Gold Stars

Margie Morse

National Advisory Board

Margie_A_Morse

Margie Morse, currently serves as a member of the Trident Technical College Area Commission as a Charleston County Representative. She is elected to serve as the Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee and the Audit Committee, and thus serves on the Executive Committee.  During her five years with the Area Commission, she has been actively involved in the oversight of the college, engaged in annual strategic planning, and participates in nation- and state-wide leadership and trustee conferences for community colleges.  She is well-known for her volunteer service to businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations in advancing the tri-county economy. 

Morse is a nuclear engineer, business leader, and entrepreneur. She served as President of EnergySolutions Federal Services Division, a publicly-traded engineering and technology company, where she managed more than 600 engineers, scientists and technicians and over $100 million dollars in annual revenues. Before her time at EnergySolutions, she was CEO and co-founder of Parallax, Inc., where she transformed her childhood love of science into a $140 million enterprise. Over her 30-year career in technology, she has honed her skills in financial health and risk management, technology innovation and application, business and financial accountability, and governance and leadership.

Morse founded Parallax in 1992.  The company became a 350-employee engineering firm that was engaged in a unique mix of nuclear work (from R&D, engineering, field operations, and construction) for our country’s weapons and energy programs.  With five major offices from Washington DC to Seattle, Washington, Parallax managed, stabilized, and investigated some of the country’s most dangerous radioactively contaminated materials, winning recognition from the SBA, Department of Energy (DOE), and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  She built her company by delivering her practical engineering and management solutions, with a goal of never over-selling and always exceeding expectations.  Morse sold Parallax in 2007 to EnergySolutions; and as President of EnergySolutions’ Federal Services Division, she focused on executing innovative financial and engineering strategies that delivered solutions to tough nuclear issues for the DOE and the NNSA. Morse worked with government and business enterprises to bring teams of engineers and technicians, as well as proprietary technology, to safely clean up contaminated environments in SC, KY, OH, TN, NM, WA, and ID.  She was part of the executive team that took EnergySolutions public and also served as a member of the Board of Directors for five Limited Liability Corporations, each involved in a different large-scale, one-of-a-kind processing plant design and construction.  

Morse received a Bachelor’s in Nuclear Engineering in 1975 from Georgia Institute of Technology.  She is the first African American woman to receive a degree in this field. She has served on the Ga Tech President’s Board, continues to be an active alumnus, and periodically participates in Women in Engineering programs.

Morse retired in 2010 and continues as an advocate for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the Charleston County School system. She currently works with three nonprofit organizations – Charleston Promise Neighborhood, Spoleto Festival USA, and Cornerstone of Hope.