Michael Schlender

Mike Schlender is Deputy Laboratory Director for Operations and Chief Operating Officer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). In these roles, he oversees institutional priorities, safe and reliable operations, and the infrastructure needed to deliver innovative scientific research. Mike also fosters successful relationships across the Department of Energy and Battelle, which operates PNNL for DOE.

For the previous eight years, Mike served as the Associate Laboratory Director of the Operational Services Directorate at PNNL and was responsible for nearly 800 technical and support staff. The directorate was comprised of facilities; environmental health, safety and security; sustainability; quality and assurance; and project life cycle management.

Before returning to the national laboratory in 2003, Mike served as Deputy Manager for DOE's Richland Operations Office. There, he oversaw an annual cleanup budget of $1 billion as well as coordinated federal and contractor services for the operational needs of the Hanford Site. Prior to his assignment with DOE, he served as Assistant Laboratory Director for Environmental Management at Brookhaven National Laboratory. In this capacity, he was responsible for BNL's waste management operations; environmental cleanup; and nuclear facility decommissioning, deactivation, and demolition activities.

Throughout his career, Mike has served in a number of senior relationship management and project management positions. He worked at Golder Associates in Sydney, Australia and Golder Associates USA conducting hazardous waste site investigations and cleanup work in the United States, Canada, Southeast Asia and Australia.

The Washington state native also worked for the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mike holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry from Eastern Washington University and a M.S. degree in Chemistry/Environmental Science from Western Washington University.