CARLSBAD, N.M. - The EM Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), responsible for oversight and management of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), recently announced the selection of two new assistant managers.
James (Ed) Garza will be the Assistant Manager for WIPP Operations and Kenneth Princen will be the Assistant Manager for the National TRU Program (NTP). WIPP is the nation’s only geologic repository for disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste.
“I would like to congratulate both Ed Garza and Kenneth Princen on their selection as assistant managers," CBFO Manager Todd Shrader said. “I look forward to working with Ed and Ken and I am confident WIPP will benefit from both their experience and leadership."
The positions were created to improve federal oversight of CBFO’s key missions - NTP and WIPP operations - in response to an underground fire and radiological release in 2014.
Garza is responsible for operations associated with WIPP, including conduct of operations, radiological controls, fire protection, and nuclear safety. He arrived at CBFO as the Facility Oversight Division Director in 2015.
After working at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory from 1988 to 2006, Garza joined DOE as a federal facility representative at the ATR. In 2012 and 2013, he was selected as the Idaho EM Facility Representative of the Year.
Garza holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Texas Tech University.
Princen is responsible for managing the NTP, including the acceptance of TRU waste and safe shipment to WIPP from DOE laboratories and former nuclear weapons production cleanup sites.
Arriving at CBFO in 2015 as a facility representative, Princen provided oversight of contractor activities related to operations, nuclear safety, industrial safety and health, and contract compliance. He served as the Readiness Review Program Coordinator and Contractor Assurance Oversight Program Lead during the WIPP recovery effort while also supervising a team of facility representatives.
Prior to arriving in Carlsbad, Princen was Principal Nuclear Facility Operations Specialist at the Device Assembly Facility at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in Las Vegas for National Security Technologies, LLC. He also worked as a Protective Force Lieutenant for Wackenhut Services Inc. at NNSS. Princen previously served as a patrol officer in Montrose, Colorado.
From 1999 to 2004, Princen was a Submarine Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy, where he served in engineering, electrical, fire control, and anti-terrorism/force protection positions.
Princen began his military service in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of staff sergeant and served as the non-commissioned officer in an infantry surveillance and target acquisition platoon, performing reconnaissance for a deployed battalion landing team. He was selected for officer training based on his superior performance and leadership potential.
Princen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University and master’s degrees in management from American Military University and public administration from Walden University.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
