Elections – NAYGN

NAYGN Elections

Cast your vote for the incoming 2025 board of directors

Deadline to Vote: February 20, 2025 @ 11: 59 PM EST

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This year we are voting for the NAYGN Board of Directors officer positions of:
Vice President, U.S. Operating Officer, Public Information Officer, Communications Officer, and DEI Officer.

If you have any questions or issues during the voting process, please send an email to past-president@naygn.org.

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Our 2025 Candidates

Please vote for one (1) person for each of these board positions

Vice-President

The Vice President is a voting member of NAYGN’s Board of Directors. This position is a three (3) year commitment: one (1) year as Vice President, one (1) year as President, and one (1) as Past President. This role is one of familiarizing oneself with the broad activities of the group during the first year term. The Vice President is also called upon to develop a vision for the group for the upcoming term as President.

The Vice President is responsible for performing the following duties:

Promotes chapter and local section development through recruitment, retention, tracking of membership, and coordinating with the Operating Officers to develop local chapters
Shadows the President to ensure they understand the job responsibilities
Provides leadership and direction to the following committees: Engagement, Benchmarking, and Clean Energy

Veeshesh Sunassy

Biography

Veeshesh is a dynamic leader driving global youth empowerment and clean energy advocacy. As Energy Markets Coordinator at OPG, he plays a key role in planning 18 GW of nuclear, hydroelectric, and natural gas capacity. A forward-thinking leader, Veeshesh revitalized NAYGN Durham as Chapter President, driving collaboration and achieving regional recognition. As Nuclear for Climate lead, he mobilized international coalitions, spearheading youth delegations to United Nations Climate Change Conferences to advocate for nuclear energy.

Vision Statement

Veeshesh’s vision is to make NAYGN a globally recognized leader in youth empowerment and clean energy advocacy. Building on our 5-year strategic plan, Veeshesh will work to expand NAYGN impact, create more opportunities for your growth, and amplify our youth voices on the global stage. Veeshesh’s platform centers on three priorities: broadening NAYGN’s role in non-power sectors, enhancing our global engagement at key forums like IAEA and WNA, and growing our presence in new countries. Veeshesh is committed to investing in your success, ensuring NAYGN remains a dynamic community where young professionals thrive and lead the future of energy.

History Statement

As President of NAYGN Durham for four years, Veeshesh led his team to win Best NAYGN Chapter in the region, organized over 40 impactful events in 2024, and developed a 5-year plan focused on DEI and climate action. As lead of Nuclear for Climate, he demonstrated visionary leadership, guiding teams to build partnerships with global organizations like IAEA, OECD-NEA, and WiN. He led multiple youth delegations at the United Nations climate change summit, advocating for nuclear’s role in climate solutions and collaborated with governments like the US DoE and NRCan. He also currently serves on the IYNC board of directors.

DEI Commitment

Veeshesh is committed to upholding and advancing NAYGN’s dedication to DEI, as outlined in the 2024-2028 strategic plan. During his presidency, he will establish measurable benchmarks to ensure DEI progress, alongside collaborating with Women in Nuclear to amplify our impact. His proposed initiatives include requiring chapters to host DEI events for Best Chapter eligibility and setting DEI panel quotas at regional and continental conferences.

Chris Slaughter

Biography

Chris is an Engineering Technical Specialist with Dominion Energy, at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Power Station. He serves as the Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CAD) Site Administrator at V.C. Summer Station and serves as an Innovation Envoy for the Nuclear Design Engineering Department. He has been in the nuclear industry for over 10 years. He has over 12 years of Engineering experience, including 3 years of Nuclear Plant Operations and Training experience.

Vision Statement

History Statement

Chris joined NAYGN in 2014. Since 2018, he has served as V.C. Summer Chapter Leader in the Social Networking, Public Information, and Professional Development Officer roles. He has also served on multiple NAYGN Committees since 2018, including: the Public Information, Social Media, Conference Planning, Video Development, and Webmaster Committees. He also served as NAYGN’s Engagement Committee Lead, and is responsible for NAYGN’s Video Team, which has created groundbreaking and exciting videos that have been shown to UN Delegates and Industry Executives. Chris was awarded the NAYGN Individual Achievement Award and NAYGN Future Award at the 2023 and 2024 Continental Conferences.

DEI Commitment

U.S. Operating Officer

The U.S. Operating Officer is a voting member of NAYGN’s Board of Directors. This position is a two (2) year term and is responsible for performing the following duties:

Act as a liaison between the Board of Directors (“Core”) and the local chapters in the United States
Relay important news between the local chapters and regional leads to the Core
Maintain a current list of chapters and their leads
Collect chapter metrics
Promote the formation, growth, and activity of local chapters

Lindsy Davis

Biography

My name is Lindsy Davis I grew up in Woodstock, Georgia. I went to Georgia Southern University and received a Mechanical Engineering Degree. While I was in college, I had different internships/co-op opportunities. These experiences helped me decide upon graduation I wanted to work in the nuclear industry. I began working at a Nuclear Power Plant. Currently I work for ENERCON as a Lead Mechanical Engineer creating design change packages for different nuclear plants.

Vision Statement

As a U.S Operating Officer I relay important information to all local chapters, collect metrics, and promote growth in the local chapters. I would like to do this by encouraging local chapters to feel seen and heard as well as give opportunities for recognition on the continental level. I would also like to use this position to help local chapters come up with new ways to promote personal growth during monthly continental and regional LCL meetings. If re-elected I would continue to build relationships with local chapter leads and fostering the success of each chapter.

History Statement

I have been involved in my local NAYGN for the past 3 years. I started as an entry level member excited participating in all the events my local chapter held. I served as my local chapters service chair for the ENERCON Kennesaw Chapter. I led volunteer and public information events for our chapter. Currently I am on the NAYGN Continental Board of Directors as the US Operating Officer. I have been in this role Since June 2023. In this role I have led LCL calls worked with region leads and helped foster the continued growth of NAYGN organization.

DEI Commitment

With DEI being the core of NAYGN’s mission and values. I plan to uphold to NAYGNs core values by listening and respecting everyone’s ideas promoting growing each NAYGN chapter presents. I will also do everything in my power to make sure everyone feels included in the conversations and activities I may facilitate. I will make it my purpose to continue to learn and grow my knowledge about what DEI means continue including it as part of my regular actions as Board of Director NAYGN member.

Nicole Zelenak

Biography

Nicole Zelenak holds degrees in Business and Psychology from Kent State University. Within Curtiss-Wright, Nicole has held positions in Analytics, Marketing, and most recently Business Development. Her work centers on driving growth and supporting the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, and the complex of National Laboratories. Nicole excels in strategic planning and long-term goal setting, leveraging lean principles to drive results.

Vision Statement

As an electee of U.S. Operating Officer for NAYGN, Nicole aims to empower chapters by fostering strong communication and driving meaningful engagement across the network. A few of her focuses will be leveraging industry experience to grow the footprint of NAYGN within the Nuclear Industry as well as create more pathways for collaboration, ensuring alignment with NAYGN’s mission and supporting the growth of young nuclear professionals. Together, we can grow and sustain a united community that champions innovation, leadership, and advocacy for the future of the nuclear industry.

History Statement

Nicole has been actively in engaged in NAYGN since her career started in the nuclear industry. She has been on the social media and communications committee, actively helping the Continental conference communications as well as being a brand steward during the recent rebrand that NAYGN released. Nicole was also member for 2 years on the Clean Energy committee, helping plan and execute conference attendance for NAYGN as well as strategize best practices in regard to marketing and budget. She currently holds the President title for her local NAYGN chapter as well – Curtiss-Wright Nuclear Cleveland.

DEI Commitment

As an electee for U.S. Operating Officer, Nicole is dedicated to making DEI a core priority for NAYGN. She will focus on creating an environment where every member, and chapter feels heard and supported. Nicole believes the diverse perspectives and opinions of every member create the outstanding culture that NAYGN has. She will work tirelessly to ensure that each member and chapter have the tools they need for a successful, inclusive experience as part of NAYGN.

Public Information Officer

The Public Information Officer is a voting member of NAYGN’s Board of Directors. This position is a two (2) year term and is responsible for performing the following duties:

Establish and implement the public information and education program of NAYGN, including the Annual Drawing Contest, student education activities, and public outreach efforts
Provide leadership and direction to the following initiatives: Student Outreach, Government Outreach, Literature, Advocacy

Kevin Burnett

Biography

As a NY native obtaining my Mechanical Engineering degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, I moved to NC to begin my career in nuclear. From starting in existing plants to currently designing components for advanced reactors, I am proud to be working on the next generation of nuclear power plants as a Lead Mechanical Engineer at GE Vernova. While here, I have also obtained my P.E. and became an ASME stakeholder for High Temperature Reactors.

Vision Statement

My initial vision for Continental PI is to provide a framework for outreach that can be utilized in any location. I have personally seen chapters, both new and old, struggle with creating opportunities and metrics within public information and would like to generate a starting point that can be used throughout North America. Following this, I would like to create additional resources and content to generate more interaction among the youth within our communities, whether this is through a 4th children's book or another medium.

History Statement

My NAYGN tenure began 10 years ago as a co-op at Exelon. When I graduated and began my career with Duke Energy, I quickly became an NAYGN officer. There, I joined the continental children's book committee, helping publish our 1st book and writing our 2nd, George's Energy Adventure. I held both Vice-President and President roles while there before returning to my passion in PI when I changed careers to GE-Hitachi. I have served as the PI chair here for the last 2 years, increasing our outreach metrics to the highest recorded in over a decade.

DEI Commitment

As the Continental PI officer, I will uphold Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to both our members and our communities we serve. We all have an opportunity to provide an impact, and I encourage anyone willing to volunteer their time to provide their input and assist. This will also be reflected to our outreach; Public Information should be inclusive to all, and I intend to provide additional opportunities and ideas to serve underprivileged communities and those who struggle to access STEM resources.

Dylan Moss

Biography

I am a Mechanical Engineer at AtkinsRealis, in the Power & Industrial department. I work with Candu to get their newest design, Monark, to market. I have been in the Nuclear Industry for 4 years, ever since I graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2020. For the same duration, I’ve been a member of NAGYN. When I’m not working or volunteering, I like to write and perform music with my band, Forevergreen, or modify my Volkswagen.

Vision Statement

NAYGN is growing rapidly, both in membership and reach. This momentum should be celebrated and channeled. As PI Chair, I will ensure NAYGN ushers in an era of connection and influence, where Young Professionals empower each other and everyone in their respective communities. As an engineer, I understand the importance of communicating technical ideas with non-technical language. I would like NAYGN to engage more non-engineer members who can help establish a mentoring program on non-technical communication. The NAYGN website is currently aimed at our Members, while I believe we can make it more accessible for the Public to find information.

History Statement

During my tenure at Westinghouse, I served NAYGN as the Communications chair for the Rock Hill chapter. I helped organize local events such as volunteering and regional events such as Beach Weekend. As of late, I am working with current Public Information chair Megan Lubbers as a committee lead. My committee will be re-establishing NAYGN’s Hill Day, where Members will travel to Washington, DC to discuss topics of their choice with US Federal leadership.

DEI Commitment

Diversity of thought is a major pillar of success, no matter the goal. That success will not exist without contributions from people of diverse backgrounds. This position of leadership will establish my responsibility to uplift marginalized communities and provide equitable opportunities to all who wish to engage with NAYGN. The information we decide to broadcast must be done so with these communities in mind.

Communications Officer

The Communications Officer is a voting member of NAYGN’s Board of Directors. This position is a two (2) year term and is responsible for performing the following duties:

Conducts a variety of communications for NAYGN, including editing and publishing of the membership newsletter, compilation and distribution of NAYGN announcements, crafting social media posts, and recording of Board meeting minutes
Develops marketing strategies to help foster membership engagement
Provides leadership and direction to the following committees: Social Media, Awards, Publications

Paula Rusenovich

Biography

Paula started in nuclear power in 2009 as a reactor operator in the U.S. Navy. After leaving the military, she worked for Constellation in the Maintenance and Work Management departments at Clinton Power Station in Clinton, IL. She transferred to Constellation’s corporate Innovation Team in 2019 and then to her current role as a Nuclear Fuels Cycle Manager in 2024. Paula has a bachelor's degree in Nuclear Energy Engineering Technology from Thomas Edison State University.

Vision Statement

My vision as NAYGN’s Communications Officer is to enhance the effectiveness of our organization by maintaining clear, transparent, and impactful communications with our members and stakeholders. I aim to ensure that communications are relevant, timely, and accessible to everyone. By advertising events well in advance and providing more post-event wrap-ups, I will keep our members engaged and informed. I am committed to improving our awards process to provide fair opportunities for all chapters to win awards, with clear criteria aligned with NAYGN’s mission and vision. Through these efforts, I hope to contribute to the growth and success of our organization.

History Statement

Paula joined NAYGN in 2015. After several years of participating in her local NAYGN group she was promoted to the position of Constellation West Public Information chair, then Chapter Chair, leading seven site and corporate groups within Constellation West. Her proudest accomplishment as lead was reinvigorating the chapter after the pandemic and winning Best Chapter in Region multiple years in a row. After leading the Constellation West chapter, Paula took a more active role in various Continental committees and is currently the Communications Chair on the Continental NAYGN Board of Directors, which she was appointed to in October 2024.

DEI Commitment

As the Communications Officer, I am dedicated to upholding NAYGN's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). I will actively encourage participation from diverse individuals and groups, recognizing and celebrating the differences that make us stronger as an organization. I am committed to ensuring that NAYGN’s communications are accessible to everyone. I will work towards improvements in our communications, including using clear and simple language, providing alternative text for images, providing transcripts for audio and video content, and testing communications with accessibility tools. By following established accessibility guidelines, I aim to make NAYGN's communications more inclusive and accessible to all.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer

The Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer is a voting member of NAYGN’s Board of Directors. This position is a two (2) year term and is responsible for performing the following duties:

Uphold and advance an inclusive culture within NAYGN
Engage with and promote diverse membership
Provide a communication channel for members to raise concerns and take ownership to ensure violations in NAYGN’s values are properly elevated and addressed
Provide recommendations to NAYGN’s Directors and Committees that support NAYGN’s Vision and Mission by valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion

Sonia Chakraborty

Biography

Hi! I’m Sonia from Naperville, Illinois. I graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems. After joining NextEra Energy's IT rotational program, I now work in Nuclear Cybersecurity while pursuing a master's in Data Science from UC-Berkeley. I am passionate about community development and enjoy cooking, staying active, and exploring Florida's beauty in my free time.

Vision Statement

If elected as the DEI Board Director for NAYGN, I will focus on promoting merit, equal opportunity and personal development for young professionals within the nuclear industry. I will work to support the inclusion of every group that makes our industry great. By encouraging open dialogue and organizing events sharing cultural celebrations and workshops to learn about each other, I hope to create a community where every member feels respected and driven to excel. My goal would be to support a thriving industry that reflects the best of our diverse, hard working nation, fostering innovation and growth for the future.

History Statement

I have been an active member of several employee resource groups (ERGs) since beginning my career. As a board member of Asian Professionals in Energy Exchange and Young Aspiring Professionals, I value the community and leadership growth ERGs offer. In January 2024, I helped revive NextEra Energy’s NAYGN chapter. Within a year, our chapter grew to over 100 members, participating in community service, professional development workshops and leadership chats. By centralizing operations, we've connected members across our nuclear fleet. I plan to bring this same sense of community and kinship to the national level.

DEI Commitment

As the nuclear industry grows, diverse perspectives are crucial for the scalability and success of clean energy. DEI programs have provided me with community, the courage to share my ideas and the motivation to tackle new challenges. Inspired by the benefits I've received; I aim to pay it forward by serving on the boards of two employee resource groups and leading STEM programs with organizations like Girls Who Code and Black Girls Code. Additionally, I mentor underserved youth in my county. I strive to bring this experience to NAYGN, ensuring everyone in our nuclear community feels a sense of belonging.

NAYGN since 2011

Numbers Speak for Themselves

316,209

Professional Development Hours

296,068

Networking Hours

212,820

Public Information and Community Service Hours

612,184

People Reached through NAYGN Activities

View All Metrics

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Cast your vote for the incoming 2025 board of directors

You must be logged in to vote

Please vote for one (1) person for each of these board positions

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Biography

Vision Statement

History Statement

DEI Commitment

Numbers Speak for Themselves

316,209

296,068

212,820

612,184

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