Richard L. Higgins

Proven Experience

Richard L. Higgins
Richard L. Higgins
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Mr. Higgins has more than 40 years of experience in nuclear operations, including 21 years in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Program, and 22 years as a senior manager for Department of Energy contractors involved in nuclear facility operations, decommissioning, demolition, and environmental restoration.

As the Commanding Office of Resolute (AFDM-10), a floating submarine dry-dock, Mr. Higgins was credited with the successful turnaround of the troubled command, culminating in a “clean sweep” of every available readiness award in its class.

Mr. Higgins developed and implemented work control, issues management, and Environment, Safety, Health & Quality (ESHQ) programs at the DOE Rocky Flats Plant, the DOE Mound Plant, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s U-233 Disposition Project, and DOE’s Hanford Tanks Farms. He was also responsible for implementing DOE’s Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) at the Mound Plant, completing a combined DOE Phase I and II ISMS verification with no Findings.

As the Operations Manager for tritium and uranium processing facilities (T and SW Buildings) at the Mound Plant, he successfully transitioned the facilities from production operations to decommissioning, including the transfer of several nonnuclear facilities to the City of Miamisburg, OH in support of economic development.

Mr. Higgins has a long track record of successfully developing and implementing programs to meet the requirements of DOE nuclear safety rules for quality assurance and worker safety programs, and is an expert in the conduct of assessments, accident investigations and causal analyses. He developed and was the lead instructor for root cause analysis course at the DOE Hanford Tank Farms, and was the company’s lead investigator for the 2007 S-102 tank leak event.

Mr. Higgins served as the Washington River Protections Solutions (WRPS) company representative on the Hanford Concerns Council, an alternative employee concerns resolution resource focused on the fair treatment of employees experiencing difficulties in the work place related to protected activities associated with the implementation of ESH&Q requirements.

Mr. Higgins holds an M.B.A in Organizational Leadership from the University of Findlay and a B.S. in Technology from the University of the State of New York.

Sustainable Results

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Mr. Higgins is a proven leader who is focused on improving the capacity of employees to understand and effectively implement technical and regulatory requirements. He has trained hundreds of employees to assess their company’s compliance with standards, requirements, and expectations, and to follow up with effective corrective actions to address performance gaps. In addition, he is experienced in the use of change management tools that increase the probability of meeting corporate objectives for projects and other change efforts.

As a senior manager responsible for nuclear facility conduct of operations, work control, and ESH&Q program management at several DOE sites for EG&G, Babcock & Wilcox, CH2M HILL, EnergySolutions, and WRPS, Mr. Higgins earned a reputation for exceeding customer expectations, not only in successfully developing and implementing required programs, but leading employees to increased productivity in a safety conscious work environment.