Chris Levesque, President and CEO of TerraPower

Chris Levesque is the president and chief executive officer of TerraPower, a nuclear reactor design company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

As TerraPower’s leader, he leads efforts to develop next-generation nuclear energy solutions. He is also a central figure in the company’s new venture into therapeutic medical isotopes, according to his organizational profile.

In addition to serving as president and CEO, he sits on the board of directors of TerraPower.

Levesque is also a board member of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade association dedicated to driving policies that promote the beneficial uses of nuclear energy.

Previously, he worked for nuclear power company AREVA. He led the formation of AREVA Newport News, a joint venture between AREVA and Newport News Shipbuilding, eventually serving as its board chairman and president.

The executive also spent some time at Westinghouse. He served as the manager of engineering and manufacturing at the company’s facility in Newington, New Hampshire.

Before joining the private sector, he worked as a nuclear submarine officer for the Navy. He served aboard the USS Boise as chief engineer and provided oversight on initial criticality and reactor startup testing.

Levesque attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He also graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a naval engineer degree.