By Flynn Espe

Few environmental remediation projects have matched the scale and complexity of the Hanford Site cleanup effort. With a present-day workforce of over 13,000 people, it’s an undertaking that spans government and multiple private entities — each playing a distinct but interconnected role in moving the Hanford mission forward.

Whereas progress at the Hanford Site is often calculated in terms of tangible accomplishments — such as the number of buildings demolished, waste tanks processed, or gallons of groundwater decontaminated — Washington State University recently played a key role in helping the project reach a different sort of milestone. It happened last February with the successful conclusion of the One Hanford Leadership Academy, a 12-month management training series hosted by WSU Tri-Cities Cougar Tracks, the university’s continuing education and professional development program, with teaching and curriculum support from the Carson College of Business.

The academy brought together 15 high-level managers and executives from the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Field Office and five of its prime contractors, all of whom took part in more than 200 hours of workshops and seminars led by Carson College faculty. The seminars focused on topics such as trust building, communication and persuasion, teamwork and collaboration, conflict and negotiation, culture and change management, and brand positioning. Together, these sessions sought to establish methods for strengthening coordination across the organizations and improving mission-aligned behavior and decision making. Participants also completed three capstone projects designed around the themes of nuclear safety, procurement, and workforce development.

More than a year in the making, the idea for the academy emerged from a series of conversations between a small group of Carson College faculty and Hanford Site leaders, who identified WSU as a potential third-party training consultant.

“I think one of the frustrations at Hanford was you have six contractors under DOE, which sometimes made coordination difficult,” said Tom Tripp, professor of management and Rom Markin Endowed Leadership chair, who led one of the seminars and was among the first to consult on the project. “We started sketching out exactly what their needs were and what sort of programming we might be able to provide.”

Through those conversations, a customized curriculum began to take shape, one focused on cultivating new leaders, mid-level management strategies, and better practices for working and communicating across the One Hanford team — particularly in areas of common or overlapping functionality. Cougar Tracks, meanwhile, oversaw the logistics and coordination needed to bring everyone together — bridging the gap between the industry clients and academic experts.

“The program was designed to blend academic theory with practical application through project work and executive coaching, all supporting the specific needs of this particular group,” Cougar Tracks Director Michelle Hrycauk Nassif said. “What we are essentially doing is responsive curriculum, because we are meeting our partners exactly where they’re at, and we are evolving and pivoting and aligning ourselves with them continuously.”

After kicking off the academy in November 2024, the academy faced an unexpected hurdle due to new federal expectations placed on DOE and many of the contractors, forcing a temporary pause in 2025. Instead of choosing to end the program early, however, the Hanford leaders committed to seeing it through.

“This program reinforced the importance of responsive program design — content and delivery that stays relevant and mission-aligned even when conditions shift,” Hrycauk Nassif said. “The academy operated through significant disruption, and our shared commitment allowed the program to continue and close strong. That experience will shape how we build future workforce programs across the region.”

During the final wrap-up event in February, participants reported that the three projects they had worked on over the course of the academy were already being implemented across the Hanford Site. Those projects included unified nuclear safety procedures and procurement processes, as well as a “One Hanford” onboarding video for new Hanford employees and internal trainings.

“What you heard at the closeout was that relationships were built; meaningful projects were built and running,” Mark Schuster, WSU Tri-Cities’ director of industry-connected programs, said. “There were tangible changes being implemented under this One Hanford philosophy, and it’s already building a stronger foundation for collaboration.”

The six participating groups were Bechtel National, Inc., Central Plateau Cleanup Company, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, Hanford Tank Waste Operation & Closure, Navarro-ATL, and the DOE Hanford Field Office. Hrycauk Nassif said plans are already underway for the next One Hanford Leadership Academy cohort, projected to begin in 2027.