Nichols Martin
Ron Townsend, executive vice president of laboratory operations at Battelle, received the CEO Award during the Annual Celebration of Solvers Event for his leadership at national laboratories sponsored by the departments of Energy and Homeland Security.
He is credited with leading the nonprofit company’s efforts to win a potential 10-year, $25B DOE contract for operations and management support at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, Battelle said Wednesday.
Townsend previously served as the president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities and as commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology.
“Ron’s numerous accomplishments have resulted in significant and lasting impacts on Battelle as well as for our country,†said Lou Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle and a 2019 Wash100 winner. “His integrity shines through in both his leadership style and his personality and he genuinely cares about the success of all employees.”
At the same event, Battelle also presented the Inventor of the Year award to senior research scientist Wesley Pirkle in recognition of his contributions to multiple security programs.
He holds three patents and has technical expertise in acoustics, ultrasonics, device physics and X-ray physics. The 15-year company veteran helped develop the LS10 bottle scanner, designed to detect explosives in liquids during airport security checks, and the SiteGuard Active Shooter Response platform.
“Wes’ inventions are strong examples of technologies that are deployed for the good of society and we applaud him for that,†Von Thaer said. “His work is a great example of the efforts that are put forth every day by scientists and researchers at Battelle.â€
