 When I became chairman eight months ago, I came with some specific leadership objectives that were influenced by my previous years of research. I arrived eager to enhance my understanding of all aspects of the agency's responsibilities in order to serve as an engaged and effective regulator. I'm grateful for the support of the diligent and dedicated cadre of NRC management and staff as I moved along this learning curve. While there's still more to learn, I'm pleased that the NRC has continued to progress during my transition. Together, we are meeting our regulatory responsibilities. Since my arrival at the NRC, I've joined my colleagues on the commission in keeping an ambitious schedule. I've traveled to operating plants in various regions of the country, and will visit a site under construction later this month. I've spoken extensively with plant management and NRC resident inspectors, as well as state and local government representatives and community groups. I've testified on Capitol Hill and met individually with numerous members of Congress. I've met my counterparts from regulatory organizations overseas, led a U.S. delegation to a major international nuclear safety conference, and assumed the chairmanship of the multinational design evaluation program. Inside the White Flint North Campus, just across the street, my fellow commissioners and I continued to maintain a collegial working relationship, and I'm privileged to get to know many of the NRC staff. My objective as chairman is to lay the groundwork for the agency's continued success in the next quarter century and beyond through addressing what we already understand and using scientific data to inform our best planning and decision-making. So what do we do now? Know now. We're continuing to address lessons learned from Fukushima. Our operating reactor fleet is getting older, with approximately half of it slated to enter a period of extended operation by 2017. Most of the plants are operating well, while two are in extended shutdown as they address specific issues. Construction is underway on several new reactors, and we're applying our regulations to a new generation of designs. We're addressing regulatory issues that span the entire field cycle. We face evolving security threats from a variety of adversaries. We face the challenge of effectively maintaining our core mission in a difficult budget environment. And we have a diverse group of parties who follow our work and seek to maintain an open dialogue with us. As we consider these complex issues, we will be remiss not to draw two important parallels between the first brick and today. First, we once again find ourselves two years removed from a major nuclear accident, working to understand its lessons and incorporate them into meaningful, lasting improvements. Second, and more broadly, the NRC must remain committed to the principle of good regulation that led the NRC to conceive of this conference in the first place, that is, clear, consistent communication with those who are affected by our work. This conference has always been open to the public and draws a broad variety of attendees from industry, federal state, and local government, interest groups, academia, and the international community. Enhancing the NRC's engagement with the public is a high priority for me. I view this conference as a particular source of pride for our agency. I believe our continued commitment to open this in transparency will serve us well as we address the challenges that will shape the agency's next 25 years.