CERCLA/FUSRAP Supervisor Gwen Hooten Retires

After years of dedicated service to the federal government, DOE Office of Legacy Management (LM) Supervisor Gwen Hooten is retiring.

At a virtual retirement ceremony, friends, and colleagues across multiple offices of the federal government shared their kind words and well wishes through gifts, awards, and speeches for Hooten’s decades of service in protecting human health and the environment.

“I’ve been blessed to have a wonderful team, who work really hard and who are really engaged,” Hooten said at the virtual celebration. “My successes are just as much theirs.”

After Hooten earned her Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University, she quickly set off to leave her mark on the world, serving as a citizen soldier in the U.S. Air Force National Guard as a civilian engineer with the Buckley Air National Guard (ANG) Base Design and Engineering unit in Aurora, Colorado.

In that role, Hooten was responsible for planning, execution, and support for the Colorado Air National Guard mission. She became essential in the transition of A-7 to F-16 aircraft and earned the Colorado Meritorious Service Medal from Maj. Gen. Charles M. Kiefner, president of the National Guard Association of the United States.

Hooten also served as a civil engineering officer in the 140^th Civil Engineering Squadron providing training and security reporting for war readiness.  Upon transfer to the high-performing 240^th Civil Engineering Squadron, she held various responsibilities in record management and conducted environmental assessments for other air bases. She became the first female commissioned officer in her unit, and a trailblazer for young women to follow in her footsteps.

While maintaining her position as a citizen soldier in the ANG, Hooten transitioned from design and engineering to focus solely on environmental concerns when she began working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). During her time with the EPA, she worked as a Remedial Project Manager (RPM) and directed projects under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Recovery Act (CERCLA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). She provided oversight to up to 16 Superfund sites. These efforts earned her national recognition and a Bronze Medal. She also co-led a team that was recognized as Superfund Team of the Year, and she participated as an original member of the Region 8 EPA Remedy Review Board.

Hooten began her career with LM in May 2011. She served as site manager for several LM sites, including Fernald, Mound, and Piqua, Ohio: Site A/Plot M, Illinois, Decommissioned Reactor Site; and multiple sites in the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). Hooten was quickly recognized for her strong work effort and dedication to LM’s mission and was promoted to CERCLA/RCRA/FUSRAP supervisor in 2016.

During her retirement ceremony, letters from multiple agencies she worked with within LM, including U.S. EPA Region 5 Chicago and the Ohio EPA, echoed their appreciation for her accomplishments, recognizing Hooten for her “pleasant professionalism and solid knowledge,” which led to the successes of multiple projects.

“While working for EPA, I was a remedial project manager who reviewed and monitored the regulatory requirements and remedial progress being made by the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) on my CERCLA sites,” Hooten said. “I chose LM because working for LM allowed me to be in the driver’s seat for performing the regulatory requirements.  It’s a difference between overseeing the work versus doing the work. LM does the work.”

Among her many accomplishments in her career at LM, Hooten became the primary contact for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Memorandum of Agreement which opened up a viable resource to provide technical and real property support on multiple projects across LM. The work and support she provided to multiple projects led to the EPA recognizing multiple LM sites for the EPA National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award. Her successful leadership also led to the creation of the new Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center in St. Charles County, Missouri, which is scheduled to open later this year.

Hooten said it was a privilege to be a part of several rewarding projects, including the creation of the Mound Cold War Discovery Center; the development of Piqua demolition; stabilization of the Rocky Flats Original Landfill; retiring pump and treat remedy at Mound; streamlining Life Cycle Baselines and improving USACE relations on FUSRAP; upgrading and right-sizing the electrical system at Fernald Preserve; and construction of the new interpretive center at Weldon Spring.

“These are the projects and activities that moved the needle toward protecting the environment, increasing engagement with the public and stakeholders, and creating a healthy work environment with our regulators and sister federal agencies,” she said.

The ceremony wrapped up with LM Director Carmelo Melendez honoring Hooten with the Distinguished Service Award for her numerous contributions and dedication to DOE LM, and in recognition of her service to the nation.

Hooten said her success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of multiple teams within LM.

“I’m just so appreciative of every member of our team. I’m so happy to have wonderful working relationships, and I will greatly miss everyone,” she said. “My memories will be of the working relationships that I had with my colleagues, contractors, regulators, community groups, and sister federal agencies that led toward mutual respect and friendship.”

While it was a bittersweet goodbye, Hooten expressed her excitement for this next chapter in her life, elated at the thought of traveling and getting to experience new things.

“I’m excited about traveling throughout the U.S. (hopefully to include Alaska) to visit national and state parks, scenic areas, cities, and museums and attending festivals and events,” she said. “My husband and I will visit friends and family, do some hiking, play some golf, sun on beaches, bike some trails, play with the grandkids and pursue those hobbies and interests that have been neglected over the years.”