Jessica Kunkle has been named Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office Manager. Photo Courtesy DOE

DOE NEWS RELEASE

The DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jessica Kunkle as the EM Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) Manager. Kunkle succeeds Michael Mikolanis, who was appointed to the position of National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Savannah River Field Office Manager in April 2024.  

Kunkle joins EM-LA from NNSA’s Office of Infrastructure Lifecycle Management in Washington, D.C., where she was responsible for providing overall leadership and direction of activities for a $3 billion program portfolio modernizing, operating, and sustaining real property across the NNSA Nuclear Security Enterprise. In this role, Kunkle provided leadership and direction for complex, cross-functional programs and initiatives spanning infrastructure planning, financial management, risk assessment, communications, and non-traditional infrastructure acquisitions. She recently served as Acting Manager of NNSA’s Savannah River Field Office in Aiken, South Carolina, and has held other leadership positions with NNSA.

Kunkle, originally from Los Alamos, is a strategic leader with a commitment and track record of building strong collaborative relationships. Her vast experience makes her uniquely qualified to advance the cleanup mission at EM-LA.

Kunkle will assume her new role on June 16, 2024, at which time, EM-LA’s Acting Field Office Manager, Ellie Gilbertson, will return to her role as EM-LA Deputy Manager. EM is appreciative to Gilbertson for stepping in as the Acting Field Office Manager during this time of transition.