Mark Hellstern, PMP

Director of Program Management | U.S. Navy Captain (Retired)

Mark Hellstern is a distinguished energy infrastructure executive and decorated military leader with over 41 years of experience delivering some of the most complex power generation and utility projects in the United States. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering and a Master of Science in Physics from the Naval Postgraduate School, Mr. Hellstern combines deep engineering expertise with executive-level command — making him one of the most credentialed power plant and energy infrastructure leaders in the field today.

His power plant career is defined by high-stakes, large-scale projects that demanded both precision and decisive leadership. At Duke Energy, Mr. Hellstern served as Director of Major Projects where he rescued a struggling $140M gas conversion project, rebuilt the project team and contracting strategy from the ground up, and delivered Phase I eleven days ahead of schedule and under budget. He subsequently led the development of a full Project Execution Plan for the $1B+ repair of the containment structure at Duke Energy's Crystal River 3 nuclear facility — one of the most technically demanding power plant recovery efforts in U.S. history. In that role, he was responsible for staffing a 200-person project organization, negotiating a major Engineering-Procure-Construct (EPC) contract, and building out the complete framework for safety, risk management, performance measurement, and project controls.

At Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), he served as General Manager of Nuclear Construction Oversight, directing quality assurance, project assurance, and innovation development programs across all strategic and major capital projects — ranging from $5M to $5B — with direct oversight of a construction workforce exceeding 3,000 personnel. His final Navy assignment further cemented his power generation credentials: as Senior Advisor to Naval Reactors, he provided executive oversight of the U.S. Navy's 10 nuclear aircraft carriers, covering new builds, modernization, and operations.

As Vice President of Operations at Central Maintenance and Welding, a power plant construction firm, Mr. Hellstern was engaged directly by company leadership to overhaul project management processes, cost controls, and construction execution — driving measurable improvements in efficiency, safety, and profitability across active power plant builds.

Today, as Director of Program Management at Accenture Infrastructure and Capital Projects, LLC, Mr. Hellstern manages a $650M+ portfolio of power and utility infrastructure projects. He currently leads the $386M+ BGE Port Covington Substation and Transmission greenfield new build — one of the largest active energy infrastructure developments on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard — while also expanding his focus into power plants and renewable energy projects with their associated infrastructure. He has personally executed over $1.5B in capital energy projects throughout his career.

Mr. Hellstern holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute, was named a Distinguished Graduate of Air Command and Staff College, and is a Security Studies Fellow of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has chaired the CURT Mega-Project Construction Effectiveness Committee and the CURT Nuclear Construction Effectiveness Committee, and has served on the Board of Advisors for FIATECH and the ASME Programs Committee. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 2009 as a Captain after 26 years of service, 11 combat deployments, and ship command — decorated with numerous military honors.

Mr. Hellstern brings to this initiative a rare combination of nuclear and conventional power plant expertise, billion-dollar project delivery experience, and the leadership forged across decades of commanding high-consequence operations — both at sea and on the ground.