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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      090421-F-JZ031-416.JPGEngage On
        
        090421-F-JZ031-416.JPGGARY SANDERSMr. Gary Sanders is Special Assistant for Nuclear Plans and Policies to the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for contributing to the development of policy, strategy and architecture solutions of nuclear weapon and force application programs. These include operations, force protection, security, sustainment and modernization. He also functions as an executive advocate of the Air Force nuclear mission and positions to senior government levels, including the military services; Office of the Secretary of Defense; Department of Energy; National Nuclear Security Administration; State Department; Congress; defense agencies; scientific, academic and research communities; and the public. 
Mr. Sanders has more than 30 years of experience in nuclear weapons engineering and safety design and evaluation. This includes design; testing independent assessment; programmatic and technical integration of science-based stockpile stewardship; and personnel management. He has worked within Department of Energy defense programs, the Air Force Office of the Secretary and the Directorate of Nuclear and Counterproliferation, and DOE national laboratories. He has also been a Navy nuclear reactor designer at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratories. His experience spans interactions with the broad nuclear weapons community including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Navy, Air Force major commands, U.S. Strategic Command, and British, French and Russian nuclear technical agencies. **EDUCATION**1979 Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering, Pennsylvania State University 
1980 Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering, Pennsylvania Sate University 
2003 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 
2005 Lockheed Martin Senior Leadership Development Program, Rockville, Md.
2007 NATO Executive Policy School, Oberammergau, Germany **CAREER CHRONOLOGY** 
1. June 1978 - August 1979, engineering intern, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, West Mifflin, Pa. 
2. August 1979 - August 1980, graduate assistant, Pennsylvania State University, State College 
3. September 1980 - June 1986, nuclear reactor safety engineer, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
4. June 1986 - November 1989, nuclear weapon safety engineer, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
5. November 1989 - September 1991, Manager, Nuclear Safety Assurance Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
6. September 1991 - May 1993, technical adviser to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Military Applications, Defense Programs, Department of Energy, Germantown, Md. 
7. May 1993 - November 1997, Manager, Nuclear Weapon Surety Assessment, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
8. November 1997 - July 1999, technical adviser to the Air Force Directorate of Nuclear and Counterproliferation, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 
9. July 1999 - May 2002, Program Manager, Weapon System Engineering, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
10. May 2002 - July 2004, Deputy Director, Weapon Systems Engineering, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
11. July 2004 - June 2006, Director, Facilities Management and Operations, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
12. June 2006 - January 2008, Principal Program Director, Stockpile and Weapon Product Realization, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
13. January 2008 - March 2009, Director, New Mexico Weapon System Engineering, and Program Director, Stockpile Systems, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M. 
14. April 2009 - March 2010, Principal Adviser for Nuclear Plans and Policies to the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.
15. March 2010 - present, Special Assistant for Nuclear Plans and Policies to the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. **AWARDS AND HONORS** 
Department of the Air Force award for Exemplary Civilian Service 
Lockheed Martin Ethics Award **PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS** 
Phi Eta Sigma, Freshman Honorary Society 
Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honorary Society 
Alpha Nu Sigma, Nuclear Engineering Honorary Society 
(Current as of April 2011)
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