Karen Fili
President & CEO
Karen oversees UUSA's business strategies and objectives and provides organizational leadership for our plant. She has over 33 years of experience in commercial nuclear power.
Prior to joining UUSA, Karen served as the Site Vice President for two different nuclear power plants: Vogtle 3 & 4 and Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant. She also served as the Vice President of Nuclear Projects at Xcel Energy and Vice President of Nuclear Oversight at FirstEnergy.
Karen holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Mississippi College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State University. She has a Senior Reactor Operator Certification, Professional Project Management Certification, and attended the Wharton Executive Program. Karen resides in Hobbs, New Mexico and is an active member of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), the American Nuclear Society, and Women in Nuclear (WIN) as well as a contributor and giver in the local community.
Paul Lorskulsint
Chief Nuclear Officer
Paul is responsible for the nuclear safety, industrial safety, and security of the UUSA facility. He ensures the plant is in compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements and the facility license.
Paul has served in a number of positions of increasing responsibility at UUSA which include, Compliance Manager, Deputy Compliance Manager, Head of Supply Chain Execution, Chief of Staff, Logistics Manager, Operations Support Manager, and Shift Manager. Prior to joining UUSA, Paul worked at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory where he was responsible for overall shift operations of a submarine prototype to train US Navy personnel on the routine operations and maintenance of a submarine engine room.
Paul is pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management from Temple University and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California.
Gabriel Chavez
Chief of Staff
Gabriel's responsibilities include developing programs and strategic initiatives to support UUSA 's operation and continued expansion, while achieving optimum production capacity and efficiency.
Gabe joined UUSA in 2012 and has served as the Container Handler Supervisor, Shift Manager, and Day Shift Manager. Prior to joining UUSA, Gabe worked as a Senior Cytogenetic Technologist at Genzyme Genetics.
Gabe holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of New Mexico, has an Associate's Degree in Applied Science and Energy Technology from NMJC, and a Professional Certification in Cytogenetics.
Scott Diggs
Operations Manager
Scott maintains effective operations of UUSA by overseeing the day-to-day management of production and site priorities including safety, cost, and schedule.
Scott joined UUSA in 2011 and during his tenure he has also served as the Security and Safeguards Manager, a Deputy Shift Manager, and Chief of Staff. Prior to joining UUSA, Scott spent two years with the URS Corporation at the Hanford Site in Richland, WA as the Procedures and Training Manager for the Pre-Treatment Facility of the Waste Vitirification Plant. Prior to his work with the URS, he was the Managing Director of an electronics manufacturing facility in Reynosa, Mexico responsible for the development and manufacturing of electronic solutions for ruggedized computing requirements. Scott also served in the United States Navy as a nuclear electrician in both operational and instructional roles.
Scott holds MBA and BSBM degrees from the University of Phoenix and is a graduate of the US Navy Nuclear Power Program.
Wyatt Padgett
Compliance Manager
Wyatt provides leadership and management for the on-going development and effective implementation of the facility’s Quality Assurance, Security, Information Technology Security, Licensing & Performance Assessment, Permitting, and the Fundamental Nuclear Material Control and Safeguards Programs.
While at UUSA, Wyatt has served as an Integrated Safety Analysis Engineer, Systems Engineer, Integrated Safety Analysis and Nuclear Criticality Safety Supervisor, Facility Security Officer, Project Manager, Licensing Engineer, Licensing & Performance Assessment Manager and Chief of Staff. Prior to joining UUSA, Wyatt was a Lead Authorization Basis Analyst for BWXT at the Pantex nuclear weapons assembly facility and also worked as a field engineer in the Petroleum Industry.
Wyatt served as a Combat Engineer and is a veteran of the United States Army. Wyatt holds a Master of Business Administration degree from West Texas A&M University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University, and is a registered Professional Engineer in New Mexico. He has over 15 years of experience in the nuclear industry.
Brian Dorathy
Head of Engineering & Site Projects
Brian ensures UUSA's engineering procedures, processes, and design outputs are reviewed, approved and controlled to comply with license and regulatory requirements.
Brian has over 20 years of engineering experience and joined UUSA in 2021. Prior to joining UUSA, he served as the Modification Manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa and is a graduate of the National Academy for Nuclear Training First Line Leadership. He is also a U.S. Navy veteran.
Dale Rush
Maintenance Manager
Dale aligns UUSA's Maintenance Team around daily operational needs, emergent issues, and ongoing maintenance activities to ensure local health, safety, and environmental guidelines are implemented.
Dale started his career with UUSA in 2020 and has several years of leadership experience within the nuclear industry in the areas of Operations, maintenance, engineering, and work management. Prior to joining UUSA, Dale served as the Senior Manager of Engineering.
Dale holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University. Dale received his Senior Reactor License at Braidwood station in 2011. Dale lives in Hobbs, NM with his wife Sarah and two sons. Dale is the Blue and Gold Officer for southeast region in New Mexico for the United States Naval Academy. He was also elected as a Director of the Board for the Hobbs Chamber of Commerce in 2021. Dale is also a U.S. Navy veteran and served as a submarine officer.
Shawn O’Brien
Logistics Manager
Shawn ensures UUSA's compliance with established standards for uranium storage and shipping, plant production planning, and uranium accounting.
During his time at UUSA, Shawn has held a variety of integral roles, including working as an Operator, Senior Operator, IT Projects User Acceptance Testing Lead, Container Handling Supervisor, and Pump Rebuild & Recycling Supervisor. Prior to joining UUSA, Shawn worked as an Engineering Laboratory Technician on the USS La Jolla SSN 701 stationed in Pearl Harbor.
Shawn holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Science and Technology in Nuclear Engineering Technology from Thomas Edison State College and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Colorado Technical University. He is also a U.S. Navy veteran.
Nicole Wyatt
Head of Human Resources
Nicole oversees UUSA's Human Resources team to manage employee relations, compensation, benefits, affirmative action programs, and manager and employee coaching.
Prior to joining UUSA, Nicole spent 12 years with an international construction and mining company where she handled both domestic and international human resources.
Nicole has over 20 years of Human Resources experience. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Texas A&M University and a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification.
Steve Roddy
Head of Finance / Site Controller
Steve oversees all UUSA's financial activities and oversees our current financial reporting, summaries, and forecasts for future business growth and general economic outlook.
Prior to joining UUSA, Steve served as the Financial Operations Manager for Southern Company at the Vogtle Nuclear Plant. Prior to his work with Southern Company, Steve served as a Revenue Reporting & Analytics Manager at Cigna Healthcare. Steve also spent several years working for the Tennessee Valley Authority, where he lead a cross-functional team and supported strategic business initiatives for a large section of fuel supply and operational business.
Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management from University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, and an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Florida.
Lisa Hardison
Head of Communications & Public Relations
Lisa provides strategic development and leadership for UUSA's communications and serves as a liaison to the community and media to increase visibility of UUSA on a local, state, and national level.
Prior to joining UUSA, Lisa served as the President & CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Lea County (EDCLC) and the Dean of Extended Learning at New Mexico Junior College.
She holds a Doctor of Education degree from New Mexico State University, a Master of Education Administration degree from New Mexico State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Lubbock Christian University.
Currently, Lisa is serves on the boards of United Way, My Power, New Mexico Junior College Foundation, University of the Southwest Foundation, and Leadership New Mexico. In the past she has also served on the boards of the Economic Development Corporation of Lea County, New Mexico Council of Governments, New Mexico Community Development Council, and the New Mexico Economic Development Partnership.