About Us
What is NAYGN?
North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NAYGN) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization which provides opportunities for a young generation of nuclear enthusiasts to develop strong leadership and professional skills, create lifelong connections, engage and inform the public, and inspire today’s nuclear technology professionals to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
NAYGN was established in 1999 and now consists of 100+ chapters across North America.
Check out our Who We Are YouTube video!
Mission
Developing leaders to energize the future of nuclear.
What NAYGN Does
NAYGN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitment:
Diversity and inclusion are at the core of NAYGN’s mission and values. As an organization, we are committed to ensuring an equitable, authentic, and inclusive culture for our members and the nuclear industry. We will focus on growing our relationships with diverse groups while simultaneously building trust, growth, and creativity across all chapters. NAYGN will continue to learn about and celebrate our members’ differences to foster a positive environment. NAYGN actively seeks and welcomes the participation of underrepresented or marginalized groups including but not limited to: women, persons of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, persons of all ages, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and other communities.
Professional Development
Providing a forum for the professional development of our membership.
- Annual Nuclear Energy Assembly
Conference - Regional Conferences
- Webinars
- Diversity and Inclusion development
- Lunch & Learns
- Facility Tours & Seminars
Public Information
Informing and engaging the public about nuclear science and technology.
- Post Card Push Day
- Millennial Nuclear Caucus Events
- Nuclear Hill days: Ottawa,
Toronto; Washington, DC - School visits & teacher workshops
- Children’s books
Networking and Membership
Fostering closer professional and personal relations among our members.
- Teamwork events
- Sporting events
- General members meetings
Knowledge Transfer and Retention
Participating in KTR activities to better the nuclear industry.
- Mentoring between generations
- Retaining talent in the nuclear industry
How can WE impact the nuclear industry?
NAYGN’s Mission is to develop leaders to energize the future of nuclear. We provide our members opportunities to focus their energy towards improving the nuclear industry and communicating with the public about the benefits of nuclear energy.
We don’t to this alone. NAYGN is a network spanning thousands of young nuclear professionals in North America, each doing their part to make our industry better. As a grassroots volunteer organization, NAYGN members decide and develop the content that NAYGN brings.
Want to get involved?
Non-Member
Basic Website Access
Access to News, Videos, and Events
Review Commitee Information
View Chapter Map
Member
Inclusive of Non-Member Access
Take Action to Contact Federal Legislators
View Member-Only Events
Review Chapter Lists and Metrics
Access Detailed Committee Information
Find a Member
Get Involved in our Committees
Subscription to Member Only Newsletters
and much much more!!!
Board of Directors
Fueled by volunteers, the organization has dozens of continental committees and over a hundred local chapters facilitated by a Board of Directors affectionately known as The Core.
Each position is a two-year volunteer position and elected by the NAYGN membership except for the presidential positions. A Board Director is elected to the Vice-President position and then serves a three-year term going from Vice-President, President, and then Past-President each year.
10k+ Members within North America
“NAYGN has been instrumental in helping me grow professionally and personally. It is great to be a part of an organization of people that want to make a positive impact on the nuclear industry and on each other!”
“I love talking to people about nuclear energy and NAYGN gives me the opportunity to reach new audiences! Through opportunities stemming from NAYGN, I have practiced my public speaking, presented on Capitol Hill, and been interviewed on a podcast.”
History
NAYGN was established in 1999 by seven young professionals. These young professionals wanted to create an organization that provided professional development, public information, knowledge transfer, recruiting and networking opportunities for the next generation of nuclear leaders.
Fueled by volunteers, the organization has grown to include dozens of continental committees and over a hundred local chapters facilitated by a board of directors affectionately known as The Core. This structure allows the organization to be flexible and serve a wide variety of members. The organization has conducted hundreds of thousands of hours of activities to educate the public and provided development opportunities at the local, regional, national and continental level.
Founders

Paul Wilson
Founder
President (1999-2001)

Sama Bilbao y León
Founder
Public Information Chair (1999-2005)

Nicole Faulk
Founder
Treasurer (1999-2002)

Emmy Ross
Founder
Vice President (1999-2001)
Professional Development Chair (2001-2002)

Undine Shoop
Founder
Professional Development Chair (1999-2001)
President (2001-2002)
Past President (2002-2003)

Sonja Simmons
Founder
Alumni Relations (1999-2002)

Mark McIntyre
Canadian Affairs Chair (2000-2005)

Shannon Bragg-Sitton
Founder
Communication Chair (1999-2003)
Vice President (2003-2004)
President (2004-2005)
Past President (2005-2006)