The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has named Matt Pociask as general counsel and Michael Franovich as director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Research.
NRC said Wednesday that Pociask succeeds David Taggart, who has been the agency’s acting general counsel since February 2025. Taggart will remain at the NRC as special adviser for strategic coordination of regulatory and policy integration.
Franovich will assume his new responsibilities as NRR’s new director in July.
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Who Is Matt Pociask?
Pociask has served as principal deputy general counsel in the Office of General Counsel since February 2026. Prior to entering government service, he practiced law at a litigation boutique, specializing in constitutional and administrative law and Supreme Court litigation.
In addition to his private practice experience, Pociask served as a law clerk to Justice Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Gregory Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Amul Thapar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
“I want to congratulate Matt as he steps into this important role,” Ho K. Nieh, chairman of the NRC, stated. “His experience and judgment will be invaluable as the agency continues its work to enable the safe deployment of nuclear technology.”
Pociask was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army earlier in his career. He earned his law degree with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School.
Who Is Michael Franovich?
Franovich, who currently serves as deputy office director for engineering in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, has been with NRC since 1990. He joined the agency as a general engineer for the NRR and, over the past three decades, held positions of increasing responsibility.
His experience includes roles in risk assessment, reactor safety, advanced reactor licensing and program oversight. He has also served as a resident inspector, project manager, and senior reliability and risk analyst.
“Mike’s expertise in risk assessment, deep knowledge of nuclear technologies, and resident inspector experience makes him an excellent choice to lead our agency’s research efforts,” Nieh commented. “His dedication to the NRC mission and his record of technical leadership will be valuable assets for the agency.”
Franovich holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in reliability engineering from the University of Maryland.
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