The NRC saw major staffing transitions in 2025, including an unprecedented number of vacancies at the senior staff level. As 2026 kicks off, the Commission has returned to a full slate of five, and the agency has filled significant senior leadership roles.
President Donald Trump Designates Chairman Ho Nieh
The NRC announced on January 8, 2026 that President Trump designated Commissioner Nieh as the 20th NRC chairman. Chairman Nieh succeeds David Wright, who was designated chairman on January 21, 2025. Mr. Wright will continue as a commissioner. As chairman, Wright proved a stabilizing force during a dynamic time in the agency’s history. Among other things, following the passage of the ADVANCE Act, Chairman Wright championed a new mission statement for the NRC, spearheading cultural change. The new mission statement preserves the NRC’s role as a non-promotional safety regulator while sharpening the agency’s focus on efficiency and timeliness, thus enabling the timely deployment of new nuclear technologies.
President Trump removed Commissioner and former Chair Chris Hanson on June 14, 2025. Mr. Hanson did not challenge the removal. The Commission had maintained the statutory quorum of three commissioners since the resignation of Commissioner Annie Caputo on June 30, 2025, albeit without a designated chairman during a brief interregnum pending the US Senate’s reconfirmation of Commissioner Wright. Mr. Nieh was sworn in as an NRC Commissioner on December 4, 2025 for the term ending June 30, 2029. Doug Weaver was sworn in on December 22, 2025 for the term ending June 30, 2026. Commissioner Weaver’s onboarding brought the NRC back to its full complement of five commissioners.
Implementing a split of responsibilities of the Atomic Energy Commission, the US Congress established the NRC under the Energy Reorganization Act (ERA) as a collegial body that formulates policy, issues regulations, and oversees individual cases by issuing orders and adjudicatory decisions. The commissioners, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, serve staggered five-year terms, with one term expiring every June 30. Commissioner Bradley Crowell’s term expires June 30, 2027, and Commissioner Matthew Marzano’s term expires June 30, 2028. Commissioner Wright’s term expires June 30, 2030.
Key Staff Vacancies Being Filled
Below the Commission, the agency has permanently filled several key staff roles in the last month. The Commission announced on December 19, 2025 that it had appointed Mike King, a career staffer who has held significant roles in reactor licensing and inspection, executive director for operations (EDO). The EDO, who is appointed by the Commission, is the agency’s chief operational officer and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the agency. The EDO and chairman assure information flow to the Commission on daily matters via their statutory charge to keep the Commission “fully and currently informed.” Mr. King had been filling that role in an “acting” capacity since the departure of Mirela Gavrilas in June 2025.
Earlier this month, the agency filled both vacant deputy EDO positions with experienced career staffers—Sabrina Atack has been named deputy EDO for reactor and preparedness programs, and Caroline Carusone, deputy EDO for nuclear materials, administrative, and corporate programs. Ten office director–level positions remain to be permanently filled, including the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, a statutory office established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (ERA). At least some of these positions could look different in 2026 following the major reorganization the NRC is undertaking pursuant to Executive Order 14300, Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
More Significant Changes Coming
Under the ERA, no more than three commissioners may be of the same political party. Commissioner Weaver joined Chairman Nieh and Commissioner Wright as the third Republican commissioner, which gives the Commission a 3-2 Republican majority—at least until Commissioner Weaver’s term expires at the end of June. The Commission is facing a number of significant decisions in 2026—in addition to the major reorganization mentioned above, Executive Order 14300 calls for “wholesale regulatory reform.” While details are still forthcoming, the NRC is planning more than 75 rulemakings, including major rules governing the agency’s environmental review process, radiation protection, licensing for microreactors and other low-consequence reactors, and its risk-informed, technology-inclusive framework for advanced reactor licensing (Part 53).
Under Executive Order 14300, the agency is charged to deliver several proposed rules by the end of February 2026. At the same time, the agency must establish more efficient deadlines for the evaluation of license applications in all areas. These are ambitious priorities for the agency, particularly in light of the federal hiring freeze and other initiatives that have slimmed the federal workforce, including at the NRC. But with stable staff leadership, the agency is positioned to deliver well-crafted, soundly reasoned recommendations to the Commission. And at full strength, the Commission is better equipped to fulfill the administration’s priorities and make durable decisions that implement the agency’s new mission.
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