Working at the Portsmouth Site is a Family Affair

From left, Greg and Drea Tannehill and Megan Parker pose for a photograph at the Portsmouth Site. While Drea Tannehill is a third-generation employee of her family onsite, she is also a second-generation intern. Her mother, Megan Parker, started her career at Portsmouth with an internship.

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio - The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental ManagementPortsmouth Site's nearly 50 summer interns have a lot to share with their families about what they learned this year, but Drea Tannehill and Britton Kritzwiser can skip the history. That's because they both are the third generation in their families to work at the site.

"You will find many family members on the Portsmouth Site, but to have three generations is unique," said Portsmouth Site Lead Jeremy Davis. "College students seeking employment here and being interested in future development shows the importance of the site to our community."

Greg Tannehill, Drea Tannehill's grandfather, is a radiation protection section manager and has worked at the site for more than 30 years. Her mother, Megan Parker, is a waste characterization and disposition manager and has worked at Portsmouth for nearly two decades.

"It was great working with Drea," said Parker. "For years she has not really understood what my career was or what we actually do onsite. Although she doesn't work in my department, it has been impressive to see the work she has done this summer."

Drea Tannehill enjoyed the opportunity to explore the potential of her college major with hands-on learning while getting a better understanding of her family members' careers.

"As an integrated mathematics major, I love being able to work with numbers and math in a real-world job," she said. "It was fun to apply the lessons I am learning in college outside of the classroom. One of the things I have realized is that there are many jobs here that include math and numbers."

From left, Adam and Britton Kritzwiser and Anita Sheridan pose for a photograph at the Portsmouth Site. This was Britton Kritzwiser's first year interning at Portsmouth, but not his first involvement with the site. He was a member of his high school's team that competed in the U.S. Department of Energy South Central Ohio Regional Science Bowl and was also awarded Portsmouth cleanup contractor Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth's S.T.E.A.M. Scholarship.

Being the third generation onsite does have its advantages. Like Drea Tannehill, Kritzwiser has grown up hearing about the site.

"It's very fulfilling to take all the information that I have accrued over the years, and put the pieces together," said Kritzwiser. "Along with this, having two family members employed here always gave me a unique appreciation of what the plant has given to our community."

His father, Adam Kritzwiser, has worked as a technical writer at the site for nearly a decade and his grandmother, Anita Sheridan, a controller in finance and accounting, has worked onsite 16 years.

"Working with my son and grandson makes me appreciate them in a different way," said Sheridan. "We carpool most days and can have work conversations we all understand. Also, it makes my day a little brighter when they stop by to say hi, pass in the hallway or stop by looking for snacks."

"It has been a great experience," said Adam Kritzwiser. "He has shown maturity and an enthusiasm to work. He reminds me often to wear my safety vest and grab my badge even if I already have them on and has taken our safety culture to new heights at home."

-Contributor: Cindi Remy