For over 27 years, Kirk has served in a variety of operational, management, and leadership positions in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Offices of Defense Programs, Environmental Management (EM), Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Before joining DOE, he worked for six years in the aerospace industry as a materials and process engineer at Texas Instruments and Ball Corporation.

Kirk is currently the Deputy Manager of the Carlsbad Field Office CBFO. Prior to joining CBFO, he was the Deputy Chief for Field Operations at DOE/HQ Office of EM. He led the Office of the Chief Engineer; Office of Technology Development and Innovation; the Environment, Safety, Security, Nuclear Safety, Quality Assurance, and Health Organization as well as supporting the 16 EM field sites to complete the EM mission. Kirk served in a variety of line management and safety oversight positions from 2010 -2017 at the Nevada Field Office (NFO). Kirk served from 2005 until 2010 as the engineering design group supervisor for the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) in Las Vegas, NV. OCRWM was developing the Nation’s disposal site for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. He led the first-of-a-kind design and safety analysis of the multi-billion dollar nuclear facilities necessary to dispose of the waste. He led the development of over 1500 technical documents that formed the basis for the design and safety analysis input to the license application which supported ~50% of the 8660 page license application.

Kirk joined NFO in 1991 as a test construction engineer for underground nuclear weapons tests at the Nevada National Security Site, successfully completing two underground nuclear weapons effects tests. He then was a team lead for the radioactive waste acceptance program, in the Waste Management organization, reviewing low-level radioactive waste for disposal at the NNSS. He then led the Nuclear Emergency Search Team and Aerial Measuring System programs. In 2000, he accepted a promotion to become the subsurface design lead for OCRWM.

Kirk graduated from the DOE Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program as well as the Harvard Senior Executive Fellows Program in 2011. He has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Kenneth Princen is the Assistant Manager for the National Transuranic Program at the U.S. Department of Energy's Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO). The CBFO provides federal oversight of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation's only geological repository for defense related nuclear materials. The National Transuranic (TRU) Program is responsible for the acceptance of transuranic waste and safe shipment to WIPP from DOE laboratories and former nuclear weapons production cleanup sites. He was selected as the Assistant Manager in February 2018.

Kenneth arrived at CBFO in 2015 as a facility representative providing oversight of contractor activities related to operations, environmental, nuclear safety, industrial safety and health, and contract compliance at WIPP. He also served as the Readiness Review Program Coordinator and Contractor Assurance Oversight Program Lead during the WIPP recovery effort, where he also supervised a team of federal facility representatives. He later assumed the role of Acting Facility Oversight Division Director, supervising oversight of contractor performance in the operation of WIPP waste handling and emplacement, maintenance, and mining operations at the WIPP facility.

Prior to his arrival in Carlsbad, he was Principal Nuclear Facility Operations Specialist at the Device Assembly Facility at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in Las Vegas for National Security Technologies, LLC. He also worked as a Protective Force Lieutenant for Wackenhut Services Inc. at NNSS. Kenneth previously served as a Patrol Officer in Montrose, Colorado.

From 1999 to 2004, he was a Submarine Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy where he served in various engineering, electrical, fire control and Anti-terrorism/Force protection positions. He began his military service in the U.S. Marine Corps where he attained the rank of staff sergeant and served as the non-commissioned officer in an infantry surveillance, and target acquisition platoon, performing reconnaissance for a deployed battalion landing team. He was selected for officer training based on his superior performance and leadership potential.

Kenneth holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University and Master's degrees in Management from American Military University and Public Administration from Walden University.

James Garza is the Assistant Manager for the Office of WIPP at the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO).

The CBFO provides federal oversight operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation’s only geological repository for defense related nuclear materials. He has 30 years of nuclear industry experience within the DOE complex. Selected as the Assistant Manager for the Office of WIPP in February 2018, he is responsible for all operations associated with WIPP that included: conduct of operations, industrial hygiene, radiological controls, fire protection, nuclear safety, technical safety requirements, configuration management, ISMS, industrial safety, OSHA, quality assurance, environmental compliance, criticality safety, contractor assurance, training and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. He arrived at CBFO as the Facility Oversight Division Director, in 2015.

Previously, Mr. Garza worked at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in Operations and Training from 1988 till 2006. Mr. Garza was a Shift Supervisor (SS) of one of the ATR operating crews and also held the positions of Outage Coordinator, Emergency Action Manager, Lead Nuclear Simulator Instructor and Nuclear Training Supervisor for Operations and Technical staff.

Mr. Garza joined the Department of Energy in November of 2006 as a Facility Representative (FR) and FR Work Lead and performed oversight at all EM facilities at the INL. In 2012 and 2013, he was selected as the Idaho DOE-EM Facility Representative of the Year. In 2014 Mr. Garza was hired as the Senior Facility Representative at the Advanced Test Reactor.

Mr. Garza goes by Ed to all who know him. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Texas Tech University. He is a rabid Texas Tech football fan, a former trainer of Arabian show horses, a single digit handicap golfer and an expert skier.