Jesus "Zeus" Mancilla, Chair
Jesús “Zeus” Mancilla, PE is a Chemical Engineer with over 30 years of experience DOE & NRC facilities. He is currently supporting the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, coordinating Safety Basis control development, supporting documentation, and associated implementation protocols.
Zeus received a BS from Caltech in Chemical Engineering. Processing experience includes Plutonium, Uranium, and Neptunium. After 23 years of increasing responsibility in Facility Engineering, he participated in Operations management for several years, and is now very much enjoying learning about the Safety Basis development process.
Susan Ferrara, Vice Chair
Susie Ferrara is the Cold War Historic Preservation Program Manager for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC (SRNS) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS).
A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in journalism, Susie has over 37 years experience in communications, community and government relations, program development, and training at SRS. In the community, she has served on several civic, arts, and community boards in the Central Savannah Rivera Area and currently serves on the board of the SRS Heritage Foundation.
Charlie Hansen, Treasurer
Charlie Hansen is a retired contractor and federal senior executive who served for 46 years in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, commercial nuclear power generation, and in US Department of Energy (DOE) waste management programs. Most recently he was a Vice President of Parsons Corporation, from 2005-2013, where he was responsible for business development, and project controls and risk management for construction of the Savannah River Site Salt Waste Processing Facility Project (SWPF)
Hansen earned a BS in chemical engineering from Tufts University in 1967. Charlie and his wife, Lyddie, have resided in Aiken since 1998 and are active in their community; they are both avid ballroom dancers.
Dr. Allison Hamilton Molnar, Executive Director
Dr. Allison Hamilton Molnar is an expert in non-profit management, fundraising, and American Politics. She has been with CNTA since 2017, and was promoted to Executive Director in 2023.
She is active in the Aiken community, serving on various non-profit boards and organizations. She also teaches political science at Middle Georgia State University and the University of South Carolina Aiken.
She received her Master’s and PhD in Political Science from the University of Iowa, a Master’s Degree in Applied Politics from the University of Akron, and attended Grand Valley State University for her bachelor’s degrees.
Board Members
Dr. Jeff Allender
Jeffrey S. Allender is Advisory Scientist and Program Manager at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). He first joined in 1978 and has since been researching radioactive waste disposal, evaluating geologic repositories for long-term disposal, developing technologies for reactor fuel fabrication and recycling, and materials management.
He earned a B.S. in Physics from Davidson College and Ph.D. from Cornell.
Sally Bartelmo
Sally Bartelmo is the Plant Integration Manager
supporting the Direct Feed Low Activity Waste
Facility for the Waste Treatment Completion
Company at the Hanford Site.
She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina and is pursuing a Masters of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Idaho State University.
Amber Bolen
Amber Bolen is the President and Owner of the Bolen Institute of Excellence, a Woman-Owned Small Business dedicated to advancing radiation safety education and professional training. She is a Certified Health Physicist (CHP) and Registered Radiation Protection Technologist (RRPT) with more than two decades of experience in radiation protection, training, and program development.
A former employee of the Savannah River Site, Amber has extensive experience supporting both Department of Energy and commercial nuclear operations.
Dean Campbell
Dean Campbell is the Communications Director for Savannah River Mission Completion, the liquid waste contractor at the Savannah River Site. He focuses on external and internal communications.
Previously, Mr. Campbell was Public Affairs Director for the former liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation. He joined Westinghouse Savannah River Company in 1989.
Dr. Paul Cloessner
Paul is a Laboratory Fellow in Weapons Production Technology at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). He has spent more than 40 years in various leadership and technical roles at the Savannah River Site. His assignments have included reactor fuel and target manufacturing, analytical chemistry, tritium operations, nuclear nonproliferation, intelligence analysis and nuclear stockpile stewardship. Paul currently directs selected technical programs for NNSA and provides advice and review on national security and science programs, primarily where tritium technology is involved.
He received a Ph.D. in Nuclear Chemistry from Florida State University and a B.S. in Chemistry from Louisiana State University.
Dr. Musa Danjaji
Musa Danjaji is a Full Professor of Nuclear Engineering at South Carolina State University (SC State). He received M.S. and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign. He is a member of the Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council. He currently serves as the Acting Chair of the Department of Engineering and Academic Program Coordinator for the Nuclear Engineering program at SC State. He is also the Director for the Center of Energy Studies at SC State.
Dr. Aherial Polite- Drayton
Aherial Drayton is the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Augusta Technical College in Augusta, Ga.
She has her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Master of Arts in Teaching, both from the University of South Carolina. Her Doctorate of Education is from Valdosta State University.
Joyce Hopperton
Joyce Hopperton retired after 31 years with Centerra at the Savannah River Site. Prior to retirement, Joyce was the Director, Environment, Safety, Healthcare and Quality Assurance programs.
Prior to joining Centerra Savannah River Site, Joyce worked in commercial nuclear power.
Joyce graduated from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Fred Humes
Fred Humes is President/CEO of the Applied Research Center. He is Director Emeritus of the Economic Development Partnership which he served for over twenty years. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and holds a M.S. from Troy State University. Mr. Humes served in the US Air Force as a pilot and staff officer and retired after serving his last assignment at the Pentagon. Mr. Humes founded and managed several small companies prior to a career in economic development. Mr. Humes was awarded the South Carolina Order of the Palmetto for his work in economic development.
J. Scott Kirk
Scott Kirk manages the Environmental Compliance and Waste Disposal Authorities Departments for Savannah River Mission Completion LLC. In this role, he manages a staff of 32 professionals responsible for ensuring compliance with environmental regulatory requirements, waste characterization, waste packaging and transportation, and waste closure activities pursuant to the Federal Facility Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Kenny Lee
Kenny serves Merrick as a liaison to integrate designs into a nuclear facility. He is pursuing project management duties for his professional growth.
Kenny completed a business program and a project management program under Merrick’s internal professional development programs. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, and he also earned his MBA from Georgia Southern University while working full-time before starting his journey with the nuclear industry. He has also served as a chairman for a non-profit organization over a decade for a community he has been involved since early 2000.
Joel Leopard
Joel Leopard serves as a Communications Coordinator specializing in external communications for Vogtle Units 1–4, the largest nuclear plant and generator of clean energy in the United States. He oversees the Plant Vogtle Energy Education Center in partnership with colleague Mike McCracken and supports a wide range of communications initiatives, including site tours, public outreach, community involvement, emergency preparedness, and employee communications.
With 18 years of experience in the nuclear industry, Joel has worked extensively in both external and internal communications across the public electric utility and government nuclear energy sectors.
Karl Lutterloh
Karl G. Lutterloh is an Attorney with LawyerLisa LLC. Prior to joining LawyerLisa LLC, Karl was President & Senior Trust Officer for a Community Bank’s Trust Division in Aiken, South Carolina. In this role, he acted as a fiduciary advisor and wealth manager for high-net-worth families, individuals, private foundations, and corporations. Further, he provided in-house legal counsel for the Trust Division. Karl also worked previously as a Tax and Estate planning attorney for a multi-state law firm in Columbia, South Carolina. As a member of the South Carolina Bar and Elder Law Committee, he has presented several continuing legal education courses focusing on fiduciary trust management. While at University of South Carolina, he served as a research editor for the American Bar Association’s Real Property Trust & Estate Law Journal.
Dr. Forest Mahan
A native of South Carolina, Forest E. Mahan has spent more than 20 years in the South Carolina Technical College System. He is currently the 5th president at Aiken Technical College.
Mahan received a bachelor’s degree in history from the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in history and a Ph.D. in higher educational administration from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Scott McKay
Scott McKay joined USC Aiken as the Dean of the College of Science & Engineering and Assistant Vice Chancellor of Research arriving from The University of Texas Permian Basin where he was the Dean of Arts & Sciences.
Dr. McKay has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and geology, a master in analytical chemistry and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from The Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida 1995. Dr. McKay’s research interests are in the areas of alternative energy, petroleum products, crystal engineering, and proton exchange membranes for hydrogen fuel cells.
Duane McLane
Duane McLane is the Senior Vice President, Environment, Safety, Health and Quality (ESH&Q), for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) at the Savannah River Site (SRS). In this capacity, he oversees Environmental Compliance and Remediation Projects; Occupational Safety and Health; Industrial Hygiene; Radiological Controls; Medical Services; Emergency Services; Safeguards and Security; Quality Assurance; Training; Procedures; and Operational Excellence across the complex.
McLane has more than 36 years of ESH&Q experience working in the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex, with 24 of those years at SRS. He has a B.S. in Engineering Technology, and a MS in Nuclear Science/Health Physics from Louisiana State University.
Nick Miller
Nick Miller is the Senior Vice President NNSA Tritium Operations and Programs for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). He oversees daily operations at the Savannah River Tritium Enterprise to sustain a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent.
Miller has 20 years of project, engineering, and nuclear operations management experience, including serving as the Deputy Vice President of Environmental Management Operations, Facility Manager for the H-Canyon and HB-Line facilities at SRS as well as oversight of facilities supporting the Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) of A4W Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers in Newport News, Virginia. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Virginia Tech.
Lindsey MonBarren
Lindsey MonBarren is a Lead Communications Specialist for the Environmental Management Operations Department at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions with almost 20 years of corporate communications experience. In her role, she is responsible for communicating highly technical and complex information to the public. Prior to joining SRNS, Lindsey worked as a Public Information Officer with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Ret. Vice-Admiral Charles Munns
Charles L. Munns is SC’s trustee to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an accrediting agency for Higher Education. He has served on a Strategic Advisory Board for more than a dozen Secretaries of Defense and until recently was a member of the board for Orano Federal Services, a worldwide nuclear fuel cycle company. Admiral Munns was President and Chief Executive Officer of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions from 2007 through 2010. Previously he served for 34 years in the US Navy attaining the rank of Vice Admiral,
Admiral Munns received his Bachelor of Science degree from the US Naval Academy, his Master of Science, Computer Science degree from the University of Colorado, and his Corporate Board Directors Continuum Certificate from the University of Chicago School of Business.
BooBoo Roberts
BooBoo Roberts is the Program Manager of the Apprenticeship School & Pipeline Development Training Workforce Programs (APT) at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and is the Regional Technical College Loaned Executive. BooBoo provides management oversite for all the Apprenticeship School Programs at the Savannah River Site collaborating with all three main contractors.
She has 25 years of experience at SRS in the nuclear industry working in the areas of Radiation Protection, Site Training, and Leadership.
Azi Samadi
Azi Samadi is the Director of Salt Waste Processing Facility/End Stream Delivery Engineering for
Savannah River Mission Completion at the
Savannah River Site.
Azi received a B.S. and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University and is also a graduate of Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) Leaders’ Forum. She began her career at Savannah River Site (SRS) in 2009.
Steve Sheetz
Stephen O. Sheetz is a mechanical engineer from Georgia Tech with over 35 years of experience in the nuclear industry. He was actively involved during the construction and early test operations of the Defense Waste Processing Facility and has supported the Savannah River National laboratory by marketing technologies to the Department of Defense. Steve also supported a multi-lab program called the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative/Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.
Steve was a founding member of CNTA and has served on the Board of Directors and chaired the speaker’s bureau.
Maxwell Smith
Maxwell A. Smith is the Facility Manager for Nuclear Materials Management (K Area Complex) at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions. He has 20 years of experience in the US Navy’s Nuclear Power Program as a Nuclear Machinist Mate and Engineering Laboratory Technician.
Maxwell holds a bachelor’s in project management from Saint Leo University and is pursuing a master’s in leadership from Southern New Hampshire University.
Dr. Daren Timmons
Dr. Daren Timmons is the Director of Technology Partnerships and the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL).
Before joining SRNL, Timmons held the positions of Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Sciences & Engineering at USC Aiken, as well as the John C. Allen ’62 Institute Professor of Chemistry and head of the Chemistry Department at the Virginia Military Institute. He received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Duke University and his doctorate in chemistry from Texas A&M University.
Caroline Turner
Caroline Herlong Turner is a Financial Services Professional at The Herlong Financial Group, LLC* and a Registered Representative with NYLIFE Securities LLC (Member FINRA/SIPC) 14819 Ballantyne Village Way, 11th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28277, 704-371-8500. Licensed in multiple states, she helps clients plan for both the expected—family, retirement, and wealth accumulation—and the unexpected through risk protection.
Caroline is a cum laude graduate from Clemson University with her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. She also has a master’s degree in Public Administration from the College of Charleston with a focus in nonprofit management. Caroline worked in nonprofit development for approximately a year and a half before joining The Herlong Financial Group in 2017. Caroline is active in her community as she serves on multiple boards. bringing experience in nonprofit development and charitable planning.
*The Herlong Financial Group, LLC is not owned or operated by NYLIFE Securities or its affiliates.
Tim Worrell
Tim Worrell serves as a Project Manager for Merrick & Company. Previously, he served as a Nuclear Test Engineer and Systems Engineer prior to joining Westinghouse Savannah River Company in 1989. He retired from SRNS in 2020 and went to work for Merrick & Company.
Tim’s experience spans nuclear engineering, testing, maintenance, operations, and quality assurance on Nuclear Submarines, Nuclear Commercial Power Plants (PWR & BWR), NNSA Weapons & DOE Waste Management programs.
Tim earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama. Tim also holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry degree.
Dr. James Corley, Ex-Officio
James H. Corley is Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology at Georgia Health Sciences University Medical College of Georgia (MCG). He received B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Georgia, and is Board Certified in Nuclear Pharmacy.
Prior to joining MCG in 1990, Jim served at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and was Deputy Chief of Nuclear Medicine Service at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon. He is an Honors Graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, and has authored numerous papers in the Nuclear Medicine field.
Walt Joseph, Ex-Officio
Walt Joseph is a graduate Mechanical Engineer with a BE degree from North Carolina State College and a MS from the Pennsylvania State University. He served as an officer in the US Army Ordinance Corps in Korea during the conflict.
He was employed for 39 years at the Savannah River Site in a variety of technical and management positions for E.I. Du Pont and the Westinghouse Savannah River Co. He started at the Savannah River Laboratory doing research and development before he transferred to the Savannah River Plant for varied assignments including managing the Traffic and Transportation Department, the L-Reactor restart project, and Site Quality.
Dr. Clint Wolfe, Director Emeritus
Clinton R. Wolfe served as CNTA Executive Director from 2008 through 2015. He obtained B.S. in Chemistry degree from Marshall University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of New Mexico, with a combined minor in Math and Physics. He worked at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory then participated in research and problem-solving for 12 years at the Westinghouse R&D Center.
Dr. Wolfe led research for ten years on nuclear steam generator corrosion issues at the Westinghouse Service Technology Division. In 1988, he joined Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC), where he managed the Strategic Materials Technology Department in the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) from 1996 until his retirement in 2005.
Dr. James Marra, Nuclear Technical Advisor
Dr. James C. Marra is a veteran in the nuclear industry. He began his nuclear career at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) as a Senior Engineer and progressed to the level of Advisory Engineer. He also spent time as a Senior Scientist for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM). He served as CNTA’s Executive Director from 2016-2023.
Marra has a Bachelor of Science degree in Ceramic Science and Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics (Alfred University, Alfred, NY); a Master’s degree in Materials Engineering (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA); and a Ph.D. in Ceramic and Materials Engineering (Clemson University).