Kym Harshaw, Chief Nuclear Officer

We continue to celebrate women who have joined the ranks of Chief Nuclear Officers. Despite the great strides toward diversity over the past several decades, women have only recently joined the nuclear C-suite. In 2014, Maria Korsnick [npr.org] became the first woman to be Chief Nuclear Officer while she worked at Exelon Nuclear, and in 2019, Maria Lacal [winus.org] of Arizona Public Service became the second woman to be Chief Nuclear Officer. Since then, we have seen a small handful of women promoted to this position. The article below highlights Kym Harshaw of South Texas Project (STP) Nuclear Operating Company.

Headshot of Kimberly Harshaw, Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer at South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company. Ms. Harshaw is smiling and is slightly turned away from the camera.
Kym Harshaw

In March 2024, STP Nuclear Operating Company selected Kym Harshaw as acting President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Nuclear Officer. In this role, she is responsible for the overall safe and reliable operation of Units 1 and 2 as well as the overall strategic direction of the company. The South Texas Project is located in Wadsworth, Texas.

Kym has over 31 years’ experience in the nuclear industry. She received her Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) license at HB Robinson Nuclear Plant. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the UMass at Lowell and a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Juris Doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Kym joined STP as General Counsel in 2016 and has advanced through positions of increasing responsibility. In 2018, she was named Vice President, taking on leadership of Employee Concerns, Regulatory Affairs, and Human Resources. She became the Chief Nuclear Officer in 2021 and was named Acting President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer in 2024.

Kym is a member of the Executive Advisory Council for U.S. Women in Nuclear and has been an advocate for women in the nuclear industry throughout her career. She currently lives in West Columbia, Texas, with her husband Jim. They are the proud parents of two young professionals who have chosen legal career paths and recently became grandparents. Kym spends time enjoying a wide range of hobbies from motorcycling to running and remodeling her family’s home in Rhode Island.

“I am passionate about supporting opportunities for women in the nuclear industry,” Harshaw said. “I think U.S. WIN is an incredible organization for increasing awareness and building a network for that support at individual stations and across the U.S.”