NRC Announces David Pelton as New Director, Office of Enforcement

Nuclear Regulatory Commission
No: 22-051 December 12, 2022
CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200
 
NRC Announces David Pelton as New Director, Office of Enforcement
 
The NRC announced today the selection of David (Dave) L. Pelton as the new director of the Office of Enforcement, effective Jan. 1, 2023, replacing Mark Lombard, who will retire at end of the year following nearly 20 years of federal government service.
 
The NRC Office of Enforcement supports the NRC mission by developing and overseeing policies and programs for enforcement and allegations. The OE director also oversees staff managing the Differing Professional Opinion Program and the agency’s non-concurrence process.
 
“Dave is an extremely talented person, bringing a wide range of technical and leadership experience to this important agency position,” said Executive Director for Operations Daniel H. Dorman. “His time spent working both in the headquarters and in the regions has given him a keen understanding of our critical work at a variety of levels.”
 
Dorman praised the outgoing Lombard, stating that, “Mark has been a highly effective leader for decades, most recently his unprecedented role in leading the NRC task force that responded to the Covid-19 global pandemic. He is extremely well respected by his peers and his contributions will not be forgotten.”
 
Pelton currently serves as the Region II Deputy Regional Administrator in Atlanta. He began his career at the NRC in 1997 as a Region III resident inspector. Pelton held progressively responsible positions, to include working in the region as a Region III senior operator licensing examiner; senior resident inspector in Region I; executive technical assistant in the Office of the EDO, and a variety of branch chief positions in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. He is a 2016 graduate of the NRC’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program.
 
Before joining the NRC, Pelton worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the Division of Nuclear Test Engineering and the Division of Nuclear Performance Assessment. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.