NRC Appoints Anna Bradford to Lead Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Anna Bradford is coming back to the NRC. The agency named the former long-time staffer director of its Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, with the appointment effective in May, according to announcements distributed through the American Nuclear Society and confirmed by the agency's own LinkedIn post in early March 2026.

Bradford spent 21 years at the NRC before leaving in 2021, starting as an environmental engineer on decommissioning projects and eventually rising to hold posts including director of the Division of New and Renewed Licenses. Since departing, she has served at the International Atomic Energy Agency as director of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety. Before her original NRC tenure began in 2000, she worked at an engineering consulting firm handling nuclear-related projects for the Department of Energy. She holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and a master's in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

NRC Chair Ho Nieh made clear the agency views the hire as a significant get. "Anna Bradford is a superb candidate to lead the team that oversees the safety of our nuclear reactor operating fleet," Nieh said. "We are eager to have someone of her experience both here and abroad back at the NRC."

Bradford will report to Sabrina Atack, the deputy executive director for Reactors and Preparedness Programs. Until Bradford assumes the role, Jeremy Groom continues as acting director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. Groom carries an additional responsibility under the same reorganization: he will serve as acting director of the newly created Office of Chief Nuclear Reactor Inspector, a position established as part of the agency's ongoing structural overhaul announced in an NRC press release on March 5.

That reorganization reshapes what NRR handles. The office will retain its core work managing operating reactor license renewals and amendments, along with the licensing program for nonpower reactors. It will also absorb functions currently performed by the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, expanding its portfolio in ways that reflect the agency's broader effort to consolidate reactor-related oversight.

The appointment drew a wave of congratulatory responses on the NRC's LinkedIn post, with comments from industry figures and international colleagues. One commenter noted looking forward to seeing Bradford at the Regulatory Information Conference, a signal that her return will register well beyond agency hallways. The exact start date within May has not been confirmed publicly, and the specific functions transferring from Nuclear Security and Incident Response to NRR have not yet been detailed in available materials.