Dani Zigon, Director of Strategic Initiatives for The University of Texas at Austin’s Nuclear & Radiation Engineering Program, recently served as moderator and panelist for the Texas Nuclear Alliance (TNA) webinar, “The Path Forward for Cultivating Homegrown Nuclear Talent in Texas.” A full recording can be found on YouTube.
The discussion focused on one of the most immediate constraints on advanced nuclear deployment: people. Texas faces a tight 3–5 year window to staff more than 10,000 advanced nuclear jobs tied to announced projects—demand that exceeds current in-state education and training capacity and could become a bottleneck for project schedules if left unaddressed.
A cross-sector conversation aimed at action
Hosted by TNA, the webinar brought together leaders spanning industry, state workforce strategy, and statewide nuclear implementation, including:
- Lori Brady, Nuclear Energy Institute
- Mary York, Texas Workforce Commission
- Jarred Shaffer, Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office (Office of the Governor of Texas)
- Dani Zigon, UT Austin Nuclear & Radiation Engineering
Panelists emphasized practical direction for Texas’ nuclear ecosystem, including a live Q&A—focusing less on diagnosing the problem and more on what organizations can do now to build pipeline capacity at the speed required.
