerous DOD, DOE, and DOS Interagency Working Groups, was Scientific Technical Advisor for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, J-5, Strategic Plans & Policy, International Negotiations; Experimental Nuclear Physicist at the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg (1978-1989), was a Physicist & Graduate Student, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (1970-1978), and a Lab Assistant, University of Illinois Betatron Lab (1968-1970). He has a B.S. from the University of Illinois and an M.S. and PhD/ABD from the University of California.

Kati Austgen

Kati Austgen is Director, Public Engagement & New Nuclear at the Nuclear Energy Institute. She specializes in advocacy for all new nuclear technologies, including large light-water reactors, small modular reactors, non-light-water reactors, and micro-reactors. Kati leads the NEI Advanced Nuclear Forum and Advancing Collaboration, Community Engagement & Public Trust (ACCEPT) Working Group - providing industry coordination and strategic guidance. Prior to coming to NEI, Kati was a licensing engineer at Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center. Kati holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Oregon State University and the University of Missouri, respectively.

Jen Hedgecoth

Jen Hedgecoth is a mechanical and nuclear engineering department instructor at the US Naval Academy (USNA). Prior to teaching at the USNA, she served on the nuclear guided missile submarine USS Georgia in progressively more responsible positions including quality assurance officer, assistant engineer officer, engineer officer, and nuclear submarine officer over a period of over four years. Jen has also worked in the nuclear safety and regulation division of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (Paris, France), domestic nuclear detection office of the Department of Homeland Security, and US Navy Energy Coordination Office. Jen holds a BS in Nuclear Engineering from the US Naval Academy and a Master's degree in Nuclear Energy from the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, UK.

Tracy Marc

Tracy Marc is the media relations manager for the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois. She works in the Office of Communications managing media interactions and documentary and filming requests, writing and publishing press releases in addition to other external communications. In working with the DOE Office of Science and the lab directorate, she prepares leaders for media interviews, media statements and manages the lab's media relations strategy.

Everett Redmond

Everett Redmond is Senior Director Federal Affairs at Oklo. In this role, Everett is primarily responsible for policy activities and interface with the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies. Everett is also responsible for Oklo's high assay low enriched uranium fuel acquisition strategy and provides support for Oklo's fuel fabrication efforts and first reactor deployment at Idaho National Laboratory. Everett joined Oklo in September 2022. Prior to joining Oklo, Everett was a Senior Technical Advisor at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) where he was responsible for programs and policy efforts to support commercialization of advanced reactor technologies. Earlier in his career at NEI Everett was responsible for nuclear fuel cycle and nonproliferation policy and spent fuel storage and transportation regulatory issues. Everett was with NEI from 2006 to 2022. Before joining NEI, Everett was a Principal Engineer at Holtec International and was primarily responsible for radiation shielding analyses in support of Holtec's spent fuel storage and transportation system deployments. Everett holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Nuclear Engineering (1997).