Westinghouse Commemorates the Past and Welcomes the Future – Engineers Week 2024

Wenjie LV (Crystal), Senior Engineer for Operations and Control Centers System Graphics, Data Acquisition System

Shanghai, China

Tenure at Westinghouse: 10 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
Reflecting on the evolution of engineering, particularly in the nuclear power sector, I am most excited about the integration of digital technology and artificial intelligence into I&C systems. This advancement not only enhances the safety and efficiency of nuclear power plants but also opens new avenues for innovation in reactor design and operation. The prospect of developing next-generation reactors, such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and fusion technology, promises to revolutionize energy production with cleaner, safer, and more sustainable solutions. The fusion of traditional engineering principles with cutting-edge technologies fuels my optimism for the future, where engineering breakthroughs will continue to address global energy challenges and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Zhang Jie (Horace), Turbine Control Protection System Engineer

Shanghai, China

Tenure at Westinghouse: 8 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
As the leader in the nuclear industry, Westinghouse has been providing safe and clean energy to the world for decades. I’m very excited that we have begun working on China Wave 3 projects after the successful delivery of Wave 2 projects. I’m honored to have participated in the implementation of Wave 2 and other local projects in a professional and supportive work environment, the valuable engineering experience gave me great confidence in continuing to support Wave 3 and other opportunities in the future.

Dr. Pamela M. Torres-Jiménez, Senior Manager, Balance of Plant Mechanical Engineering

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 11.5 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
As a Senior Manager in the Global Engineering Services organization, I shape the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse by leading my team in a way that upholds our vision and values. I can achieve this by hiring talented professionals, developing our engineers’ leadership and technical skills, ensuring that our employees work in a safe and enjoyable environment, and supporting new technologies and sustainability strategies.

Jennifer Meneely, Director for Mechanical and Piping, Global Engineering Services

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 14 years

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse?
As a leader in engineering at Westinghouse, I am actively shaping tomorrow’s future by nurturing the professional growth of engineers of all capabilities and experience levels, as well as leading the design of nuclear plants for supporting operating plants and designing new plants and paving the way for advancements in nuclear technology.

Jonathan Durfee, Senior Engineering Manager, Fluid Systems Engineering

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 13.5 years

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse?
Looking back, I recognize that strong mentors buoyed my career and helped me navigate the thicket of concerns in technical and corporate environments. As the next diverse generation enters the workforce, I’m energized to connect with young professionals to share what I can offer and learn something from them along the way.

Rebecca Parks, Manager, Large Project Electrical Systems & Equipment

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 20 years

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse?
As a new manager at Westinghouse, I am shaping the future of tomorrow by supporting the growth of our company, in personnel, in knowledge, and in industry presence. Global Engineering Services (GES) has new designs for the AP1000® reactor, AP300^TM SMR, eVinci^TM microreactor and thermal energy storage, which requires additional talent from new graduates to experienced professionals. I have collaborated with our college engagement teams to spread the name of Westinghouse to institutes of higher education like Clemson University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina Charlotte, and Central Piedmont Community College. My team supports the new plant designs and innovations to launch Westinghouse into first-of-a-kind and preferred engineering company. Working with the local Westinghouse chapters of North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN) and Women in Nuclear (WIN), allows me to engage a community of like-minded people, mentor earlier career members and support outreach to the next generation of engineers.

Melanie Arnold, Director, Safety Analysis Risk Analysis & Licensing, Global Engineering Services

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 19 years

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse?
One of the key focus areas of my role as an engineering director is to ensure our teams are staffing, developing and retaining talent to support the future growth of the nuclear industry and the role Westinghouse plays in that. This means ensuring my managers and their teams have the tools they need to succeed – a supportive culture for our engineers to develop in current roles or to explore other opportunities, training and development opportunities to advance their careers, and keeping tabs on work-life balance so everyone, new or experienced, can complete their work in a safe and quality manner. As a leader, it’s my job to ensure we’re grooming the next leaders of Westinghouse, as we continue to keep a fleet of nuclear plants operating, and support design and licensing activities for the construction of new plants like AP1000 reactor, AP300 SMRs and eVinci microreactor designs!

Kevin Lundy, Facilities Support Lead/Supervisory Engineer, Open Mechanical Systems

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse? 16 years

What does creating the future mean to you?
I am shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse by trying to set good examples in everything I do, from putting safety first to mentoring and coaching to continuous improvement in personal and professional development. I hope to continue being involved with recruiting, hiring and mentoring the next generation of engineers so they can have the opportunity to grow and develop into the best the nuclear industry has to offer.

Kaitlin Milde, Mechanical Engineer, Open Mechanical Systems

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 2.5 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
One of the most exciting aspects of engineering is its continual evolution and its potential to solve complex problems that benefit society. The interdisciplinary nature of engineering opens up opportunities for collaboration across various fields and fosters creativity that enables engineers to take multifaceted challenges from different perspectives. This dynamic nature of engineering and its potential to make a positive impact on the world make it an incredibly exciting field to work in, both now and in the future.

Rachel Flanigan, Product Engineer, W-NEXUS^TM

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 10 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
The most intriguing part of working in engineering is the focus on setting the bar higher each and every day. Whether it is through small improvements or by making big advancements, the engineering field consistently takes steps forward. It is exciting to think about how much better engineering design and processes will be in the future.

Cliff Gentry, Principal Fluid System Engineer, Fluid Systems and Procedures

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 8 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
I have been at the Vogtle Unit 3 and 4 nuclear power plant new construction build for 10 years, starting with CB&I and becoming a Westinghouse employee in 2016. I have served a variety of engineering roles from the balance of plant design, HVAC construction support, Initial Test Program Support, and the Passive Core Cooling System Test Engineer. During my time at Vogtle, I have had the opportunity to support construction, pre-operational testing, cold hydrostatic testing, hot functional testing, and startup. In addition to supporting the Vogtle project, I have had the opportunity to locally support Sanmen Unit 1’s Hot Functional Testing. I have enjoyed the variety of engineering roles and opportunities Westinghouse has provided me over the years. With the complexity of future new build projects, including AP1000 technology, AP300 SMRs, and eVinci microreactors, I look forward to making these systems a reality.

Keegan Foster, Principal Electrical Engineer, Large Project Electrical Systems & Equipment

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 10 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
The tools, techniques and designs that engineers have developed in the past, and how the need for newer more sophisticated ones sometimes compels us to explore the old ways, excites me the most. Engineers have a unique role in that we bridge the gap between the theoretical and the practical, so we have a natural perspective that lets us drive innovation both abstractly and tangibly. As younger engineers join the workforce, especially in nuclear, they bring a fresh set of eyes that help propel the collective progress of our industry even further. The future of nuclear is bright, especially with respect to engineering opportunities, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

Stacy Davis, Senior Manager for Issue Resolution and Failure Analysis

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 16 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
As part of the Issue Resolution group, I have the opportunity to work with new people on challenging issues every day. We continue to look for opportunities to collaborate, ask questions and problem solve. The lessons learned from solving these challenging issues help to shape the future of Westinghouse.

Anne Delmotte, Director of Competency Development & Nuclear Operations

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 17 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
Engineering is about solving problems that benefit our world. We are living in a society that is reflecting the implementation of innovative concepts that engineers translated into reality. Being an engineer in the nuclear industry today is the most exciting area you can work in considering the current and future energy needs worldwide. The momentum associated with the small modular reactors for instance seems to really lead us to a Nuclear Renaissance. I am really interested in seeing what the next years will look like and which options each country will consider to maintain their electricity grid demand; it will surely be mostly based on nuclear technology!

Venki Prabhu, Consulting Engineer, Mechanical & Piping Engineering

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 19 years

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse?
I’m lucky to have the opportunity to work on new plants like the AP300 SMR and AP1000 reactor, where we are improving proven technology, and on completely new technologies such as the implementation of AI in the enterprise. More importantly, I get to help shape processes and people; things that will be long-lasting into the future. As someone who has had many mentors in their career, it’s exciting to pay it forward and see people develop new skills and knowledge.

Andrew Garcia, Supervisory Engineer, Large Project Electrical Systems and Equipment

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 14 years

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse?
We say this a lot but the future of Westinghouse centers around its employees. I am a firm believer in people taking opportunities and experiences outside their core knowledge base. In my leadership role, I have the ability to suggest opportunities and, if you want, provide my opinion on the opportunities that are presented to you. The wider your breadth of knowledge, the better the chance that you can help us come up with a new idea and drive the future of not only Westinghouse but our industry.

Natalie Rodgers, Lead Engineer for Fluid Systems, System Engineering and Special Programs

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 16.5 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
Looking back at historical engineering work, I am always impressed by what was accomplished in the past using much less sophisticated computing tools. Looking to the future, what excites me most is getting to collaborate with great engineering teams to solve complex problems and innovate, building on and learning from the accomplishments of the past.

Nathan Hansen, Supplier Performance Engineering Lead

Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States

Tenure at Westinghouse: 4 years

Looking back on how engineering has advanced over history, what excites you most about working in engineering and its future?
I'm excited to see the growing global interest in nuclear energy and the recognition that nuclear energy can provide clean, reliable power on a large scale, contributing to global efforts to increase energy independence while combatting change. The advancements in reactor designs offer promising alternatives with enhanced safety features and reduced waste. Additionally, research in nuclear fusion holds the promise of virtually limitless energy generation without the drawbacks of traditional fission reactors. Overall, the nuclear (engineering) field presents exciting opportunities to revolutionize our energy landscape and address pressing environmental challenges.

Julie Gorgemans, Director, AP Technology Deployment

Nivelles, Belgium

Tenure at Westinghouse: 18 years

How are you shaping the future of tomorrow at Westinghouse?
In my opinion, the biggest challenge our industry is facing to support the world’s transition to a carbon-free future will be our capability to develop enough engineers, technicians, etc. to support new nuclear power plants and the continued safe operation of the existing fleet. That is why I never lose an opportunity to share my passion for our industry with students, to work at attracting talent to our organization and to share the knowledge I have received from those who have and continue mentoring me at Westinghouse.