Passion for the Environment Led ESH&Q Supervisor to Successful Career

As part of LM’s 20-year anniversary celebration, this profile is part of a series of current and former LM employee profiles of people involved in different areas of the LM mission.

When Office of Legacy Management Environment, Safety and Health, and Quality Assurance (ESH&Q) team supervisor Tracy Ribeiro started at LM in 2007 as a Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) site manager, Ribeiro never imagined she would be where she is now. 

An avid fan of the outdoors and geology, Ribeiro earned her bachelor’s degree in geology and attained her master’s in engineering management before starting her career doing environmental work for a university and the Virginia Department of Transportation. Afterward, she transitioned to working as a civilian for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear program for seven years, dealing with contracts, inspections of radioactive- and mixed-waste treatments, and disposal activities at nuclear shipyards. 

“I like the sciences, engineering, and I like to be outdoors. This field lets me solve problems and highlights my strengths as an arranger and an achiever,” Ribeiro said. “Geology and environmental protections were always a great fit for me.”

When Ribeiro moved from Virginia to Colorado at the end of 2007, she began her career with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). As an UMTRCA site manager, Ribeiro was responsible for six sites, including one on the Navajo Nation. In 2010, she became the LM Environmental Program Manager and then, in 2021, she was promoted to ESH&Q team supervisor. 

During her 16-year career in the organization, Ribeiro has witnessed several changes to LM. 

“LM used to have a lot of silos — between teams, among sites and programs, etc. I’m no longer seeing that, although some small silos may still exist,” Ribeiro added. “This has led to efficiencies in our work, which has in turn allowed us to adapt well as we move into more complex activities as our sites are aging. The shift in work from ‘just’ long-term surveillance and maintenance to the addition of these more complex activities has been a huge change, too.”

All the changes and the constant evolution within LM are among Ribeiro’s favorite things about working in the organization. 

“There’s never a dull moment. Things are always moving, changing, evolving. You would think from our name — Legacy Management — that work might be static, but it’s always in motion.”

Ribeiro’s day-to-day activities are also always in motion. 

“As the team lead for a team that has both programmatic responsibilities and support responsibilities with other teams, a lot of my time is spent communicating and collaborating in various meetings, reviewing documents, strategizing, and on multiple different elements,” she said. 

Her dedicated work effort and her support of her team has been recognized by her colleagues. 

“Tracy’s institutional knowledge, inclusiveness and overall inspiring personality will be greatly missed.  Tracy has worked on many new initiatives over the years. She always takes a positive approach and ensures the right people are at the table to keep items moving forward,” said LM Environmental Program Manager Joyce Chavez.

Ribeiro’s hard work and leadership has led to her and the EMS winning several awards. Ribeiro was awarded the DOE Sustainability Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 for her achievements relating to sustainable buildings, water, waste, and acquisition. Ribeiro will also receive the 2024 FEMP Career Exceptional Service Award on March 26-28 at the 2024 Energy Exchange in Pittsburgh.  

While her team has led several successful endeavors within LM, Ribeiro expressed that she was most proud of the development of several foundational documents and activities, including the Cultural Resource Management Plan, the Natural Resources Management Plan, and the Environmental Review Form.  

As for the future, even though Ribeiro plans to retire in May, she still looks forward to even more change and evolution within LM. 

“I think the forward path with program and project management is the thing I’d love to see the progress of even after I leave. I’ve seen so much change and improvement in this area that the future looks bright. I love the ESH&Q team — they want to help, they want LM to be efficient and effective, they believe in our mission, they live the ‘One Team, One Mission’ motto,” Ribeiro said. 

She added, “Our team is still new in comparison to other teams, yet I think we’ve established ourselves well as an integrated part of the organization. I feel the collaborative sense of everyone on the team and I expect that to continue.”