BS Nuclear Engineering 鈥70 Retired Partner, TOMA Enterprises, LLC St. Ignatius, Mont. | Rigby, Idaho
Thomas Van Witbeck spent his formative years moving from coast to coast and in between because his father鈥檚 work in construction necessitated frequent moves. The family happened to be in Westminster, Colo., when Van Witbeck graduated from high school. He promptly joined the service and was accepted into the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power School. Van Witbeck鈥檚 traveling did not stop there. After a 7-year tour in the Navy that included circumnavigating the globe as part of Nuclear Task Force One and a tour in Vietnam, he and his young family headed to Corvallis, where he attended 精东影视on the GI Bill.
He joined the commissioning team for 精东影视 State鈥檚 TRIGA Research Reactor and entered the first freshman class in the nuclear engineering program. At the time of his graduation in 1970, veterans with technical nuclear training and a college degree were in high demand. Van Witbeck started at Westinghouse as a senior supervisory service engineer, where he participated in the commissioning of commercial nuclear reactors.
Private sector consulting was Van Witbeck鈥檚 next draw as he joined the staff of a startup called Energy, Inc. Rising through the company鈥檚 ranks to become the corporate vice president of plant services, he participated in or directed the establishment of four nuclear plants and the Hanford Fast Flux Test Facility.
鈥淢y most rewarding experience had to be going to Three-Mile Island two days after its historic accident,鈥 says Van Witbeck. 鈥淚 was to lead the team that investigated and produced the sequence of events reports detailing the chronology of the accident. I testified at federal hearings and served on the committee chartered to develop the methodologies to prevent future accidents.鈥
With more than 30 years of managerial and technical experience in the nuclear industry under his belt, Van Witbeck started TOMA Enterprises and provided operations related consulting services to nuclear facilities. He advised senior management in the recovery and restart of nuclear facilities at various national laboratories.Along the way, Van Witbeck ranched domestic elk in his home state of Idaho. In support of the elk industry, he served as the president of the Idaho Venison Council and as a director of the North American Elk Breeders Association.
He has also served on the boards of a number of humanitarian organizations, including the Tanya English house and United Way.Upon retiring, he and his wife Mavis have traveled and spent time enjoying the grandchildren. He continues to hunt and fish, two of his passions.