John K. Welch, the president and chief executive of USEC Inc., has been picked to serve as chairman of the Battelle board of directors.

Battelle has held the contract to operate and manage what is now the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland since 1965.

Welch replaces John McCoy, who has served 12 years as board chairman and 21 years on the board. McCoy will continue as a board member and will be chairman of the Human Resources, Compensation and Governance Committee.

Welch was elected to Battelle's board in 2001. The company he leads, USEC, is a major supplier of nuclear fuel and advanced technology solutions.

He also sits on the board of Precision Custom Components and the Nuclear Energy Institute. A Navy veteran, Welch was the executive vice president of the Marine Systems Group at General Dynamics before joining USEC.

"His deep understanding of Battelle and its customer base will be a strong, guiding force in directing Battelle's future growth," McCoy said in a statement.

Jeff Wadsworth, chief executive of Battelle, said Welch and his wealth of experience "will help us continue to fulfill Battelle's founding principles of using science to benefit mankind."