Skip to main content
SHARE
News

Weaver named director for Facilities and Operations at ORNL

Ann Weaver has been named Facilities and Operations Director at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, effective this fall.

“Given the wide range of responsibilities under F&O, a strong leader is required. Ann is the right choice for the job, as she will ensure that organization continues making critical contributions to ORNL’s success each day,” said interim ORNL Director Jeff Smith.

Because of her experience and accomplishments over nearly 20 years at ORNL, Weaver is uniquely equipped to guide F&O. She has served as chief operating officer of the Neutron Sciences Directorate since 2019. As the operational leader for the organization responsible for the Spallation Neutron Source and the High Flux Isotope Reactor, Weaver has ensured these world-leading neutron facilities meet their operational objectives.

As one of the first COOs named at ORNL, she has also been a leader in establishing the roles and responsibilities for COOs in the lab’s science and technology directorates. Previously, Weaver was the director of the Facilities Management Division within the F&O directorate. From 2012 to 2019, she was responsible for ORNL’s laboratory and office space, fabrication services and a staff of more than 300. This role included oversight of a budget of more than $50 million.

Weaver has also been actively engaged in learning and sharing operational best practices with other Battelle national laboratories. She serves as a member of the Operations Committee at Los Alamos National Laboratory and graduated from Battelle’s Laboratory Operations Leadership Academy. In addition to her operational leadership, Weaver has been involved in the community throughout her career, representing Team UT-Battelle, leading ORNL Gives activities and serving on the board of advisors for the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Tennessee and on the board of directors for Clinch River Habitat for Humanity. Weaver holds a bachelor’s in industrial engineering and a master’s in engineering management from UT.

“I am excited about ORNL’s future and the significant role that F&O plays in the success of our laboratory,” Weaver said. “In my previous roles at the lab, I have gained tremendous insight that has helped shaped my vision for F&O, an organization of highly skilled, talented and dedicated people working toward our mission to support ORNL as a world-leading research and energy lab. I am honored and grateful for this opportunity.”

Until she begins her new role this fall, Weaver will serve as F&O’s deputy director beginning June 1, working with current F&O Director Jimmy Stone, who plans to retire at year’s end.

“Working alongside Jimmy for 20 years, I am thankful for his commitment to ORNL, the mission and the people — especially those in F&O,” Smith said. “His passionate advocacy for this institution has been instrumental in ORNL’s accomplishments through the years.”

Stone said that for 12 years he has ensured the “small city” of ORNL is running smoothly as F&O director. He joined ORNL in 2003 as the director of the Facilities Management Division after more than 15 years at the Y-12 National Security Complex. In 2006, he moved into the deputy director role within F&O before becoming director five years later.

He played a leading role in the modernization of the ORNL campus. He also instituted a “landlord-tenant” model for operating facilities and has been responsible for achieving significant gains in efficiency, customer satisfaction and safety.

During the pandemic, Stone’s leadership of F&O was critical in keeping the lights on, the water running and the mission going. Even with the challenges presented by COVID-19, his organization completed 24 projects representing nearly $200 million in campus investments and approximately 350,000 construction work hours. He led the establishment of the Research Operations Center in 2020, which now serves as the base of the ORNL Fire Department and Protective Force. In the coming months, the Craft Resources Support Facility will open, which will provide a new home and modern capabilities for many laboratory craft services and will serve as another example of Stone’s extraordinary leadership.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.