Rich Tighe appointed CNS President and CEO
Oak Ridge, Tenn.—Richard “Rich” Tighe became president and chief executive officer for Consolidated Nuclear Security effective Tuesday, September 6, 2022. He replaces Gene Sievers, who had served as CNS's acting president and CEO since July.
Tighe assumes leadership for both of the National Nuclear Security Administration production plants under CNS's contract: the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Sievers returns to his singular role as the Y-12 site manager, and Colby Yeary will continue to serve as CNS's chief operating officer.
Tighe (pronounced “tie”) joins CNS after nearly four years as president and general manager of National Aerospace Solutions, the Bechtel-led test operations and sustainment contractor for the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex at Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma, Tenn. Before serving in that position, Tighe led business development for Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security, and Environmental global business unit, which included work with the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Homeland Security; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; commercial nuclear power; and governments of U.S. allies. He was elected a Bechtel principal vice president in 2016.
He previously worked for nearly a decade at the Nevada Test Site (now known as the Nevada National Security Site), where his duties included conducting nuclear defense and national security science work, managing a diverse construction and technical portfolio to support multiple government agencies, and leading a department in the site’s remote sensing laboratory.
“Rich’s experience in nuclear safety, high-hazard projects, explosives test and evaluation, conduct of operations, and nuclear emergency response, added to the outstanding performance of NAS while performing critical ground-testing of military and commercial aerospace systems, make him an excellent fit for his new role with CNS,” said Dena Volovar, general manager of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Decommissioning, and Environmental Group.
Tighe holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Loras College in Iowa and a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of Notre Dame. Upon completion of his doctorate, he worked for two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the nuclear science division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
“My career in the national security field has helped prepare me for this important and exciting role and I’m eager to get to work and help the patriots at Pantex and Y-12 continue to deliver on the important national security mission the nation trusts us to perform,” Tighe said.
Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National, Inc.; Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, Inc.; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.
For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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