Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Chamber selects new president/CEO

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Christine Michaels

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has selected Christine Michaels as the new president and chief executive officer of the organization.

Michaels replaces Parker Hardy, who retired this summer after a 24-year career at the Chamber.

As president/CEO, Michaels will be responsible for advancing the business interests in the community and serving the membership in the areas of leadership growth, residential growth, advocacy, economic growth, and community alignment, a press release said.

Michaels comes to the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce from within the chamber of commerce industry as president and CEO of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber in Fayetteville, North Carolina. While at the 700-member Greater Fayetteville Chamber, Michaels introduced new entrepreneurship opportunities for exiting military personnel and served on several task forces for city development, including as a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization advisory committee. During her tenure, she increased member retention by 15 percent, supervised a staff of five employees, and managed a $700,000 budget.

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United Way has its annual meeting at New Hope Center on Thursday

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United Way of Anderson County

United Way of Anderson County has its annual meeting on Thursday morning at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex on Scarboro Road.

The 2017 Annual Meeting starts at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, April 18. More than 100 community members, leaders, and volunteers are expected to attend. There will be a waffle and coffee bar, among other breakfast items, a press release said.

2016 Campaign Co-Chairs Carroll Welch and Bear Stephenson will welcome the crowd, and they will talk about the successes of the past year, the press release said. [Read more…]

Center for Leadership & Community Development starts ‘Encounter Oak Ridge’ program

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The Oak Ridge Center for Leadership and Community Development, an organization affiliated with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, has announced a new program, Encounter Oak Ridge.

Encounter Oak Ridge is a new four-session program designed to introduce Oak Ridge to new residents, new employees, and everyone interested in learning more about the community where they live or work. Participants will be introduced to the unique aspects of Oak Ridge. Sessions will take place on four consecutive Mondays, beginning on April 24 and concluding on May 15. Encounter Oak Ridge is sponsored by NSPS.

“Participants in this new program will benefit from learning about our community and from the new business and personal contacts they will make through Encounter Oak Ridge,” said Bonnie Hebert of Oak Ridge National Laboratory/UT-Battelle and chair of the Encounter Oak Ridge program.

“Encounter Oak Ridge is our organization’s latest offering to inform and empower Oak Ridge’s workforce and residents to be engaged in the community where they live and/or work,” said John Garrity of NSPS LLC and chairman of the Center for Leadership and Community Development.

Each session will focus on different aspects of the Oak Ridge community, the press release said: [Read more…]

United Way has annual meeting Thursday, April 21

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United-Way-Annual-Meeting-2016

The United Way of Anderson County will have its annual meeting on Thursday, April 21.

“This is an opportunity to celebrate a successful campaign season, recognize businesses and board members as well as see the impact made on the community through United Way contributions,” a press release said.

The annual meeting is scheduled from 7:30-8:30 a.m. April 21 at the New Hope Center on Scarboro Road.

Tom Hilton will present a president’s report, Eric Abelquist will give a report of strategic planning outcomes, and John Garrity will report on community impact through grants, the press release said. Gene Patterson and Jim Dodson will present the 2015 campaign report, and the 2016 campaign chairs will be revealed, the release said. [Read more…]

United Way raises $1.17 million, about 90 percent of ‘bold’ goal

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Greta Ownby and Edwena Crowe

UWAC Board President, Greta Ownby, left, announces Edwena Crowe, right, as Volunteer of the Year. (Submitted photos)

The campaign was complicated by the partial government shutdown in October, but the United Way of Anderson County raised close to $1.2 million this year, or about 90 percent of its goal.

The results were announced at an annual meeting and campaign announcement at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The campaign goal, which was described as “bold,” had been $1.3 million. The total amount raised was $1,172,742. The United Way said this will allow for stable funding for its agency programs.

“Unfortunately, we will not be able to increase funding to our community partners,” UWAC Executive Director Rick Morrow said. “Last year’s total resulted in a reduction of $200,000 to the funding pool, and this year’s total will only allow for continued funding at that level.” [Read more…]

No intentional wrongdoing in Y-12 test question distribution, WSI Oak Ridge says

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Note: This story was updated at 9:58 a.m. Sept. 19.

WSI Oak Ridge workers did not intend to do anything wrong when test questions associated with a federal inspection were distributed to employees in August, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

The test questions and other information were allegedly found in a patrol vehicle on Aug. 29. They were part of a federal investigation after the July 28 security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex, and they were not supposed to be shared, a U.S. Department of Energy official said earlier this month.

In its statement Tuesday, WSI Oak Ridge said its investigation, which used independent legal counsel, found that the distribution of the papers was not meant to help employees that could have been tested.

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WSI reassigns Y-12 security director after test questions found in patrol vehicle

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Note: This story was updated at 1:49 p.m. Sept. 6.

The new director of the protective force at the Y-12 National Security Complex has been reassigned after a federal inspector allegedly found papers in a patrol vehicle that included answers to a test scheduled to be given to guards as part of an investigation following an unprecedented July 28 security breach.

A U.S. Department of Energy official said the stack of papers found last week also included a copy of a test designed to quiz a random sample of a few dozen guards on policies and procedures, as well as a “post check” interview sheet. The “post checks” question security officers on procedures and performance tests, such as deploying gas masks. The papers were not supposed to be shared, said the DOE official, speaking on background.

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Top management changes at WSI after Y-12 security breach

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Two administrators at security contractor WSI Oak Ridge have been replaced after three anti-nuclear weapons activists penetrated the high-security Protected Area at the Y-12 National Security Complex on July 28, allegedly splashing blood and spraying paint on a uranium storage building.

Lee Brooks, former general manager at WSI Oak Ridge, has been replaced by Steve Hafner, who will serve as acting general manager, a press release said. Hafner is senior vice president and director of safety, security, and environment for Mission Support Alliance in Hanford, Wash.

Brooks and Gary Brandon, former director of the Y-12 Protective Force, are waiting to be reassigned by G4SGS, the WSI Oak Ridge press release said. WSI is a G4SGS company.

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