McAulay Smith Successfully Recruits Director, Government Affairs

Arlington, VA – August 9, 2021 – McAulay Smith successfully recruited Mary Neumayr to be the new Director, Government Affairs for a global uranium enrichment company.

Mary most recently served as Chair & Chief of Staff for Council on Environmental Quality in the Executive Office of the President of the U.S., where she was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in January 2019.

She brings over 18 years of experience in the public sector in various roles such as Deputy Chief Counsel, Energy and Environment and Senior Energy Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives, Deputy General Counsel for Environment & Nuclear Programs for the U.S. Department of Energy and Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

In her earlier law career, she was an attorney for the law firms of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae and Coudert Brothers.

Mary earned a B.A., Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College and a J.D., from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Steve Smith managed the search.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for executive management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries.

McAulay Smith Successfully Recruits Chief Operating Officer

Knoxville, TN – May 21, 2021 – McAulay Smith successfully recruited Don Moul from NextEra to be Chief Operating Officer of a leading electric utility company.

Most recently, Moul served as executive vice president and chief nuclear officer at NextEra Energy. From 2004 to 2019, he served in a variety of leadership roles at FirstEnergy Corporation, including leading the nuclear and fossil generation, transmission and distribution, commodity operations and environmental compliance functions.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Steve Smith managed the search.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for executive management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries.

McAulay Smith Successfully Recruits Director of Human Resources

 TEMPLE, TX – March 1, 2021 – Leahna Wenger joins Texas Hydraulics, Inc. (THI), a preferred global provider of engineered hydraulic solutions, as Director of HR with responsibility for the Human Resources function enterprise-wide.  THI is headquartered in Temple, TX and currently has over 400 employees.

Wenger is an accomplished HR Professional with over 15 years of progressive Human Resource experience within the manufacturing industry. Her most recent role was Director of Human Resources for MooreCo., Inc., a private equity owned furniture manufacturing company.

Wenger earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Organizational Leadership from Texas A&M University and has her PHR certification.

Steve Smith managed this search.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for mid- and senior-level executive and management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries.

McAulay Smith Successfully Recruits Senior Vice President, Nuclear Engineering Ops & Support Executive

Chattanooga, TN – December 21, 2020 – McAulay Smith successfully recruited Bob Duncan to be the new Senior Vice President, Nuclear Engineering Operations & Support for a $10B electric utility company.

Bob is an accomplished leader in the nuclear industry having served as Senior Vice President of Nuclear Operations for Duke Energy as well as Vice President of Plant Operations and Emergency Management at INPO (Institute of Nuclear Power Operations).  He received his B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering from University of Florida and an MBA from University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. 

Steve Smith managed the search.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for executive management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries.

McAulay Smith Recruits New Chief Operating Officer

Charlotte, NC – September 21, 2020 – McAulay Smith successfully recruited Jeff Richardson from Ontario Power Generation, where he was the Senior Vice President of Nuclear Projects, to be the Chief Operating Officer at EnergySolutions.

Please find the Press Release published by EnergySolutions below for further details:

Publication Date: August, 2020

EnergySolutions Hires Industry Leader as COO

Salt Lake City, UT – August 3, 2020 – EnergySolutions announced today the company has hired Jeff Richardson as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and will start September 21, 2020.  Jeff joins EnergySolutions after serving as SVP of Nuclear Projects for Ontario Power Generation (OPG) in Canada responsible for OPG’s $12.8 billion nuclear megaproject.

Jeff has more than 25 years of nuclear industry experience, having started with Entergy Operations, Incorporated and later moving into Entergy Nuclear, Incorporated where he was responsible for developing, leading and managing complex, multidiscipline projects, teams and initiatives including construction megaprojects.

“I am very pleased Jeff has agreed to join the EnergySolutions team,” stated Ken Robuck, President and CEO of EnergySolutions.  “With Jeff’s industry knowledge and network, combined with his unique drive and focus on safety, he’ll make an excellent addition to the team. His critical thinking, strategic planning, customer focus, and organizational agility position him uniquely to do an outstanding job leading the Company’s growth initiatives moving forward.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me and I am excited about the future with EnergySolutions,” stated Jeff Richardson.  “EnergySolutions’ longstanding reputation as the industry leader in both nuclear power plant decommissioning and nuclear waste management make this an especially humbling and exciting transition. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve as COO for a company that places its employees, operational excellence, and safety as its top priorities,” added Richardson.

Jeff will be responsible for companywide strategic initiatives and execution for both the D&D and Waste Management divisions.  He will report directly to President and CEO Ken Robuck and will work out of the EnergySolutions Charlotte, North Carolina office. 

Steve Smith managed the search.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for executive management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries

McAulay Smith Successfully Recruits (Nuclear) Operations Director

BIRMINGHAM, AL, June 29, 2020 – McAulay Smith successfully recruited Matt Busch from Exelon, where he was the Maintenance Director for Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station to be the new (Nuclear) Operations Director for Plant Hatch in Baxley, GA.

Busch brings over 25 years of nuclear plant/nuclear facility Operations, Engineering and Maintenance experience.  Busch has a Senior Reactor Operation License, an MBA from Washington State University and a B.S., Electrical Engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy.  He served 8 active years in the U.S. Navy and continued to serve an additional 16 years as a Reservist.

Steve Smith managed the search.  This is the 10th search in the last 2 years McAulay Smith has conducted for Southern Company.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for executive management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries.

McAulay Smith Successfully Recruits (Nuclear) Plant Manager

BIRMINGHAM, AL, June 29, 2020 – McAulay Smith successfully recruited Johnny Weissinger from his role as Director Site Engineering at Exelon’s Clinton (Nuclear) Power Station to be the Plant Manager at Hatch in Baxley, GA.

Weissinger brings 18 years of nuclear Engineering and Operations experience along with a Senior Reactor Operation License.  He has an MBA from Webster University and a B.S. from Thomas Edison State College.  Both degrees were earned during his 11 years of service in the U.S. Navy.

Steve Smith managed the search.  This is the 9th search in the last 2 years McAulay Smith has conducted for Southern Company.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for executive management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries.

McAulay Smith Successfully Recruits SVP & Vice General Counsel

Knoxville, TN – June 1, 2020 – McAulay Smith successfully recruited David Fountain from Duke Energy to be the new SVP & Vice General Counsel. 

Please continue reading the Press Release published by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) below for further details:

Publication Date: April 6, 2020

KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee Valley Authority today announced the appointment of David Fountain as senior vice president and vice general counsel. He will officially join TVA on June 1.

In this newly created role, Fountain will oversee the administrative and operational functions of the Office of General Counsel, as well as lead TVA’s litigation, enterprise records and ethics and compliance efforts. He will report to Sherry Quirk, TVA’s General Counsel.

“As the energy and environmental landscapes rapidly evolve, it’s more critical than ever to ensure the highest levels of legal counsel and guidance are available to assist with TVA’s vital mission,” said Quirk. “David’s 20-plus years of legal and leadership experience within the utility industry further strengthens our organization and improves our abilities.”

Fountain is currently Duke Energy’s senior vice president, legal, chief ethics and compliance officer and corporate secretary. In that role, he oversees communication with the company’s board of directors to ensure they remain apprised of corporate governance and compliance matters.

Previously, Fountain served as Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, serving approx. 3.3 million electricity customers and 717,000 natural gas customers. He coordinated the company’s response to hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018.

While serving in a former role as vice president of Progress Energy’s legal department, Fountain oversaw all regulatory approvals associated with Progress’ merger with Duke Energy in 2012.

Fountain holds Juris Doctor, Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He remains active with UNC as an Energy Advisory Board member of the University’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, as well as serving on the boards of the Shepherds Table Soup Kitchen in Raleigh and the Alexander YMCA.

To read the Press Release in its entirety, please go to:

https://www.tva.com/Newsroom/Press-Releases/TVA-Appoints-New-Vice-General-Counsel

Steve Smith managed the search.

The McAulay Smith Firm is a performance-based retained executive search firm that partners with clients to recruit for executive management positions.  Established in 1995, The McAulay Smith Firm has completed hundreds of engagements for numerous client companies in 32 states and 10 countries.