BRACEVILLE – For the first time in Exelon’s history, women now occupy the top two leadership positions at a nuclear energy facility.
Marri Marchionda-Palmer and Amy Ferko, each of whom have nearly three decades of experience in nuclear power, have been promoted to site vice president and plant manager of Braidwood Generating Station, Exelon Generation said Monday.
“I look forward to continuing Braidwood Station’s reputation of high performance and providing clean, reliable power to the region,” Marchionda-Palmer said. “I will also work with our neighbors in Will County to build relationships and serve as a strong, active member in the nearby communities.”
Marchionda-Palmer’s primary responsibility will be to oversee the operation of Braidwood Station and to ensure the public is kept informed regarding the facility.
She replaces Mark Kanavos, who recently was named the site vice president at Byron Generating Station.
Marchionda-Palmer started her career as an engineer at Byron Station and later served in roles of increasing responsibility in radiation protection and operations. She would later work at Exelon’s nuclear headquarters in Warrenville and serve as regulatory assurance manager at Dresden Generating Station.
Marchionda-Palmer moved to Braidwood Station as the site’s operations director and recently served as the facility’s plant manager.
As plant manager, Ferko is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the plant, including oversight of the operations, maintenance, work control, chemistry/environmental and radiation protection departments.
Ferko has held several leadership positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, regulatory assurance, nuclear oversight and project management.
She most recently served as operations director at Braidwood.
Exelon operates 11 nuclear units at six sites in Illinois.
The facilities provide 48 percent of the state’s electricity and 90 percent of its carbon-free electricity.
Braidwood Station is about 60 miles southwest of Chicago in Will County and produces enough carbon-free electricity to power more than 2 million typical homes.