The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces John Balkcom and Marjorie Craig Benton rejoin Governing Board; Lew Watts named vice chair

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced that Lew Watts has been named vice chair; and that John Balkcom and Marjorie Benton have been elected to the Governing Board.

Lew Watts has served on the Bulletin’s Governing Board since 2013, and chairs its Development Committee. He is joining Bill Revelle as one of the organization’s two vice chairs. Watts is president of Lew Watts & Associates LLC, an energy consultancy firm. In 2009 he was Chair of a World Bank external expert panel on Climate Change, Energy Access & Energy Security, and currently sits on several boards in the US and Europe. With 35 years of experience in the global energy industry, Dr. Watts has served in leadership roles including CEO of PFC Energy. He received an honorary doctorate from Bristol University earlier this year. “The Governing Board is responsible for the long-term vitality of the organization,” said Revelle, who also chairs the Governance Committee. “With Lew serving with me as vice-chair, I know the Bulletin will remain a clear and forceful voice as we continue to fulfill our mission in increasingly fraught times.”

Marjorie Craig Benton first served on the Bulletin’s Governing Board from 2005 to 2010 and last year was honored by the organization for her longstanding and deep contributions to peace and nuclear disarmament. Benton has served as a Public Delegate to the United Nations, a delegate to the Special Session on Disarmament, and U.S. Ambassador to U.N.I.C.E.F. She also was a Co-Chair of Americans for SALT and Special Advisor of the United Nations Disarmament Commission. Among her awards are nine honorary doctorates and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Award for Meritorious Service. Benton is the co-founder of both the Peace Museum in Chicago and the Chicago Foundation for Women.

John Balkcom, a resident of Denver, has served as a management consultant and advisor to CEOs and Boards of Directors for over 35 years. He co-chairs the board nominating and governance committee of KIPP Colorado Schools, is an investor and board observer in Microbiome Therapeutics (MBT), and is President Emeritus, St. John’s College, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Balkcom was a partner at Booz, Allen & Hamilton and a managing principal at Sibson & Company. He served on the Bulletin’s Governing Board from 2012 to 2014.

Lee Francis, current chair of the Bulletin’s Governing Board, expressed his enthusiasm for the considerable experience and expertise of the new additions: “The energy and passion that both John and Marjorie bring, again, to our organization ensure a continuity linking past and future. The issues that motivate their service are more urgent than ever, and we are profoundly grateful that they have chosen to continue their work by helping to ensure a vital and dynamic future for the future.”

About the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists:

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists engages science leaders, policy makers, and the interested public on topics of nuclear weapons and disarmament, the changing energy landscape, climate change, and emerging technologies. We do this through our award winning journal, iconic Doomsday Clock, public access website, and regular set of convenings.  With smart, vigorous prose, multimedia presentations, and information graphics, the Bulletin puts issues and events into context and provides fact-based debates and assessments. For more than 70 years, the Bulletin has bridged the technology divide between scientific research, foreign policy, and public engagement.