Y-12er spotlight: Heather H.
During her Y‑12 tenure, Heather Harrison has held a variety of roles, all that prepared her for her current role as Nuclear Engineering director. Photo by Matthew Hawkins.
The Y‑12er Spotlight shines on one of our own. It takes all Y‑12 employees to make the mission happen successfully and safely. All views and opinions are the employee’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of CNS.
When Heather H. graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Tennessee in 2002, she had plans to take a job at a meat packaging company.
She changed her plans when she heard about the work being done at Y‑12.
“I didn’t know a lot about Y‑12 until a good friend of mine shared about it,” she said. “The mission intrigued me. I learned more and was even more interested after that.”
Heather joined the Y‑12 team in a time of tumult; the site was heavily recruiting as many in the workforce were approaching retirement, while also following heightened security guidelines after the 9/11 attacks the year before. At the time, 50$ of Y‑12’s workforce was eligible to retire, and some clearances were taking 2 years to process — Heather’s included.
Since then, she has worked in a variety of positions across the site, whether as a technical advisor, a project lead, or now as Nuclear Engineering director. She currently oversees Nuclear Criticality Safety, Packaging Engineering, and Fire Protection Engineering.
“Over the years, I’ve had so many great managers and mentors that shared information and gave me opportunities to grow,” she said. “Now I’m here at 23 years of company service and it’s my turn to pay it forward.”
One way that she is paying it forward is through a focus on encouraging and building confidence within her employees. With the recent reorganization of Nuclear Engineering, Heather has taken the opportunity to bring her team through continuous improvement training.
“I want people to learn the framework, learn how to make decisions, and know their authority to make those decisions,” she said. “I encourage setting healthy boundaries and let people make decisions within their ability.”
When making decisions, Heather has a simple goal:
“I focus on continuous improvement,” she said. “Decide on a solution and gather data. It’s alright if your decision was the wrong one; the key is to keep improving. Sometimes we get bogged down with worries over whether we’re making the wrong decision, when we need to make the decision to improve regardless.”
What is your favorite aspect about your work environment?
The people. I have the opportunity to work with very talented individuals and enjoy working with this team to overcome obstacles and support the mission.
What CNS principle drives you to be successful?
Operational Excellence. As an industrial engineer, I’m a firm believer in continuous improvement, data‑driven decision making, and customer focus. I also believe alignment with the business strategy and employee empowerment are keys to being successful.
What work advice would you offer someone who is new to Y‑12?
Be willing to accept a challenge and step out of your comfort zone. I’ve had some really great opportunities over my years at Y‑12 because someone saw potential in me, even if I didn’t see it yet.
What is something you are looking forward to doing in your role?
I am a new director for Nuclear Engineering, and we are completing a reorganizing strategy. We are establishing several new positions like direct charge supervisors in Nuclear Criticality Safety. I look forward to watching these individuals establish themselves and grow as leaders. It’s exciting for me to watch these individuals enter these new roles.
What advice would you offer a newer employee about the importance of solving problems and asking questions?
It’s important to understand what you know, what you do not know, and what the requirements are surrounding the problem you need to address. This helps you to better understand your gaps and when you may need additional help in addressing your problem. There are a lot of requirements that cover our scopes of work, and it’s important to ensure that all the right questions have been asked. Failure to ask an important question can lead to a major issue in one of our nuclear facilities.