Perma-Fix says COO not actually a college graduate
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc's chief operating officer "incorrectly advised" the company about graduating from college, the U.S. mixed waste and nuclear waste management company said on Monday.
The company said its board of directors was considering "appropriate action, if any," but it felt COO Larry McNamara's decade at Perma-Fix and previous experience in the nuclear waste industry demonstrated his qualifications for the job.
The COO of crop nutrient producer Intrepid Potash Inc resigned in February after he said he earned university degrees when he had not, while the CEO of RadioShack Corp quit in 2006 for similar reasons.
On the other hand, Ronald Zarrella, Bausch & Lomb's former CEO, kept his job until he retired last year, despite admitting in 2002 that he made up his claim to have an MBA from New York University.
Perma-Fix became aware McNamara was not a University of Iowa graduate on July 10, the company said in a filing with regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
"The company will report the correct information regarding Mr. McNamara's academic credentials in future reports filed with the SEC," the filing said.
In a news release to announce his appointment as COO in 2005, McNamara's degree was listed as a B.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Iowa.
Prior to joining Atlanta-based Perma-Fix, McNamara was chief of the U.S. Department of Defense's low level radioactive waste office from 1993 to 1995, before holding senior positions in the civilian nuclear waste disposal industry.
A company spokesman said McNamara was not available for comment.
(Reporting by Braden Reddall; editing by Andre Grenon)
