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Join us at ETEC in-person, or virtually, Friday, July 10, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. to hear from Mary Helen Hitson, Manager, Y-12 Field Office, NNSA; Trey Wheeler, Manager, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, DOE, and Erik Olds, Manager, Oak Ridge Environmental Management, DOE in a program titled "Three Missions, One Future." This conversation will be led by Jim Blankenhorn, President & Program Manager, United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR).

All bios are listed below.

No registration is necessary for in-person attendance.

Register in advance for the VIRTUAL ETEC online meeting here: https://tennessee.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrd-CgrDMiHNTsDsHqH0FyubCh2ys57LzH#/registration 

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Visit the Find Us page for the meeting location, address, and map.

Mary Helen Hitson
Manager
Y-12 Field Office, NNSA

Mary Helen Hitson serves as the Manager of NNSA’s Y-12 Field Office (YFO), a position she has held since August 2024. She is responsible for the direction of NNSA programs, projects, safety, security, quality, and administrative functions and activities at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12).

Previously, Ms. Hitson served as Deputy Field Office Manager and Chief Operating Officer at YFO and its predecessor organization. She was responsible for overall management and the executive direction of administrative functions, technical programs, projects, and activities performed at Y-12 while working in partnership with Pantex Plant colleagues to provide management direction and oversight of both plants.

Ms. Hitson has more than two decades of federal service as a Management Analyst, Information Services Analyst, Information Security Specialist, Supervisory Security Specialist, Program Manager, and Physical Scientist. She has had a broad range of responsibilities, including supervisory and serving as the subject matter expert in a variety of disciplines across Pantex and Y-12. 

Ms. Hitson earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Carson-Newman University.

William W. (Trey) Wheeler III
Manager
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, DOE

Trey Wheeler is the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office Manager, responsible for the federal management and oversight of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, and the Oak Ridge Federal Reservation. He assumed this position in July 2024. Prior to joining the Department, Trey was founder and President of Blue Stag Solutions, a consulting company focused on the defense, intelligence, and aerospace industries.

A U.S. Naval Academy and National War College graduate, Trey retired from the U.S. Navy as a Rear Admiral after 34 years of service with tours on both the east and west coast of the United States, as well as Japan, Italy, Afghanistan, and Djibouti. During his career as a Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Naval Flight Officer, Trey had the opportunity to lead joint, international, and interagency teams conducting operations around the globe. He culminated his military service in 2022 as the Chief of Staff for U.S. Strategic Command in Omaha, Nebraska where he managed the day-to-day operations of our nation’s military nuclear enterprise, to include a 6,700 person headquarters and $483M budget.

Originally from Cross City, Florida, Trey currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He and his wife, Mary, have three adult children.

Erik Olds
Manager
Oak Ridge Environmental Management, DOE

Erik Olds is the manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He was selected to this post in June 2025. 

As OREM’s manager, Olds oversees the advancement of DOE’s environmental cleanup mission at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and East Tennessee Technology Park. That mission is eliminating risks, enabling research and national security missions, and making cleaned land available for reuse. 

Prior to this role, Olds joined OREM in 2024 as the organization’s deputy manager. He oversaw daily operations including deactivation and demolition, capital projects, waste management and waste processing, surveillance and maintenance programs, and procurement and contract functions.

He also previously served as communications director for DOE’s Office of Environmental Management headquarters (EM-HQ) and acting chief of staff for EM-HQ. Before his headquarters assignment, he was the Direct‐Feed Low‐Activity Waste deputy project integration manager for the Office of River Protection (ORP) at the Hanford Site in Washington. 

Olds has also served as the chief of staff for both the Richland Operations Office and ORP at Hanford, as well as the ORP director of communications. Prior to working at Hanford, Olds worked in public affairs at the Yucca Mountain Project in Nevada.

He has worked for DOE for more than 30 years, including more than 20 years in the EM program. 

Olds holds a bachelor's degree in public relations and a master’s degree in communications studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Jim Blankenhorn
President and Program Manager
United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR)

Jim leads a 2,300-strong skilled workforce that is safely eliminating more than 200 Manhattan Project and Cold War era excess production facilities on the footprints of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. UCOR’s work is clearing the way for cutting-edge science missions; nuclear deterrence modernization; and continued economic growth in East Tennessee. 

UCOR has delivered more than 2,500 acres of federal land for establishing a commercial nuclear innovation district in Oak Ridge that has attracted $12 billion in next generation nuclear investments; preserved 3,500 acres for conservation; and supported historic preservation facilities for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

Before joining UCOR, Jim was North America Business Operations Senior Vice President for UCOR parent company Amentum and also served as Chair of the UCOR Board of Managers. He has nearly 40 years of experience in nuclear safety, nuclear facility operations, decontamination and decommissioning, engineering, and project management supporting Department of Energy Environmental Management and National Nuclear Security Administration and Department of Defense programs. 

A U.S. Army veteran, Jim retired from military service as a Brigadier General in 2017. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Florida Institute of Technology; a Master of Science in Hazardous Waste Management from National Technology University; and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Barge Design Solutions are sponsoring all ETEC Friday Morning Meetings in July.