News & Notes | Acting Administrator of National Nuclear Security Administration has Oak Ridge ties
NOVONIX Limited announces a change at the top.
From Washington, DC but with Oak Ridge ties:
Teresa Robbins has been named as the Acting Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Prior to this, she served as the Assistant Principal Deputy Administrator for Operations and as the primary point of contact between NNSA headquarters, the field offices, and the Management and Operating partners.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville graduate previously served as the Manager for the Y-12 Field Office in Oak Ridge where she was responsible for the direction of NNSA programs, projects, safety, security, quality, and administrative functions at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
From Chattanooga and Brisbane, Australia:
NOVONIX Limited, a leading battery materials and technology company that is building a plant in Chattanooga, has announced the planned transition for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with Dr. Chris Burns stepping down from the role last Friday. He will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity, serving as Special Advisor to the Board of Directors, in order to provide continuity, support ongoing operations at NOVONIX, and ensure a smooth transition.
Dr. Burns has led NOVONIX since September 2020 and has positioned the company for the next phase of growth as it scales up operations at its production facilities in Chattanooga. With significant accomplishments during 2024, NOVONIX plans to begin production from its Riverside facility this year. With Dr. Burns’ stepping down, the Board has commenced a search for a new CEO who will be based at the company’s headquarters in Chattanooga and will have experience in manufacturing, operations, and scale-up to lead the company into the planned growth in NOVONIX’s synthetic graphite production over the coming years.
The Board of Directors has appointed Robert Long, NOVONIX Chief Financial Officer, to serve as interim CEO until a permanent CEO is appointed.
Another from Chattanooga:
Ouster Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lidar sensors for the automotive, industrial, robotics and smart infrastructure industries, has been awarded a two-million-dollar contract to deploy its Ouster BlueCity traffic management solution in Chattanooga to improve roadway safety and reduce congestion.
Following a successful pilot at 12 intersections, the City of Chattanooga will expand Ouster’s BlueCity solution to more than 120 intersections, covering the downtown area. With this expansion, Ouster BlueCity will be the largest deployment of lidar detection technology for traffic and pedestrian safety in the United States. The project will combine digital lidar sensors and edge artificial intelligence at each intersection to manage traffic flow, detect and analyze safety incidents, and provide detection for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications.
“Chattanooga is leading the country in adopting smart city technology to improve our roadways, and with it, the safety and quality of life of our citizens,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Using American lidar and advanced perception software from Ouster, we are building the largest lidar-powered smart traffic network in the United States. This technology will enable optimized traffic signal management on roads and intersections to improve traffic flow and provide data we can use to improve pedestrian safety.”
Chattanooga is working with Southern Lighting & Traffic Systems and the Center for Urban Informatics & Progress (CUIP), part of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Research Institute (UTCRI), to expand the city’s lidar-connected traffic infrastructure by the end of 2025.
“We are excited to be part of this innovative expansion that will drive meaningful traffic and safety optimizations in our city, all while ensuring privacy of residents,” said Mina Sartipi, Founding Director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Professor at UTC. “Ouster BlueCity already led us to install a crosswalk that resulted in a 100 percent reduction in near-miss incidents on a high-risk city block. We are just starting to capture the full benefits of this technology.”
From Johnson City and Nashville:
Crown Laboratories Inc. and Revance Therapeutics Inc. have announced that, on January 17, 2025, they amended their previously announced Amended and Restated Merger Agreement, dated December 7, 2024.
Under the terms of the Second Amendment, which has been unanimously approved by the Revance Board of Directors, Revance’s stockholders will receive $3.65 per share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (each, a “Share”) in cash, without interest and less any applicable tax withholding, representing $0.55 or 17% per share more than the prior offer price. Crown will extend its existing tender offer for all of Revance’s outstanding shares until one minute past 11:59 p.m. EST on February 4, 2025.
“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Crown which increases value for our stockholders while also providing them with deal certainty,” said Mark J. Foley, Chief Executive Officer of Revance. “After a robust process, our Board concluded that Crown’s offer represented the best outcome for our stockholders. Crown’s offer is the only fully financed offer currently available to Revance’s stockholders, and we recommend they tender their shares in support of the transaction.”
The press release can be found here.
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