NENSC News | NENSC Announces New Leadership
May 1, 2026
The Nuclear Energy and National Security Coalition is proud to announce the appointment of Jay Tilden as Executive Director and Chris Ploch as Deputy Director for NENSC. Together, they bring decades of senior government experience in nuclear security, energy policy, and national security — and a shared commitment to advancing NENSC's mission at this pivotal moment for American nuclear leadership.
Jay Tilden, Executive Director, brings an unparalleled background at the intersection of nuclear security and intelligence. Jay served as Director of the DOE Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence — the Department's senior intelligence and counterintelligence officer — and as Deputy Under Secretary for Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation at NNSA, where he oversaw a $430 million budget and enterprise-wide workforce spanning nuclear forensics, counterterrorism, and nuclear incident response. He also directed the Office of Nuclear Threat Science at NNSA, leading research into non-traditional nuclear device approaches and counterproliferation R&D. Jay served 22 years in the U.S. Army as a counterintelligence technician and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellows program and the National Defense University Joint & Combined Studies program.
Chris Ploch, Deputy Director, joins NENSC with a strong record of nuclear policy execution in government and on Capitol Hill. Chris served as a Trump Administration political appointee — Senior Advisor to both the DOE Office of Policy and DOE Office of Nuclear Energy — where he coordinated implementation of four nuclear energy executive orders and worked closely with DOE leadership, the national laboratories, federal agencies, and White House offices on high-impact nuclear policy. He previously served as Legislative Counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives, including on the House Committee on Appropriations, and organized House Advanced Nuclear Caucus briefings. Chris serves on the Board of Advisors of the United Coalition for Advanced Nuclear (UCAN) Power and holds a J.D. from the University of Florida.
Jay and Chris will serve as the day-to-day leadership of NENSC, working under the strategic direction of the Co-Chairs and in service of the Expert Council and Board. Stakeholders interested in engaging with NENSC's new leadership team are encouraged to reach out directly to information@nensc.org.