Welcome

On behalf of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc. (CRCPD), the Board of Directors and the Office of the Executive Director, it is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to the 53rd Annual National Conference on Radiation Control.

The theme of this year’s meeting is ‘Challenging Times – Innovative Responses.’ The unprecedented times of the past year are reflected in this theme. Many of our members have been challenged with the dual roles of responding to a public health pandemic and continuing to maintain their radiation program objectives, while dealing with family and personnel health issues, dwindling resources, and limitations in the ability to interact with others. The innovations which have been developed and incorporated into our daily lives to meet challenges and keep moving forward during this pandemic have been creative and very successful. The only way we can continue to be successful in this environment is through ongoing communication and partnerships at all levels of government and with the private sector, professional organizations and academia. It is essential to continue the successes already realized and to create new relationships to overcome the challenges ahead. We are very appreciative of the continued support provided by our Federal and organizational partners. Our meeting this year reflects these new innovations, as we are for the first time in our history, hosting a virtual meeting. We are excited to use this new technology and hope it offers opportunities to engage with a greater number of our members and provides value to all.

To open the 53rd Annual National Conference on Radiation Control, we are pleased to announce that Troy J. Mueller, the Director of the Nuclear Technology Division of Naval Reactors at the National Nuclear Security Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, will provide the keynote address. We are also honored to announce that the Honorable Commissioner Jeff Baran, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, will be presenting at our conference.

The Program Committee developed this year’s program under the direction of Past Chair Jeffrey Semancik (CT). Mike Snee, Mendy Cremeans, and many of our federal and organizational partners worked hard to put together an exciting program. We are excited about the lineup of distinguished presenters that will update us on a wide variety of radiation protection topics. There is something for everybody scheduled and though some sessions are pre-recorded, we have scheduled question and answer times when the speakers will be available live to respond to questions.

Along with the variety of topics covered during the Conference sessions, many other opportunities for acquiring the latest information on radiation protection issues exist in the Special Interest Meetings listed in the agenda.

Please join me in thanking Executive Director, Ruth McBurney, and our hard working CRCPD staff in her office. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that everything goes smoothly throughout the year and during the National Conference.

I hope you will take full advantage of all the training and technical sessions. Even if it is not in the area you are most comfortable with, please listen in to other sessions as I am confident you will find them very interesting and I guarantee you will learn something new and possibly develop a new partnership to enhance your radiation protection program.

Thanks for your participation and I look forward to seeing you during the week.

Kimberly Steves
CRCPD Chairperson