Stephen (top) and Hobbs join Resident Inspector Matt Kirk at the Browns Ferry site.

ATLANTA - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has selected Tom Stephen as the senior resident inspector and Nick Hobbs as one of the resident inspectors at the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant near Athens, Ala., located approximately 32 miles west of Huntsville. The three-unit plant is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Stephen served as a resident inspector at the Browns Ferry site before returning to the NRC’s Region II office in Atlanta as a Licensed Operator Examiner. Prior to joining the NRC in 2012, he served 20 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, including five years as an enlisted nuclear-trained mechanic and 15 years as a submarine officer.

Stephen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University, and a Masters of Engineering Management degree from Old Dominion University.

Hobbs joined the agency in 2015 in the Nuclear Safety Professional Development Program as a reactor systems engineer at the NRC headquarters office in Rockville, Md., where he assisted with licensing actions for operating reactors. He transferred to Region II in 2017 to join the Resident Inspector Development Program. Prior to joining the agency, Hobbs interned at TerraPower and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Georgia Tech.

At least two NRC resident inspectors are assigned to each operating U.S. commercial nuclear plant. They serve as the agency’s eyes and ears at the facility, conducting inspections, monitoring major work projects and interacting with plant workers and the public.