Professional Achievement, College of Engineering, Letters, and Sciences

Michelle (Pixley) Reichert was a second-grader the first time she came to Viterbo, accompanied by her grandmother. When she returns to campus it’s as a winner of a 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award for professional achievement in recognition of her extraordinary career, which culminated in her being named the first female chief executive officer of a company with more than 11,000 employees.

Reichert recalls touring the Viterbo campus as a youngster with her grandmother and her grandmother’s cousin (a Sister who worked at the college), and she recalls being struck by the beauty of the campus. When she graduated in 1982 from Northwood High School in Minong, a small town in northwestern Wisconsin, she recalled the beautiful campus and considered its sterling reputation as a nursing school in choosing to enroll at Viterbo.

As a sophomore, she discovered and procured an internship in Washington state that involved studying the effects of radiation on the human body. The internship was a turning point for her, sparking her interest in an up-and-coming field, mainly dominated by men. After graduating from Viterbo in 1986 with a degree in biology (and minors in chemistry and math), she charged full speed ahead into a radiological health physics master’s degree program at the University of Florida, graduating in 1987.

“I began my career as expected, leading a team responsible for radiological safety,” Reichert said. “I could not have anticipated being responsible for the environment, safety, and health for a company of over 5,000 employees. And I never imagined becoming CEO of a company of over 11,000 employees.”

Lessons from Viterbo helped her on her career path, Reichert said.

“Viterbo taught me the value of hard work and dedication. Academics came very easily to me through high school. Viterbo challenged me academically, and for the first time I truly had to work hard to achieve the grades and success that I hoped for,” she said. “I tell my mentees that your career is your responsibility and never let anyone outwork you. Study harder, work harder, listen and encourage more, and ask loads of questions. This is how you learn.”

In addition, she said, “as a science major, we were taught the importance of critical thinking, asking questions, analysis of data and drawing conclusions based on research, fact, and scientific evidence. As my career progressed, I drew heavily on these skills to make informed decisions.”

Reichert spent the bulk of her career at the Y-12 national security complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., a facility built in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project and considered the birthplace of the atomic bomb. The facility, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, is managed by Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), one of the nation’s largest federal contractors.

During her 22 years at Y-12, Reichert held a succession of leadership posts, from program and operation manager positions to vice president of environment, safety, and health. Then she was named deputy general manager of the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas, another CNS-managed nuclear facility. In Amarillo, she was active in the Chamber of Commerce (chairing the board of directors) and took on leadership responsibilities in United Way campaigns.

In 2014, Reichert was named vice president and CNS deputy enterprise manager, overseeing operations at all facilities. Four years later, CNS named her vice president and chief operating officer, and in August 2020 she became the company’s president and CEO, taking on leadership in the throes of a pandemic.

“I am proud to have led an incredible team through the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “As a new CEO (and first female CEO in a male-dominated industry), it was often difficult to determine the best path, but I always strived to do what was best for our employees and the mission.”

Reichert collected more than a few professional honors in her career (including the Administrator’s Distinguished Service Gold Award from the National Nuclear Security Administration), but her Viterbo award is especially meaningful for her.

“I am truly honored to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. Viterbo instilled in me the concepts of servant leadership, scientific inquiry, and the importance of hard work and self-confidence,” Reichert said. “This foundation has served me well throughout my professional career, my work in the community, and as a mother to two incredible young men (Nicholas and Nathan, with her husband, Dan).”

When Reichert retired from CNS in 2022, she received a note from an employee that was as affirming and meaningful as any award. The note said: “You always kept the employees’ interests as a key element in the decisions you made. I admired your willingness to stand strong for the team when necessary. That is your gift. You make people feel cared about and seen.”

2023 Viterbo University Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients main page