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Each of us, to some extent, is a product of our environment. And anyone who spends time around Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner will not be surprised to learn that he was raised and educated in a state whose nickname is derived from a sentence spoken in 1859 by one of its congressman, Willard Vandiver: “Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I’m from Missouri.”
A product of the Show-Me State, Wagner became INL director in December 2020. From day one, he has been clear about what he wants to accomplish. Wagner speaks in terms of goals established, plans developed and game plans executed.
For Wagner, success will be determined by advanced nuclear reactors developed, demonstrated and deployed. By continued progress in the nation’s national security efforts, especially defending vital systems against cyberattack. Through improvement in clean energy technologies, such as hydrogen production, biomass and the integration of firm nuclear and intermittent renewable power sources to power manufacturing and transportation processes with clean energy. And, as Wagner announced to INL staff recently, by making INL operations carbon neutral within a decade.
“We have come a long way, and now the laboratory is entering a new phase,” Wagner said. “Our challenge is to deliver on all the great opportunities we have created because our nation is counting on us to do so.”
Wagner and his family moved to Idaho five years ago. He and his wife, Steph, have six children. Three attend Idaho schools, and one is a student at Montana Tech.
As Wagner wrote after becoming lab director last year, “My family immediately fell in love with Idaho, its mountains, big blue skies and the way the stars shine so bright at night. We appreciate Idaho’s genuine and grounded people, and the incredible outdoors that allow us to hike, ride dirt bikes, camp and ski.”
That appreciation for the environment is part of what motivates Wagner as he leads a laboratory tasked with helping industry develop clean energy sources, with a strong focus on nuclear energy, which produces nearly 20% of America’s electricity and 55% of the nation’s zero carbon-emitting electricity.
Wagner’s career has involved both private and public sector employment. His initial challenge at INL, however, was daunting and unprecedented – taking over a laboratory with more than 5,000 employees during a pandemic that fundamentally changed how we live and work.
“John came in at a tough time,” said former INL Director Mark Peters, who led the lab from 2015 to 2020 and now oversees all labs in Battelle’s management portfolio, including INL. “But he has done a great job providing steady leadership, remaining flexible and making sure the lab continues to produce positive results during a time of unprecedented challenges.”
With Wagner, there is little wasted motion. In messages to INL employees, he emphasizes not just goals but also the process that will enable them. Starting with the end goal in mind, plan, execute and produce results.
At the same time, Wagner supports a bold approach – encouraging innovation and calculated risk-taking to enable the technological breakthroughs needed to create a world-changing energy system that is clean, reliable, secure and resilient.
It’s a philosophy Wagner began developing during his time at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and which has evolved over the following three decades.
All the years of hard work, preparation and perseverance brought him to a world-class laboratory ready to take the next step at a time when the world is desperately in need of new and creative ways to produce energy. And Wagner wouldn’t have it any other way.
“There isn’t any other job I’d rather have or any other place I’d rather be,” Wagner said.
Click here to read more of the August issue of Idaho Falls Magazine.