Rick McLeod (Principle)
Rick McLeod is currently the Principle at Atomic Advice located in Aiken, South Carolina. Atomic Advice was formed to provide a trustfully candid strategic advice and planning resource; share and convey hard to find institutional knowledge; furnish insightful research and analysis; deliver guidance on non-profit organization structure, funding, and operations; serve as a liaison for community engagement; prepare and assist with grant strategy and strategic planning; and implement a knowledge-based approach into long-term value to clients.
He was previously the President/CEO of the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO). The SRSCRO is a non-profit regional group focused on supporting job creation in a five-county region of South Carolina and Georgia, including Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties in South Carolina and Richmond (Augusta) and Columbia counties in Georgia. The group’s mission is to facilitate economic development opportunities associated with technology, capabilities, and missions at the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Site and to serve as an informed, unified community voice for the two-state region.
With more than thirty years of professional experience, Rick McLeod’s knowledge base includes work in environmental engineering, business development, non-profit fundraising, grant strategy/writing/administration, and project management across the public and private sectors. He has managed multi-discipline project teams and multi-million-dollar projects. Previous employers have included Archer Daniels Midland, J.E. Sirrine, Santee Cooper, Brown & Root, International Technology Corporation, Safety Kleen, Crescent Environmental Management, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and most recently the SRS Community Reuse Organization.
In representing the SRSCRO as a unified regional voice, he has spoken widely to public groups about issues affecting the Savannah River Site and his region. He has testified at numerous state and Federal hearings concerning Department of Energy (DOE) initiatives and is frequently interviewed by media outlets concerning the community impact of DOE programs.
A frequent visitor to Capitol Hill, Rick has appeared before the House Science and Technology Committee in Washington, D.C. to testify concerning draft recommendations of the President’s Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of Nuclear Energy in the U.S. He also facilitated a nationally covered press conference featuring regional leaders at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., voicing opposition to the Department of Energy’s decision to halt work on the Yucca Mountain permanent repository for nuclear waste. In addition, Rick was instrumental in leading a grassroots effort to clarify the definition of High-Level Waste.
Under Rick’s leadership, the SRSCRO has invested over $6 million during his tenure in regional programs like Career Connection Forums, regional industrial park expenditures, Regional Workforce Studies, and support for local economic recruitment efforts. He has built the financial assets of the organization from approximately $2 million in 2008 to over $6 million when he departed.
Rick was instrumental in receiving and supervising five multi-year, workforce grants from DOE totaling over $20 million, including efforts with 8 Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). During his tenure, through its Nuclear Workforce Initiative (NWI®), the SRSCRO has implemented a series of programs designed to prepare the local workforce for future jobs in nuclear energy and other technologies.