DOE Names New Head of Energy Technology Lab

The Department of Energy has named a new director for the National Energy Technology Laboratory, which has offices in five states including West Virginia.

The DOE said in a press release that Grace Bochenek  will manage day-to-day operations for more than 1,000 employees from their Pittsburgh office. Those employees work on new technologies to manage and use fossil fuel energy.

Bochenek  has more than 25 years of technical and management experience with the Department of Defense, most recently as the first Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Former director Anthony Cugini of Pittsburgh resigned last fall and was later indicted on a federal obstruction of justice charge. Cugini committed suicide in January, about a month after pleading not guilty.

The N-E-T-L has offices in four states including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oregon, and Alaska.