Don Gillispie, President, CEO and Chairman of Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc.

Mr. Gillispie has over 45 years experience in construction, operations and maintenance of nuclear power plants. He is widely considered one of the more experienced senior executives still working full time to help the United States reemerge as the world’s leader in nuclear power.

Gillispie received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at Clemson University, where he graduated cum laude. He later completed the senior executive program at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

His real interest in nuclear power began in the military. He completed the Navy Nuclear Power School, became a nuclear operator, and served aboard the SSBN, Francis Scott Key.

Since that time, Gillispie has served in a number of positions in the nuclear industry. He worked on the startup of Beaver Valley Unit 1 in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. He worked on the construction and startup of Duke Energy’s first three nuclear units at Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina. While working for Tennessee Valley Authority, Gillispie was involved in the construction, startup and operations of three nuclear facilities. And while working with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations he was a manager of engineering and director of restart respectfully for the turnaround of the Rancho Seco and Pilgrim nuclear power plants.

Gillispie helped found a cornerstone program for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), which is the safety watchdog to all U.S. nuclear utilities. He also helped startup the Nuclear Management Corporation (NMC), a nuclear operating company in Wisconsin, which operated up to eight nuclear power plants with 5,000 employees. Incidentally, NMC was awarded best in class by Forbes.com in 2001. And as owner of Grace Glens, a private nuclear-technical management consulting company, Gillispie consulted with some of the largest nuclear utilities in the United States, advising senior executives on commercial nuclear power operations.

As part of a three-man executive team, Gillispie assisted in overseeing the 2007 reopening of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant unit three in Alabama before moving to Idaho to be near AEHI's first nuclear project. Its reopening was attended by President George W. Bush.