The American Nuclear Society honored Virginia Tech graduate Mike Kansler with the Utility Leadership Award at the 2010 American Nuclear Society Utility Working Conference this week. Kansler, a 30-year industry veteran, served as the president, CEO and chief nuclear officer of Entergy, the second largest nuclear fleet in the United States, just prior to his retirement in 2009.
“My start at Virginia Tech certainly grounded me with the knowledge I needed,” said Kansler, whose educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech, earning a senior reactor operator license and completing Pennsylvania State University’s executive management program. “My focus in my career has always been on maximizing performance while getting the message out that the nuclear industry is safe and reliable, providing clean-air nuclear powered electricity to the communities we serve.”
Kansler is characterized as a sound voice who advanced the industry and shaped Entergy for more than a decade with a positive, productive and safe approach to operations. Kansler spent more than 20 years at Virginia Power (now Dominion Resources), and in his last two years there was vice president of its nuclear program responsible for the operation of Surry and North Anna – the company’s twin-unit nuclear power stations.
Kansler joined Entergy in 1998 as vice president of operations support, based at Entergy Nuclear’s headquarters in Jackson, Miss. In 2000 he was named as the company’s chief operating officer for the Northeast, later becoming president of the same region. In 2007 he was named Entergy Nuclear President, charged with fleet management at the company’s 10 sites where it owned or managed nuclear reactors.
All the while, Kansler was a national voice for the nuclear industry being active in local, regional, national and international organizations and initiatives. Kansler served as chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute Nuclear Strategic Issues Advisory Committee. He served on the board of directors for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and is a former member of the INPO National Nuclear Accrediting Board. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Kansler is a founding member of the Northeast Energy Alliance and serves on the Executive Committee of the Energy Association of New York State. His community involvement includes membership in the Hudson Valley Hospital Center Board of Directors and the New York Urban League Board of Directors, serving as co-chair for its 90th Anniversary Gala.
Kansler has never forgotten his Hokie roots and is the first to note that it is his excellent, hard-working management team and talented employees who are responsible for the accolades in company operational performance,
“I am honored by this award selection and want to send back a message of thanks to my alma mater for launching me down this path,” Kansler said. “I would also like to encourage engineering students to consider the nuclear industry as a first-choice employer upon graduation. It has given me a lifetime of rewarding experiences in an industry that is vitally important to the production of ‘clean-air’ energy for our country.”
ANS established the Utility Leadership Award in 1994 by the Operations and Power Division to recognize an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and has contributed greatly to the success of the nuclear industry.
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and more than 15,000 employees.
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