Hanson has appointed Harold “Hal” Pittman as director of the
agency’s Office of Public Affairs. A retired U.S. Navy Rear
Admiral with decades of public affairs experience in private
industry, the non-profit sector and the Department of Defense,
Pittman joins the agency effective June 16.
“Hal Pittman brings with him a wealth of knowledge and
experience, gained through positions of high public trust in the
military and energy sector,” said Hanson. “He is particularly well
suited to support the NRC’s important openness and
transparency goals in this time of dynamic change in the
agency.”
The director of public affairs reports to the Chair, who by statute is the agency’s
spokesperson. In this position, Pittman will provide advice and guidance to the Chair and senior
agency officials and oversee the agency’s public affairs professionals at NRC headquarters in
Rockville, Maryland, and the four regional offices. He will also be responsible for the agency’s
crisis communication and social media programs.
Pittman joined the Senior Executive Service in January 2021 as director of the Defense
Media Activity at Fort Meade, Maryland, where he led Department of Defense’s global
employee communication capability. He was also responsible for training the military’s 4,000
public affairs and visual information specialists through the Defense Information School.
Previously, Pittman was an executive with Arizona’s largest utility company, Arizona
Public Service, which includes the Palo Verde nuclear power plants, and was president and CEO
of Special Olympics Iowa, leading sports training and wellness efforts for 11,000 children and
adults with intellectual disabilities. In addition, Pittman founded two non-profits focused on
veteran workforce development – the Arizona Corporate Council on Veteran Careers and the
national utility industry Veterans in Energy – and continues to participate with non-profit boards.
Pittman served a full career as a U.S. Navy officer, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral. In
uniform, he led public affairs for some of the military’s most visible and sensitive operations,
including twice serving as U.S. Central Command Communications Director during combat
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also commanded the Joint Public Affairs Support
Element; served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Joint Communication in the
Pentagon; and led communications for the NATO International Security Assistance Force in
Kabul, Afghanistan.
A graduate of Appalachian State University, Pittman also earned an MBA from Temple
University’s Fox School of Business and a master’s degree in journalism from American
University. He was an MIT Seminar XXI Fellow in foreign politics and international relations
and is a graduate of the Dartmouth Tuck Business School Advanced Management Program.
