Madia to Retire After Storied Career; Wadsworth Planned Successor

Columbus, OH--After 32 years of service to Battelle, Dr. William J. Madia, Executive Vice President of Laboratory Operations, announced today that he will begin a transition toward retirement at the end of the year.

 

As part of a planned succession, Dr. Jeffrey Wadsworth, Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will replace Madia as Executive Vice President of Laboratory Operations and assume oversight responsibilities of the national laboratories managed or co-managed by Battelle for the Department of Energy.

 

"Bill has been a great asset to Battelle and to the nation," said Battelle CEO Dr. Carl Kohrt. "At Battelle he spearheaded the effort to secure new labs for Battelle to manage, while nationwide he brought new ideas and strategies to the field of laboratory research."

 

Dr. Madia currently leads Battelle's laboratory operations business, where he oversees the management or co-management of five Department of Energy national laboratories: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and one national laboratory for the Department of Homeland Security, the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center. Madia's portfolio also includes Battelle's Strategic Project Management Business and various lab-based commercialization initiatives.

 

Madia's tenure at Battelle was marked by the expansion of the company's laboratory portfolio from one to six laboratories. During this period, Madia served as laboratory director at both Pacific Northwest and Oak Ridge, the only person to have served as director of two multi-purpose national laboratories.

 

Before leading the national laboratories at Richland, Washington, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Madia managed Battelle's global environmental business and served as president of Battelle Technology International, director of Battelle's Columbus Laboratories in Ohio, and corporate vice president and general manager of Battelle's Project Management Division.

 

"Bill Madia will work closely with Jeff Wadsworth in the coming weeks in a planned transition and will remain involved with Battelle following his retirement in a consulting capacity related to laboratory acquisitions," Kohrt said.

 

Wadsworth is credited with leading a period of sustained growth at Oak Ridge Laboratory since becoming director in 2003. He presided over the completion, on time and on budget, of the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source, making Oak Ridge the world's leader in neutron science. His tenure at the Laboratory also included the completion of the Center for Nanophase Materials Science, the Laboratory's emergence as a leader in high-performance computing, and responsibility for the U.S. role of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor program.

 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is co-managed by the University of Tennessee and Battelle.

 

UT President John Petersen said that under Wadsworth, "the Laboratory and the University developed a research partnership that has strengthened both institutions. I wish Jeff the best and look forward to continuing our partnership with his successor."

 

Prior to his role in Oak Ridge, Wadsworth worked for Battelle, where he served as part of the White House transition team that created the science and technology sector of the Department of Homeland Security. A member of the National Academy of Engineering and a professor at the University of Tennessee, he previously worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lockheed, and Stanford University.

 

"Jeff's move to Columbus will not cut his ties with Oak Ridge," Kohrt said. "Indeed, his responsibilities at Battelle will include making sure we sustain the tremendous progress we have enjoyed in Oak Ridge and at our other labs."

 

The University of Tennessee and Battelle will initiate immediately a national search to fill the director's position at Oak Ridge. Wadsworth will assume his new role as Executive Vice President of Battelle's Laboratory Operations as soon as his successor is named.

Battelle is the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization, with 20,000 employees in more than 120 locations worldwide, including five national laboratories Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle conducts $3.8 billion in R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management, and technology commercialization. Battelle provides innovative solutions to some of the world's most important problems including global climate change, sustainable energy technologies, high performance materials, next generation healthcare diagnostics and therapeutics, and advanced security solutions for people, infrastructure, and the nation. Battelle has a long history of developing successful commercial products in collaboration with its clients, ranging from products to fight diabetes, cancer, and heart disease to the development of the office copier machine (Xerox). As a non-profit charitable trust with an eye toward the future, Battelle actively supports and promotes science and math education.

 

For more information, visit www.battelle.org or contact Media Relations Manager Mark Berry at (614) 424-5544 or berrym@battelle.org.