LLNS Board of Governors

Jay Sures is vice chairman of United Talent Agency (UTA) and chair of the LLNS Board of Governors. Spanning five offices with over 2,000 employees worldwide. Sures oversees the agency’s television, news broadcasting and speakers' division. He has been with the company since its inception in 1991. UTA’s prestigious television practice represents Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning creators, actors, writers, producers and directors working in scripted and unscripted formats for broadcast, cable, syndicated, direct to consumer and digital platforms. Sures led UTA’s emergence as the market leader in news and broadcast representation. UTA News and Broadcast now represents many of the most prominent and respected news anchors and media personalities in the business today. For his career work as a television representative, he was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2016.

Sures formerly served as vice chairman of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Comprehensive Cancer Center Foundation and was awarded their Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2007. He co-founded the UTA Charitable Foundation and is the former vice chairman and treasurer of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood’s largest and oldest charity, responsible for the annual “Stand Up To Cancer” event that has become a global brand in the world of cancer research. In 2014, Sures was honored at the Chrysalis’ Annual Butterfly Ball, which recognizes entertainment professionals for their creative excellence and philanthropic endeavors. He was appointed to and served on the Television Academy’s Executive Committee in 2014 and also has served as an assistant visiting professor in the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media at UCLA.

Raised in Los Angeles, Sures earned his B.A. in economics from UCLA. He was appointed to the University of California Board of Regents in January 2019 by Governor Brown and reappointed in March 2020 by Governor Newsom to a term ending in 2032. He serves as Chair of the Regents National Laboratories Committee.

Dena Volovar is president of Bechtel National, Inc., the general manager of the Environmental and Security business line of Bechtel's Nuclear, Security and Environmental global business unit and vice chair of the LLNS Board of Governors. She has more than 25 years of experience in project management, including multiple leadership roles on multi-billion-dollar construction projects. Her current portfolio includes the oversight of multiple government projects, operating sites and national laboratories focused on nuclear security and nuclear waste management for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Prior to her current role, Volovar was project director of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Uranium Processing Facility project, a multi-billion-dollar, one-of-a-kind complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for processing highly enriched uranium for U.S. nuclear defense and naval nuclear propulsion. Previously, Volovar was manager of functions for Bechtel Nuclear, Security and Environmental, responsible for the overall management of the engineering, procurement, construction, project controls, information systems and technology, office and administrative and startup and operations functions for the business unit.

Volovar also served as project manager overseeing the engineering, procurement and construction of the Sabine Pass Liquified Natural Gas facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. She was elected a Bechtel senior vice president in 2019, holds a bachelor's of science in nuclear engineering from the University of Maryland, and is a certified Project Management Professional. She is also the chair of the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a board member of the Energy Facility Contracts Group (EFCOG).

Robert L. Powell is a distinguished professor emeritus of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis. He joined the U.C. Davis College of Engineering in 1984. Powell served as chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science from 2002 to 2011. He was special assistant to the provost from 1996 to 1999, and served as chair of the Planning Committee and Executive Committee of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. He has been an active member of the U.C. Davis Academic Senate since 1988. From 2008–2011 he was the chair of the U.C. Davis Academic Senate. In 2011–2012 he served as vice chair of the U.C. Systemwide Academic Senate and in 2012–2013 he was chair.

In September 2013, Governor Brown appointed Powell as science advisor to the Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. Powell has been a consultant to numerous companies and government agencies. Prior to joining U.C. Davis, Powell was a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University in Montréal. He earned his bachelor's (1972), master's (1973) and Ph.D. (1978) in mechanics and materials science at Johns Hopkins University.

John Eschenberg is senior vice president of Amentum. Eschenberg has 35 years of industry experience in a variety of highly regulated defense, commercial and government settings. He has demonstrated achievement in leading the execution of large value environmental cleanup project portfolios, nuclear facility operations and multi-billion-dollar, first-of-a-kind construction projects. Eschenberg has a proven ability to build long-term relationships with internal and external stakeholders by establishing a high level of confidence and trust throughout the duration of some of the largest and most complex construction projects in the U.S. He dedicates significant effort to build the next generation of the nuclear workforce and has creatively modernized employee recruiting strategies, engagements with colleges and universities and organized labor and company benefits programs to attract and retain high quality talent.

His recent experiences include leading the Central Plateau Cleanup Company, LLC, as president and general manager and between 2018–2022 as president and chief executive officer of Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, both in Washington state where he led a large workforce to manage environmental cleanup and remediation efforts at the country’s largest Superfund site at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site.

Eschenberg has previously held executive roles with AECOM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the U.S. Department of Energy, where he served in multiple program offices including the National Nuclear Security Administration as a career member of the senior executive service.

Eschenberg earned a bachelor's of science degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Maryland educational system, is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia and the Executive Management Program at the Sloan School of Management. He remains an active leader in the local community supporting several initiatives designed to improve education, healthcare, commerce and overall quality of life.

Benjamin Souther is senior vice president of Bechtel. Souther is the general manager of the Environmental and Security business line of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security and Environmental global business unit. He is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years of extensive experience and knowledge in automation, engineering, construction, delivery and project management positions for Bechtel. His current portfolio includes the oversight of multiple government projects, operating sites and national laboratories focused on nuclear security and nuclear waste management for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Previously, Souther was the consortium project director on the Riyadh Metro Project (RMP) within Bechtel’s Infrastructure business unit. In this position he was responsible for the management of the joint venture that consists of Saudi Arabian Bechtel Company, Almabani, Consolidated Contractors Company and Siemens, which is tasked with the design and build of two metro lines, 176 kilometers of track, three depots, four transfer stations, four park and rides, 37 metro stations (11 elevated, 4 surface, 6 shallow underground and 16 deep underground) and a peak workforce of 28,000 as well as supporting utilities and roadworks in the capital city of Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Souther has proven experience leading strategic and operational planning, scheduling, cost control, coordination and implementation of construction and labor policies, claims, administration and technical direction. Included in that portfolio is his global expertise working with a variety of international governments, private and public clients and partners to produce tangible, reliable results.

Souther joined Bechtel on the Waste Treatment Plant project in 2002 supporting project automation efforts and in 2006 he began working on the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant project serving in various roles in project controls and construction. Other previous senior leadership roles include deputy project manager, business manager and vice president of Bechtel, LLC working for the U.S. Army on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in 2011. He served as executive assistant to the president of NS&E from 2013 to 2015 and then went on to become an M&BD manager for the defense and security business line. In 2016 Souther relocated to Arnold Air Force Base as the contract transition manager and later the integrated resources director, where he led labor negotiations and implementation of a new collective bargaining agreement with 13 labor unions. He joined RMP in 2018 as deputy delivery director for the deep underground stations.

Souther received his bachelor’s in business administration (cum laude, management information systems) from Washington State University and is PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) certified. He was elected principal vice president in 2020 and senior vice president in 2023; his approachable leadership creates an environment of trust and teamwork.

June Yu is vice president of University of California National Laboratories (UCNL). As VPNL she is responsible for the governance and contract administration of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and for representation of the University in the management of limited liability companies that operate Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Yu joined the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) in 2014 as director for National Laboratory Programs and was appointed associate vice president in 2020, where she focused on oversight and assurance of science, technology and engineering and mission functions at the national labs and contributed to the development of strategic opportunities aimed at enhancing partnerships between the University of California campuses and national labs.

Prior to UCOP, Yu had a distinguished career at LLNL, where she led research efforts in collaboration with scientific discipline organizations and interfaced with laboratory support organizations and all three mission directorates. These efforts ranged from conducting cutting-edge applied research to delivering quick-reaction capabilities in service of urgent national security needs.

Yu has an undergraduate degree in physics from California Polytechnic State University, an M.S and Ph.D. in optical sciences from the University of Arizona and an international security graduate certificate from Stanford University.

Advisory Governors

Jill Hruby is a mechanical engineer who served as the under secretary for Nuclear Security at the Department of Energy and administrator on the National Nuclear Security Administration from July 2021 to January 2025.

Prior to being a political appointee, Hruby had a distinguished 34-year career at Sandia National Laboratories. She joined Sandia as a member of the technical staff in 1983 and retired as the Laboratories director in 2017. At Sandia, Hruby held roles of increasing management responsibilities with experiences in nuclear weapons systems and component design, nuclear non- proliferation, defense and homeland security technologies and systems, renewable energy, materials science, engineering sciences and microsystems technology.

After retiring from Sandia and before being tapped as Department of Energy under secretary, Hruby served as the inaugural Sam Nunn Distinguished Fellow at the Nuclear Threat Initiative from 2018-2019 and continued as a non-resident Distinguished Fellow until her appointment. In addition, she was a member of the Defense Science Board, the National Nuclear Security Administration Defense Programs Advisory Committee and the National Academy of Science Committee for International Security and Arms Control. She has served on many technical advisory committees and non-profit organization boards. She is a frequent participant in international dialogs, a spokesperson for women in engineering and a mentor for emerging leaders.

Hruby earned her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and her master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, both in mechanical engineering. She has received honorary doctorate degrees from Purdue University and Michigan State University. In 2022, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. She has authored numerous publications and reports, holds three patents and received an R&D 100 Award. In 2022, she received the Nuclear Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Michigan; in 2017, Business Insider named her the second most powerful female engineer; and in 2016, she received the Suzanne Jenniches Upward Mobility Award from the Society of Women Engineers. Hruby has received the Department of Energy Secretary’s Exceptional Service Award, the National Nuclear Security Administrator’s Distinguished Service Gold Award and Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.

Bob DeGrasse is vice president and manager for Government Affairs with Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI), responsible for government relations and congressional affairs related to BNI's work in nuclear and homeland security, ballistic missile defense and naval reactors. He has more than 25 years of government experience, most recently serving as the staff lead for the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. He also served as the senior policy advisor to the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, acting chief operating officer of the NNSA and principal assistant deputy administrator for NNSA's Defense Programs. He holds a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in history from Stanford University.
 

José Hernández is the president and chief executive officer at Tierra Luna Engineering, LLC, an aerospace company. Hernández previously served as president of PT Strategies at PT Capital/PT Strategies from 2013 to 2016. Before that, he was the executive director of Strategic Operations at MEI Technologies from 2011 to 2012.

Hernández worked at NASA Johnson Space Center from 2001 to 2011, where he was an astronaut, legislative analyst, branch chief and materials research engineer. He was on the STS-128 shuttle mission, during which he oversaw the transfer of more than 18,000 pounds of equipment between the shuttle and the International Space Station and helped with robotics operations. The STS-128 mission traveled more than 5.7 million miles in just under two weeks.

He also held numerous roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory including program manager and engineer. While at LLNL, he worked in helping develop the X-ray laser as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative, the nuclear nonproliferation arena helping the newly-formed Russian federation establish materials, protection, control and accountability measures and engaged in work with a commercial partner that resulted in the creation of the first full-field digital mammography imaging system, used for the earlier detection of breast cancer.

Aside from leading Tierra Luna Engineering, Hernández is a vineyard farmer and produces his own line of wines under the label of Tierra Luna Cellars, Inc. He also has a foundation called The José Hernández Reaching for the Stars Foundation that focuses on awareness of STEAM careers for kids in the Central Valley. He is also a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens and Latinos in Science and Engineering.

Hernández earned an M.S. in electronic engineering, signals and systems from University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of the Pacific. He also holds honorary doctorate degrees from La Alianza Internacional, AHCASA de Marruecos, Universidad Michoacan de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Marymount University, University of Laverne, Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Puebla, National Hispanic University and University of the Pacific.

He was appointed as a Regent in August 2021 by Governor Newsom to a term expiring in 2033.

Independent Governors

General Kevin Chilton completed a 34 1/2 year Air Force career as commander of U.S. Strategic Command from 2007 to 2011, where he was responsible for the plans and operations for all U.S. forces conducting strategic deterrence and the Department of Defense's space and cyberspace operations. Prior to this assignment, Chilton commanded at the wing, numbered air force, major command and unified combatant command levels including serving as commander of Air Force Space Command from 2006 to 2007. He flew operational assignments in the R-4C and F-15 and, as an Air Force test pilot, conducted weapons testing in various models of the F-4 and F-15. He also served 11 years as a NASA astronaut, where he flew as the commander of STS-76, his third Space Shuttle mission, and served as the deputy program manager for operations for the International Space Station Program.

Chilton is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, with a B.S. in engineering sciences, a Columbia University Guggenheim Fellow with an M.S. in mechanical engineering and a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force pilot training and test pilot schools. He also was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Creighton University. Chilton currently serves as an independent consultant and as a director for Anadarko Petroleum, Level 3 Communications, Orbital ATK and Schafer corporations. He is a trustee for the Aerospace Corporation and the Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation.

Steve E. Koonin was appointed as the founding director of New York University's (NYU's) Center for Urban Science and Progress in April 2012. That consortium of academic, corporation and government partners will pursue research and education activities to develop and demonstrate informatics technologies for urban problems in the “living laboratory” of New York City. Prior to his NYU appointment, Koonin served as the second undersecretary for science at the U.S. Department of Energy from May 2009 through November 2011. In that capacity, he oversaw technical activities across the DOE's science, energy and security activities and led the Department's first Quadrennial Technology Review for energy.

Before joining the government, Koonin spent five years as chief scientist for BP, plc. where he played a central role in establishing the Energy Bioscience Institute. Koonin was a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech from 1975–2006 and was the Institute's provost for almost a decade. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the JASON advisory group. Koonin holds a B.S. in physics from Caltech and a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from MIT (1975) and is an adjunct staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses.

Admiral Richard Mies is the CEO of The Mies Group, Ltd. and provides strategic planning and risk assessment advice and assistance to clients on international security, energy, defense and maritime issues. A distinguished graduate of the Naval Academy, he completed a 35-year career as a nuclear submariner in the U.S. Navy and commanded U.S. Strategic Command for four years prior to retirement.

Mies served as a senior vice president of Science Applications International Corporation and as the president and chief executive officer of Hicks and Associates, Inc, a subsidiary of SAIC. He also served as the chairman of the Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee and as the chairman of the board of the Navy Mutual Aid Association. He presently serves as the chairman of the Strategic Advisory Group of U.S. Strategic Command and chairman of the Naval Submarine League. He is a member of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control of the National Academy of Sciences, a member of the Boards of Governors of Los Alamos National Security and Lawrence Livermore National Security and a member of the Board of Directors of Babcock and Wilcox, Exelon and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation.

Mies completed post-graduate education at Oxford University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Harvard University. He holds a master's degree in government administration and international relations.

James H. Henry is a business advisor and board member of several entities. He is a retired partner (2018) with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC), the global accounting and consulting firm. Prior to his retirement, he was managing partner of PwC's San Francisco area business. His numerous other responsibilities included vice chair of Industries and Sectors on PwC's national leadership team and leader of their Health Industries and Technology groups.

Henry currently serves on the board of directors of Unison Energy, Spindletop Health Acquisition Corp. and Crytica Security LLC. In addition, he is a senior advisor for Boyden, a global executive search and leadership consulting firm. Throughout his career, he has served on boards of civic and community organizations, including the San Francisco Symphony and Bay Area Council.

Henry is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in California and Texas and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has attended board governance programs at Stanford University and UCLA and is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Ex Officio

Heatherly H. Dukes is president of BWX Technologies, Inc.’s (BWXT) Technical Service Group (TSG). As president, Dukes oversees critical work for the U.S. Department of Energy, especially the Office of Science missions, Environmental Management clean-up initiatives, Naval Reactors deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) priorities and operations and maintenance activities that support NASA’s Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket in the world.

Dukes has more than 31 years of experience in the nuclear industry including 29 years of diverse management roles in project management, operations, engineering, waste management, maintenance, nuclear safety and criticality safety and D&D. She joined the company in 1995 and most recently served as the chief operating officer for TSG.

During her career, Dukes has held key positions at the Savannah River site in Aiken, South Carolina, West Valley Demonstration Project in New York and Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC in Portsmouth, Ohio. Her depth and breadth of accomplishments include reactor restarts, deactivation of 146 facilities, demolition of 15 facilities, construction support for the Salt Waste Processing Facility and design and construction of an outdoor cask storage system for vitrified high-level waste canisters. She was also responsible for the oversight and governance of the largest assembled non-destructive assay team in the country to perform characterization of enrichment facilities being prepared for decommissioning.