On June 23, 2016, the Southeast Compact Commission for Low-level Radioactive Waste Management elected the following new officers at its 108^th Business Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

•   Debra Shults:  The Commission elected Debra Shults as Chair, which duties will include presiding at all Commission meetings, appointing the membership of all committees of the Commission, officially representing the Commission, and performing all other duties that are normally performed by a presiding officer.  Shults has served as an Alternate Commissioner from the State of Tennessee since 1989 and as the Commission’s Vice-Chair since 2004.  She has over thirty years of professional experience in managing environmental programs in the state.  In 2010, Shultz was appointed as the Director of the Division of Radiological Health (DRH)) in the Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).  She serves as the Governor’s appointed State Liaison Officer to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); the designee to receive advance notifications regarding shipments of certain radioactive materials per 10 CFR 37; and, as Treasurer of the Organization of Agreement States (OAS).

•   Steve Harrison:  The Commission elected Steve Harrison as Chair-Elect.  His duties will include representing the Commission on behalf of the Chair when needed; preparing to assume the position of Chair to assure continuity in the leadership of the Commission; and, assumption of the position of Chair if the current Chair is unable to perform her duties.  As Chair-Elect, Harrison will serve as the Vice-Chair and will automatically become the Chair after serving a two-year term as Chair-Elect.  Harrison has served as one of the two Commissioners from the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2014.  He has served as the Director of the Commonwealth’s Office of Radiological Health in the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) since 2012.  Harrison joined VDH in 2003 where he has served as Assistant State Planning Coordinator, State Hospital Coordinator, Strategic National Stockpile and Exercise Coordinator, and Emergency Preparedness & Response’s Central Region Planner.  Prior to joining VDH, Harrison worked for Dominion Resources for 23 years, where he performed nuclear emergency planning and conducted radiological surveillance and testing.

•   Paul Burks:  The Commission elected Paul Burks as Secretary/Treasurer, which duties will include supervising and controlling the funds of the Commission and ensuring that the minutes of all Commission meetings are recorded, prepared, and distributed to each member of the Commission.  Burks has represented the State of Georgia since 1984.  He has served on various committees of the Commission and as Chair of the Administrative Committee.  After serving nearly 31 years in Georgia state government, Burks retired in 2006 as the Executive Director of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA).  Since 2008, he has worked on a consulting and part-time basis for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government of the University of Georgia.  He currently serves as State Services Liaison for the Institute.

The Southeast Compact for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management is an agreement among six states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia—to provide for the responsible management of the region’s low-level radioactive waste.  The Southeast Compact Commission oversees administration of the Compact.

For additional information, please contact Ted Buckner, Executive Director of the Southeast Compact Commission for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management, at (919) 380-7780 or at tedb@secompact.org or go to the Southeast Compact Commission’s web site at www.secompact.org.