James Stemm has been Curator at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History since 2021. He began his museum career in 1996 working with the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona as the museum’s Registrar. He remained at Pima for the next twenty-five years while holding several jobs in the museum’s Collections Department including Assistant Curator, Curator of Collections, and Director of Collections. James attended The University of New Mexico where he received a bachelor’s degree in history and attended graduate school at New Mexico State University receiving a master’s degree in public history.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to Nu[email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Frank Lowery is the Associate Administrator for Management and Budget, National Nuclear Security Administration, where he oversees the offices of Budget and Financial Management, Human Resources, Business Services, Employee Empowerment, Learning and Career Management, and International Operations. A member of the Senior Executive Service in NNSA since March 2012, he has also served as the Department of Energy’s Acting Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer; NNSA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Management; and Deputy Associate Administrator for Defense Nuclear Security. Prior to entering Federal service, he served in the U.S. Navy.Mr. Lowery has over three decades of experience in national security, much of it associated with nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear weapons. His submarine experience includes service in the Atlanticand Pacific fleets on fast attack as well as strategic deterrent submarines.A certified professional engineer, he developed specialized skills in technical, business, and personnel management through his integral involvement in submarine delivery programs and oversight of the 25 nuclear-powered fast attack submarines that operate in the Atlantic Fleet.Mr. Lowery earned his bachelor of science degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and his master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to Nu[email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Matthew Costlow is a Senior Analyst at the National Institute for Public Policy. His areas of expertise are in nuclear deterrence, missile defense policy, arms control, and Russian and Chinese nuclear doctrine. His work has been published by Comparative Strategy, Strategic Studies Quarterly, and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He has also published numerous opinion pieces in the Institutes Information Series as well as the Wall Street Journal, War on the Rocks, Defense News, and Defense One.While working for the National Institute, Matt graduated in 2012 from Missouri State University with an M.S. in Defense and Strategic Studies. His thesis, “Gunboat Diplomacy in the South China Sea” was chosen for publication at the U.S. Air Force Institute for National Security Studies. He is currently a PhD candidate at George Mason University and is writing his dissertation on the intersection of leadership perceptions and war termination in World War II. From 2019-2021, Matt served as a Special Assistant in the office of Nuclear and Missile Defense policy, Department of Defense. His responsibilities included authoring and editing Congressional testimony for senior leadership on nuclear and missile defense topics, writing reports to Congress, drafting speeches to domestic and foreign audiences, and ensuring strategic communications were consistent with official U.S. government policy.While at the Pentagon, Matt also briefed numerous senior officials up to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, explained U.S. policy to multiple allied delegations, and produced nuclear-themed tabletop exercises. For these and other accomplishments, Matt was presented with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Exceptional Public Service. From 2012-2019, Matt worked as an Analyst at National Institute, specializing in many of the same areas he currently writes on. Before 2012, he researched cybersecurity, emergency management, and foreign airpower acquisition at the Congressional Research Service. Prior to that, he worked at SAIC on federal and state emergency management best practices.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to Nu[email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Maj Gen (Ret), USAF, Garrett Harencak is the President and CEO of Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS). Harencak joined Mission Support and Test Services, LLC after nearly four years as Vice President of Strategic Defense Programs for Jacobs Engineering. While at Jacobs, he also served as Deputy Program Manager of the Missile Defense Agency Integrated Research and Development for Enterprise Solutions contract, providing overall strategic vision, leadership, direction, and management for all employees, missions, projects and activities related to the contract. Harencak’s organization, through his leadership, developed and communicated the vision for safe, secure, environmentally and fiscally sound contract execution with full authority and accountability to manage and integrate all contractual, financial and technical performance designed to ensure quality, cost control, timeliness of performance, effective business relations and customer satisfaction.Before joining Jacobs, Harencak served in the United States Air Force for more than 39 years and rose to the rank of Major General. Positions he has held include Commander of USAF Recruiting Command; Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration; Commander at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base; Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application (NA- 10), National Nuclear Security Administration; and Commander of the 509th Bomber Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base.Harencak holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in management from Abilene Christian University, and a master’s degree in national security studies from the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base. He is Adjunct Professor of Nuclear Deterrence and Assurance for the Air Force Nuclear College at the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a member of the Board of Regents, Strategic Deterrent Coalition, Washington, D.C.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to Nu[email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show

James McCue is a career helicopter pilot having performed all three USAF rotary wing missions; nuclear security, combat search and rescue, continuity of government. He has earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and masters studies with the Air Force Institute of Technology, Emby Riddle, Missouri State University, and a fellowship with the National Defense University's C-WMD program.He has been working at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for the last four years supporting nuclear wargames, nuclear doctrine development, is a Fellow at the National Institute for Deterrence Studies, and is a visiting professor with the Defense Nuclear Weapons School where he lectures in that institution's Nuclear Policy course. He has published through Air University and Naval Postgraduate School on matters of physical security of nuclear weapons as well as deterrence at the edge of conventional and nuclear conflict.Here is a link to his latest work: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AEtherJournal/Journals/Volume-2_Number-2/McCue.pdf?source=GovDEPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to Nu[email protected] to NucleCast podcastRate the show