DOE acting assistant manager retires after 34 years of federal service

An acting assistant manager in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office has retired after 34 years of federal service.

Teresa C. Perry was acting assistant manager for safety and technical services in the Oak Ridge Office, and she retired Aug. 1, a DOE press release said.

“As acting assistant manager, Perry was responsible for supporting safety, health, quality assurance, and environmental protection across all ORO program areas in science, environmental management, and nuclear fuel supply,” the release said.

This included programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, East Tennessee Technology Park, and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. In addition, she led environment, safety, and health program support to other DOE Office of Science national laboratories including the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the release said.

“Teresa’s outstanding leadership, knowledge, technical abilities, and contributions to providing the necessary resources and tools required for the safe and efficient operations of the many programs she has supported will be missed by the Oak Ridge Office, the Department of Energy, and by me personally,” said ORO Manager Larry Kelly. “More important than Teresa’s professional accomplishments will be the loss of a colleague that exemplifies the best in federal service. The Oak Ridge Office and I wish Teresa continued success in her future pursuits.”

Before she became acting assistant manager, Perry was deputy assistant manager in ORO’s Office of Assistant Manager for Environment, Safety, and Health, or AMESH. She also previously served as the senior technical adviser in AMESH and lead general engineer and team leader for the Assessment and Performance Systems Team, the release said.

It said Perry’s federal career began at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Knoxville office, where she was an engineer and manager in the Offices of Nuclear Engineering, Engineering Design, Research and Development, and Engineering and Computer Methods. When she left TVA, she was the manager of services in the Office of Engineering.

During the past 20 years, Perry worked at ORO as a manager, and civil and environmental engineer.

Between her jobs at TVA and DOE, she was employed for two years by Bechtel National as a senior engineer performing environmental cleanup activities, the release said.

A Farragut resident with two children and two grandchildren, she has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering and a master of science in environmental engineering.

“Perry looks forward to pursuing her many hobbies and interests and spending more time with family and friends,” the release said.