March 30, 2021

Kevin Burgess, vice president, Risk & Internal Auditing, and Greg Halnon, vice president, Nuclear Regulatory Affairs, have elected to retire after accomplished careers with the company. Both retirements will take effect on April 1.​

Kevin Burgess

Kevin has brought his expertise to various key roles – from business services to controller to internal auditing – during more than 21 years with the company. He has served as vice president, Risk & Internal Auditing, since 2019.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of talented people – and I would like to thank everyone for helping me develop and grow throughout my career at FirstEnergy,” Kevin said. “While I’ll certainly miss those relationships, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family in retirement.”

Kevin began his career with FirstEnergy in 1999 as manager, Business Services for the W.H. Sammis and R.E. Burger fossil generating plants. In 2002, he became director of Planning and Analysis for FirstEnergy Solutions (FES), which was a FirstEnergy competitive subsidiary, and in 2004 advanced to assistant controller of FES.

In 2005, Burgess became assistant controller of FirstEnergy Utilities and was promoted through a number of positions when in 2013, he became executive director of Internal Auditing and was named director, Internal Auditing & Chief Audit Officer in 2018. He was promoted to his current position in 2019.

“Although I’ve only worked with Kevin for a short period of time, it’s clear that his wealth of experience in the areas of finance, accounting and reporting have been a tremendous asset to the company,” said Hyun Park, senior vice president and Chief Legal Officer. “One of the things that I admire about Kevin is that he has continued to strive to expand his knowledge and skills throughout his career.” As an example, Hyun noted that Kevin graduated from the executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at The Ohio State University while working at FirstEnergy.

Jon Taylor, senior vice president and Chief Financial Officer, has worked closely with Kevin since joining FirstEnergy in 2009. “Kevin’s commitment to both his work and the members of his team have always impressed me,” Jon said. “I can’t thank him enough for his assistance and advice throughout the years.”

Kevin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and business with an emphasis in accounting, from Hendrix College, in Conway, Ark. He completed his MBA from Ohio State in 2010. He serves on the Board of Governors for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

With Kevin’s retirement, the company will conduct a search for a Chief Risk Officer as well as an individual to head up the auditing group. In the interim, the risk and insurance groups will report to Jon Taylor.

Greg Halnon

A 39-year veteran of the nuclear industry, Greg has served as vice president of Nuclear Regulatory Affairs since 2015.

Greg joined the company in 2004 as director of Regulatory Affairs at FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC). Highlights of his time here include securing 20-year operating license extensions from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Davis-Besse and both Beaver Valley units; successfully concluding a period of heightened NRC oversight at Perry; and the sale of Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) to EnergySolutions, which completed FirstEnergy’s exit from the nuclear power business.

“It has been a privilege to work with people who perform at the highest level of integrity and expertise while here at FirstEnergy. Having been instrumental in the initial building of FENOC’s nuclear program and then leading the final sale of TMI-2, our last remaining nuclear asset, leaves me humbled and proud of the work we accomplished,” said Greg.

Before joining FENOC, Greg served in various management positions for the Salem, V.C. Summer and Crystal River nuclear plants. He has provided oversight to several Nuclear Energy Institute working groups, served six terms as the National Regulatory Utility Group chair and chaired two industry consortiums. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Florida and Ohio, a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a life member of the American Nuclear Society. Greg received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Central Florida. He also completed the INPO Senior Plant Managers Professional Development program and earned a senior reactor operator license at the Crystal River plant.

“Greg has been the picture of a nuclear professional throughout his long and successful career,” said Sam Belcher, senior vice president, president of FirstEnergy Utilities and former FENOC president. “Recently, he has been instrumental in addressing our few remaining nuclear challenges, in support of our transition to a fully regulated company. We express thanks for all Greg has contributed and wish him well in the future.”

In retirement, Greg plans to continue to give back to the nuclear industry and our country. He has been appointed to a four-year term on the NRC’s Advisory Committee for Reactor Safeguards – a small, high-level committee of nuclear experts and scientists that advise the NRC commissioners on advanced nuclear policy and regulations.