Hawkins DeFrance

With a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Washington and as the current Vice Chair of the WA State Pharmacy Commission, Hawkins may seem like an unlikely fit for a nuclear fusion company. However, take a brief look at his pre-Avalanche career and you will quickly realize the connection. Hawkins helped run particle accelerators and nuclear pharmacies (where radioactive drugs are made for cancer patients) at Siemens Healthineers for 17 years.

As Director of Regulatory Affairs and HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) for Avalanche, Hawkins is, to put it simply, the “safety guy”. His day-to-day work involves overseeing radiation, electrical, chemical, and environmental safety for the Avalanche team. In addition to his on-site safety responsibilities, Hawkins also manages Avalanche’s regulatory affairs efforts, at the state and federal levels, working with various agencies to ensure operational compliance and to help shape commonsense laws for the fusion industry.

Hawkins is a born and raised Seattleite who loves spending time outdoors with his family. He is a CPR and First Aid Instructor for the American Red Cross. He is actively involved in high school robotics, mentoring a local highschool robotics team at Tahoma High (Bear Metal - 2046).