Mr. Joel B. Bradburne was named Manager of the Department of Energy's Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) on December 13, 2021. In this role, he oversees the deactivation and demolition of the former gaseous diffusion facilities at the Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky sites, and the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF6) Conversion Project at both locations.

Mr. Bradburne previously served as Acting Manager since July 31, 2021.  He initially joined PPPO in June 2009 as Site Lead for the Portsmouth Site, and served in that capacity until his promotion to PPPO Deputy Manager in November 2017.  As Deputy Manager, Mr. Bradburne provided leadership direction to the Lexington professional staff and site management, and served as manager of the DUF6 project. 

Mr. Bradburne’s more than 30 years of experience has included shipyard, commercial nuclear, DOE, and foreign nuclear site decommissioning in various program- and project-management assignments.  His DOE experience includes more than 20 years at various DOE sites and projects throughout the nation.

Prior to moving to Portsmouth, Mr. Bradburne was a Senior Project Manager with Nuclear Fuel Services in South Carolina.  He held several management positions with Fluor Fernald, Inc. at the DOE Fernald Site near Cincinnati from 1994 to 2004.  Mr. Bradburne earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1982 from Bridgewater College in Virginia.  In 1996, he earned a master’s degree in Environmental Management from the University of Findlay in Ohio.  He is a certified Project Management Professional.