Jane Hedges has been named nuclear waste program manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology effective Jan. 3.

She will be part of the Department of Ecology's executive management team and will be responsible for efforts to carry out the state's role in overseeing cleanup of the Hanford nuclear reservation and ensuring safe management of nuclear waste in the state. She has served as cleanup section manager since 1999.

Mike Wilson, the former nuclear waste program manager, will have a new role in the department, working with the state's congressional delegation, high-level Department of Energy officials and other states on issues such as radioactive waste classification and funding for the vitrification plant at Hanford.