James Rispoli
James Rispoli, a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Texas and Hawaii, is a Professor of Practice with the NCSU Center for Nuclear Energy Facilities and Structures. He recently completed nearly four years of service as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate in July 2005, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy, and was appointed to that position by President George W. Bush. He was responsible for the cleanup of waste and environmental contamination from the nation’s nuclear-related research and production activities. Under his tenure, the cleanup program had an annual budget of $6 billion with operations occurring in over a dozen states. His program had, at the time, the largest portfolio of nuclear construction mega-projects in the Department, including a $12 billion nuclear waste processing complex in Washington State. Previously, Mr. Rispoli was Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Engineering and Construction Management. The Office of Engineering and Construction Management was responsible for management policy, assessment and oversight of the Department’s facilities, infrastructure and capital projects. The value of the Department’s facilities and infrastructure is over $80 billion with a portfolio of 125 capital construction projects valued at $38 billion, ranging from one-of-a-kind nuclear facilities and laboratories to standard office buildings and utilities.
He is presently serving as Senior Executive Advisor to PT&C LLC. PT&C is an Atlanta-based ENR-ranked top 25 engineering company that specializes in supporting owners in the management of their facilities and construction projects, with a focus on nuclear facilities mega-projects. He was president and CEO of PT&C from 2010 through 2013. Previously Mr. Rispoli held the position of Executive Advisor for Booz Allen Hamilton. In this role Mr. Rispoli focused on professional support to Government owners related to their physical and environmental infrastructure. Before joining DOE, Mr. Rispoli was Vice President and Managing Principal of Dames & Moore’s Pacific-Ocean area operations, and President of M&E Pacific, responsible for Metcalf and Eddy’s Hawaii offices. In both firms, he led major engineering and construction projects for private clients, state and federal governmental agencies. Previously, he served in the United States Navy, retiring at the rank of Captain from the Civil Engineer Corps where he held executive level environmental and construction management positions.
A Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, he has served on the Board of Direction, is past Chair of its Industry Leaders Council, past Chair of its Construction Division, and has served in several local section officer positions. He is also a Fellow of the Society of American Military Engineers for which he held several officer positions at the local level, served as the national society’s Vice President for Environmental Affairs and as a member of the Board of Direction. Mr. Rispoli was elected a member of the National Academy of Construction in 2014.
He earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College, a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master’s degree in business from Central Michigan University. Mr. Rispoli was awarded the American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Government Award for 2006, the Secretary of Energy’s Exceptional Service Award in 2008, ASCE’s President’s Award in 2009 and ASCE’s Parcel-Sverdrup Award for Engineering Management in 2011. In addition to his professional engineer licenses, he is an American Academy of Environmental Engineers’ Board Certified Environmental Engineer with specialty areas in radiation and construction.