Hanford Community Leader Pam Larsen to Retire

This month, the Energy Communities Alliance celebrates one of our longest serving members, Pam Larsen, wishing her all the best on her retirement!  Pam has been a leader and prominent local voice throughout more than 25 years of work on cleanup efforts at Hanford and across the nuclear complex.  Pam is retiring as the Executive Director of Hanford Communities and as a member of the Hanford Advisory Board since 1994, providing critical input and coordination that contributed directly to multiple accomplishments and goals for the Hanford site. 

At ECA, Pam has also been a constant source of leadership and guidance, using her myriad of experiences at Hanford to help guide many ECA initiatives, among them workforce development; the establishment of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park; collaboration and meeting planning with DOE-EM intergovernmental groups; and recognizing and applying lessons learned.  Throughout, Pam worked hard to ensure the goal of realizing a safe and enduring closure of the DOE cleanup mission. 

Seth Kirshenberg, ECA’s Executive Director, reflects, “Pam has been a leader both locally and nationally on Hanford and national cleanup issues and policies.  Her leadership has ensured that the local cities and counties have a clear voice in what happens at the Hanford site cleanup and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.  Don’t forget that when Pam started working on Hanford cleanup issues cities, counties and citizens were told by DOE to mind their own business.  Now cities, counties and the public are partners with DOE.  It is a real credit to her hard work and dedication to the Hanford Communities and a lasting legacy for all communities around the DOE sites.” 

At our Annual Conference this past January, ECA awarded Pam a Lifetime Membership to ECA in recognition for everything she has contributed (pictured above.) ECA Chair Ron Woody remarked, “It has been a pleasure getting to know and work with Pam over the course of the environment management cleanup program.  Pam has been an invaluable asset to ECA and the Hanford communities with her broad knowledge, understanding of complex issues, and work ethic.  We will miss her leadership and wish her a happy retirement.” 

ECA knows Pam joins us in welcoming David Reeploeg as he carries on her good work as the new Executive Director of Hanford Communities. David is already an active member of ECA and we look forward to continuing to work with him in this new capacity. 

On behalf of all ECA members and staff, Pam will be greatly missed.  We wish her many wonderful retirement adventures and look forward to running into her  across the complex.