Larry Kelly
Larry Kelly (ChE 79) has been selected as manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office.
As the manager of one of DOE’s most diverse field locations, Kelly’s executive responsibilities include management of the Oak Ridge Integrated Support Center. The center provides critical support services in such areas as personnel, finance, procurement, security and emergency management, and employee health and safety on a national and local level. Kelly is also responsible for management of the 32,000-acre Oak Ridge Reservation, which addresses joint issues and activities among major organizations such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the East Tennessee Technology Park (formerly the K-25 Site) and the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to lead this great organization,” said Kelly, who has been a member of the Oak Ridge community since 1990 and has more than 30 years of federal service. “My primary focus will be on our people and our mission, and we will continue to find ways to work efficiently and remain good stewards to the taxpayer.”
During his 21 years with Oak Ridge, Kelly served as acting manager, acting deputy manager and the assistant manager for environment, safety, health and quality assurance through the Office of Science’s Integrated Support Center. Before joining DOE, he worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority for nine years as an engineer and manager, providing expertise in design, construction and operation of commercial nuclear power plants.
Kelly also worked in the private sector as an environmental engineer for International Paper Co.
“After completing a nationwide search of qualified candidates, [we found that] Larry separated himself as the perfect choice for this position,” said Joe McBrearty, deputy director of field operations for DOE’s Office of Science. “With the changes happening in Oak Ridge, we wanted to institute and establish a very strong leadership team that can work the new organization as it is envisioned and interact well with the other parts of the organization locally and nationally.”
UM School of Engineering faculty and staff were not surprised by the news of Kelly’s career achievements.
“He was certainly a solid student and one of the best I had in courses I taught,” said Russell Aven, professor emeritus of chemical engineering.
“We are all very pleased to hear of Mr. Kelly’s success,” said Clint Williford, chair and professor of chemical engineering. “Many of our chemical engineering graduates have gone on to distinguished careers. He is a good example of the quality and strength of our program.”
Ole Miss engineering laid the foundation for his success, Kelly said.
“Drs. (Frank) Anderson, Aven and (Leland) Roy stressed a way of examining a problem that has been extremely helpful throughout my career,” he said. “They stressed when you encounter a problem, examine it from all sides. The point of this exercise was to evaluate all possible solutions, then determine which solution was best based on your current knowledge of the problem.
“I’ve found that this process provides a logical way to arrive at solution(s), if an answer is needed immediately; and, if an immediate answer is not needed, this process provides insight to information that should be obtained that would lead to improved confidence in the answer provided,” Kelly said. “In addition, I was surrounded by different ideas and cultures that opened my eyes and mind to different points of view. It taught me to evaluate ideas on their merit and to judge people by their actions.”
A native of Oxford, Kelly also earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Tennessee. He and his wife, Rubenia, live in Knoxville. Their daughter, Kristyn, is continuing the family legacy as a sophomore chemical engineering major at the university.
For more information about DOE’s Oak Ridge Office, visit http://oro.doe.gov/
