Dave Brockman, the retired manager of both the Department of Energy Hanford Richland Operations Office and the Office of River Protection, is returning to Richland.

He's been appointed the deputy chief operating officer for Kurion Inc., a company developing and marketing technologies to stabilize nuclear and hazardous waste. In 2012 it consolidated its vitrification work in Richland.

Brockman, who most recently was chief executive officer at S.A. Technology Co., will lead operations at Kurion's Technology Development Center in Richland. Additionally, he will work closely with DOE officials on finding ways that Kurion can help the department achieve its environmental cleanup goals at Hanford.

In December, Kurion announced it had achieved a major milestone in the development of its Modular Vitrification System, with completion of several glass-making commissioning tests on its new prototype system. Fabrication and testing of the system done in Richland demonstrated commercial viability and achieved the threshold that government organizations use to evaluate and procure new technologies, according to Kurion.

"The company has conscientiously checked off each requirement and test asked by the Department of Energy during the review process," Brockman said in a statement.