Jason Tharp is the senior manager of security special operations for Holtec Security International. In this role, he is responsible for developing, implementing and managing new security initiatives and critical infrastructure for nuclear and non-nuclear sites. 

Professional History 

Tharp has over 20 years of security management experience in the nuclear industry. His work ranged from implementing policies and procedures, creating efficiencies in security processes, managing union relationships and contracts, and overseeing capital and O&M budgets. 

He served as security manager of Palisades for nearly a decade, where he was responsible for ensuring the safety, security and regulatory compliance of the plant and its Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility (ISFSI). For a decade, Tharp worked at Southern California Edison as a nuclear security officer and security project manager.

Tharp also served in the United States Marine Corps for five years as an anti-terrorism units with multiple combat deployments. 

Industry Leadership

Tharp works with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop, train and assess nuclear programs around the world. 

Tharp served on Nuclear Energy Institute’s Security Working Group and Force on Force task force. He also served as a core member of the Sandia National Laboratory’s Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. In this role, he researched and tested new technologies that provided cost reductions for the nuclear industry. 

Education

Tharp holds several instructor certifications including Close Quarters Battle, NRA Law Enforcement Firearms and NSSC Composite Adversary Team.

Tharp has gained many other skills in the military and private security sectors. He is a trained  Designated Marksman and Scout Sniper. He also completed courses on Security Systems Implementation, Covert Methods of Entry, Surveillance and Counter Surveillance, and Military Operations in Urban Terrain.

Tharp is also currently in the bachelor’s program at Liberty University for a degree in Computer Science.