About

As Vice President of Business Development at Deep Fission, Bryan Black brings nearly two decades of leadership across wholesale power markets, utility operations, regulatory compliance, and large-scale energy development. His career reflects direct responsibility for power plant operations, market strategy, and commercial execution within highly regulated electricity markets spanning multiple U.S. regions.

Bryan’s experience includes oversight of diversified generation fleets across coal, natural gas, wind, solar, and hydro assets, with accountability for NERC/FERC compliance, emissions compliance, and good utility practice standards. As Director of Market Operations and later Chief Operating Officer at UAMPS, he managed approximately 1,200 MW of load serving 50 municipal utilities across seven western states and oversaw roughly $350 million in annual electricity sales. His role included strategic growth initiatives, resource planning and optimization as well as new generation integration.

Earlier in his career, Bryan traded and dispatched wholesale power across every U.S. power market, including management of generation portfolios at Tenaska Power Services, a company that managed 60,000 MW at the time. He contributed to major commercial nuclear agreements, served large loads in Nevada and led a 100 MW solar/BESS request-for-proposal process for a large load user. Prior to joining Deep Fission, he started the interconnection process and market strategy for a proposed 600 MW small modular nuclear reactor project in Idaho. Later, as the co-founder and CEO of Nodal, he managed commercial relationships, permitting, and development efforts.

Bryan holds a Master of Management in Energy from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University. His background across regulated utilities, wholesale markets, and first-of-a-kind nuclear development brings a commercially grounded, system-level perspective to advancing next-generation nuclear power within competitive and compliance-driven energy markets.

John is a Texas native – born and raised in the Lone Star State! After acquiring his BS in MET/CIS, he found gainful employment in the form of mechanical engineering for petrol-based energy (31.3 31.1 Piping/ASME code work), advanced manufacturing, and robotic/automation engineering. Nine years ago, John started his own engineering and consulting company (NeuTorq Strategies) which has allowed him to experience a multifarious array of different engineering practices (including the Pele Project for the DOD/DOE).

Chloe leads strategic affairs at Deep Fission and is a seasoned strategist with 15 years of experience at the intersection of politics, finance, and tech. A trusted advisor to C-suite leaders and decision-makers from Capitol Hill to Wall Street and Silicon Valley, she has led communications at UNest and J.P. Morgan Asset Management and served on Capitol Hill for Senator Maria Cantwell. Previously, she founded CJX Media, where she helped companies craft compelling messaging and communications strategies. 

Chloe holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University.

Mark is dedicated to the advancement of nuclear energy as part of the global solution to improve human quality of life and reduce harm to the planet caused by pollution.

He has over forty years of experience in the nuclear industry including design, construction, commissioning, engineering, operations, cleanup, and decommissioning. Mark has held key engineering and project management leadership roles at Kairos Power, NuScale Power, Fluor, Los Alamos, and the US DOE’s Hanford K Basins Spent Nuclear Fuel and Liquid Waste Treatment facilities.  Mark started his career as a Reactor Operator at the Fast Flux Test Facility, a 400 MWt sodium cooled fast spectrum reactor.

Mark received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Montana State University, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Washington State University, and is a PhD candidate (ABD) in nuclear engineering at the University of South Carolina, where he also serves as an adjunct professor. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Washington and a certified Project Management Professional.

Anya brings over 10 years of experience in capital markets, specializing in raising debt and equity, including tax equity, for transformative infrastructure projects in the energy sector. With a proven ability to structure complex financial agreements and develop detailed financial models, Anya has played a key role in fostering strategic finance partnerships that enhance business growth. Her expertise encompasses crafting innovative corporate finance models that drive value for stakeholders. Anya has raised financing and contributed to high-impact projects at leading energy companies, including SunPower Corporation, NRG Energy, Clearway Energy, LanzaTech, and NuScale Power, across both US and EU markets.

Anya holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of San Francisco.

With over thirty years of engineering leadership in nuclear reactor analysis and multi-physics simulation, Brett brings his submarine-nuclear power expertise to Deep Fission’s subsurface reactors.

He pioneered advanced thermal-hydraulics methods—deploying boiling-flow CFD codes and extending TRACE’s transient modeling capabilities to advanced reactor concepts—and wove together nuclear physics, thermal-hydraulics, structural mechanics, and materials performance into practical design tools.

Brett holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University and a B.S. from Boston University.

As Strategic Solutions Manager at Deep Fission, Alex Spire operates at the intersection of regulatory strategy, capital formation, and operational execution. As the company’s first employee, he has played a foundational role in building institutional processes, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, and supporting high-stakes engagements with investors and federal stakeholders.

Alex has led complex, time-sensitive efforts requiring precision, discretion, and alignment across technical, financial, and legal teams. During Deep Fission’s APO-related due diligence process, he coordinated collaboration among external counsel, auditors, investment advisors, and internal leadership, fulfilling 192 distinct audit line items and building a comprehensive, regulator-ready due diligence catalog. This effort, completed within compressed timelines, contributed to a $30 million capital raise within 26 months of incorporation. He also played a central role in Deep Fission’s successful acceptance into the U.S. Department of Energy Reactor Pilot Program, authoring and editing a 50+ page application and collaborating closely with engineering leadership to develop cost-share modeling and programmatic strategy.

In parallel, Alex designed and implemented an AI-enabled regulatory and licensing documentation framework that accelerates the production of design-agnostic, regulator-ready materials. By developing internal doctrine and leading training across departments, he operationalized AI tools to increase document production speed by approximately eightfold while maintaining quality and compliance standards—an early example of disciplined AI integration within a nuclear startup.

Prior to joining Deep Fission, Alex worked in climate and nuclear policy, including roles at Ploughshares Fund and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, where he focused on nuclear weapons policy and diplomacy. He holds an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and brings a balanced approach that integrates policy fluency, operational rigor, and commercial awareness in advancing next-generation nuclear energy.

As Investor Relations Manager at Deep Fission, Jen Stakich supports investor engagement, capital formation, and external communications. She brings more than 18 years of experience as a business owner and operator, with direct responsibility for building organizations, managing complex budgets, and coordinating high-stakes stakeholders across fast-moving environments.

Jen’s career is grounded in operational leadership and execution at scale. Prior to joining Deep Fission, she founded and led companies in hospitality and global event management, where she held end-to-end responsibility for strategic planning, financial oversight, and day-to-day operations. Her work included managing multi-million-dollar budgets, leading cross-functional teams, and delivering outcomes for clients and partners operating under tight timelines and high expectations—experience that translates directly to investor-facing work in deep-tech and infrastructure-driven businesses.

At Deep Fission, Jen works closely across operations, communications, and leadership to support fundraising activities and maintain strong relationships with current and prospective investors. Her role requires translating technically complex and highly regulated nuclear concepts into clear, credible narratives while ensuring operational discipline behind investor commitments. In this work, Jen holds a broad, hands-on understanding of the company’s technology, business model, and commercialization pathway.

In addition to her operational background, Jen has served in board and advisory capacities, further strengthening her perspective on governance, accountability, and long-term value creation. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Florida and brings a systems-oriented, execution-focused approach to supporting Deep Fission’s growth as it advances toward commercialization.

Varun is the Principal Mechanical Engineer at Deep Fission, leading the piping, structural, and mechanical systems design for the DBR program. With over 15 years of experience in nuclear and aerospace industries, he focuses on developing integrated solutions where design, fabrication, and testing come together to deliver reliable, manufacturable, and inspectable systems.

Earlier in his career, Varun worked on nuclear systems at Holtec International, Structural Integrity Associates, and Entergy Nuclear, where he specialized in ASME Section III and VIII code compliance, piping and pressure vessel design, flaw tolerance evaluations, and equipment qualification. He later expanded his expertise at The Boeing Company, applying these principles to advanced fabrication techniques and weld procedure development. There, he also led structural testing and component qualification in collaboration with NASA and the FAA—sharpening his ability to deliver robust designs under demanding performance and safety requirements.

Varun holds a MS degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and a BE degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth University in India, both in Mechanical Engineering.

Supna Zaidi brings over two decades of experience in law, policy, risk management, and consulting across both the private and nonprofit sectors. Supna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Theory and History from the University of California, San Diego, and a J.D. from New York Law School.