Erik Olds, chief of staff of the Department of Energy Hanford Office of River Protection, has been awarded the National Nuclear Security Administration Silver Medal.

It is one of the highest awards given by the NNSA.

"Erik's leadership, expertise and collaborative approach have been highly successful for the Office of River Protection and the department in carrying out its environmental cleanup mission," said Tom D'Agostino, in a statement, before recently stepping down as the undersecretary for nuclear security.

Olds was nominated for the award by the DOE Office of Environmental Management in Washington, D.C. For the past year, Olds has focused on coordinating among Hanford, DOE headquarters, Congressional staff, local government officials and the public to resolve issues and concerns, in addition to his chief of staff duties.

His leadership was central to organizing and implementing Energy Secretary Steven Chu's review team for the Hanford vitrification plant and the resulting focus teams.

"Eric's astute mastery of the issues faced by the department combined with his excellent teamwork and communication skills has been critically important over the past year as the department has worked through many complex and challenging issues," said David Huizenga, senior policy advisor for the Office of Environmental Management, in a statement.