Prominent nuclear industry leader John Kotek has joined ZettaJoule Inc. as its Executive Vice President of External Affairs.

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JOHN KOTEK - ZettaJoule Executive Vice President of External Affairs

JOHN KOTEK – ZettaJoule Executive Vice President of External Affairs

Kotek will lead the advanced nuclear energy company’s government, public and media relations, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement initiatives. He will work closely with the CEO and other ZettaJoule executives to ensure the company aligns its long-term business objectives with evolving political, social, and economic conditions.

“John’s decision to join ZettaJoule speaks to the strength of our team and the opportunities ahead,” ZettaJoule President and CEO Mitsuo Shimofuji said. “He brings deep policy expertise, trusted relationships, and a clear understanding of what it takes to move nuclear energy forward. As we advance toward U.S. deployment, his leadership will be instrumental in building the partnerships and public confidence needed to deliver energy certainty, strengthen American industry, and support the nation’s energy security.”

Kotek joins ZettaJoule after nearly a decade at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in Washington, D.C., where he served as Senior Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs, providing leadership on financial, economic, electricity market and environmental issues affecting the nuclear energy industry.

“I’ve had a great run at NEI, and it took an extraordinary opportunity like the one ZettaJoule presented for me to even consider leaving,” Kotek said. “After speaking with Mitsuo and other company leaders, including some I know and regard as giants in the field, it became clear that ZettaJoule is a truly unique company that’s developing game-changing reactor technology. I’m truly looking forward to being a part of it.”

Earlier in his career, Kotek spent more than 14 years at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) holding several leadership positions. In 2015, he was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. As deputy manager of DOE’s Idaho Operations Office, he oversaw federal management of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) contract and helped transform the lab into the nation’s leading nuclear energy research and development facility. He also served as an R&D program manager at Argonne National Laboratory-West in Idaho.

Kotek spent five years as president of Nuclear Matters, a national coalition of grassroots advocates working to inform the public and policymakers about the benefits of nuclear energy. For four consecutive years, he was named one of Washingtonian magazine’s 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy. From 2010-2012, he served as Staff Director of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which recommended a new strategy for managing nuclear waste in the United States.

Kotek holds a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Nuclear Society. He also serves on the Department of Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences Advisory Board at the University of Michigan; the Alumni Advisory Board for the Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and the Advisory Board for Boise State University’s Energy Policy Institute.

About ZettaJoule

ZettaJoule is a next-generation nuclear energy company focused on delivering energy security in an increasingly energy-constrained world. Built on proven High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) technology, ZettaJoule is developing advanced modular reactors that will deliver safe, reliable, secure, affordable electricity and very high-temperature industrial heat to meet the growing demands of crucial infrastructure, such as data centers and essential manufacturing operations.

Headquartered in Houston, ZettaJoule is led by the only team in the Western world with direct experience designing, licensing, building, and operating an HTGR reactor capable of producing process heat up to 950 °C. The company combines deep technical expertise with a pragmatic, execution-focused approach. ZettaJoule’s mission is to deploy a global fleet of advanced reactors that sets a new standard for safety, cost-effectiveness, and continuous performance – enabling a future defined by energy security, resilience, and independence.

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