EM’s White, Mullis Win Prestigious Presidential Rank Awards

EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White has been honored with the 2022 Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive, joining a select cadre of senior executives lauded for sustained superior leadership performance. White was nominated for the award for his exemplary leadership in various U.S. government programs, most notably within DOE.

As EM’s most senior executive, White leads both field and headquarters operations for the largest environmental cleanup program in the world. Appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2012, he has 30 years of demonstrated leadership, sustained superior performance and commitment to public service.

Under White’s leadership, EM has made significant progress in liquid-waste treatment systems, including beginning operations at the Salt Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site, completing construction of the facilities supporting the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program and beginning the first large-scale treatment of radioactive and chemical tank waste at the Tank-Side Cesium Removal System at the Hanford Site.

At Oak Ridge, demolition was completed at the East Tennessee Technology Park, making it the first site in the world to remove an entire uranium enrichment complex. At the Portsmouth Site, demolition of the X-326 uranium process building, a two-story structure covering 56 acres, was a critical achievement in the cleanup and transformation of the gaseous diffusion plant. The safe demolition of a 320-foot-high exhaust stack at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Site in Long Island, New York, completed the EM mission at the site, reducing the number of active EM cleanup sites from 16 to 15.

White issued EM’s 10-year Strategic Vision, the first after many years, providing an outline for planned accomplishments over the next decade, and the annual Priorities Scorecard summarizing achievements.

In addition to the many technical achievements and progress seen under his tenure, White led EM through the global pandemic, transitioning the program to remote work, ensuring the safety of every employee across the country and championing the EM mission despite uncertainty and turmoil.

EM’s Jay Mullis won a Meritorious Executive Award as part of the 2022 Presidential Rank Awards. Currently serving as the acting associate principal deputy assistant secretary for regulatory and policy affairs at EM’s headquarters, Mullis previously served as manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management from November 2017 until November 2021.

The Meritorious Executive award is the second-highest annual award for career members of the Senior Executive Service, recognizing individuals for sustained accomplishment. Recipients are leaders, professionals or scientists who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength, integrity, industry and a relentless commitment to excellence in public service.

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 established the Presidential Rank Awards Program to recognize a select group of career members of the Senior Executive Service for exceptional performance over an extended period of time. Later, the Rank Award statute was amended to extend eligibility to senior career employees with a sustained record of exceptional professional, technical and scientific achievement recognized on a national or international level.