Nikki Chiappa
Permitting Innovation Lead
Nikki is an expert in decarbonization and permitting policy with a strong track record of advancing pragmatic, market-driven solutions to clean energy infrastructure challenges. As the Permitting Innovation Lead at EPIC, she works with decision makers to better understand permitting bottlenecks and harness innovative solutions to break through them.
Her past work contributed to national conversations on the role of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in decarbonization, with her research and analysis featured in The Washington Post, Politico, S&P Global and Michael Cembalest’s Eye on the Market Report (2025).
Nikki has also worked in state-level clean energy advocacy at Clean Tomorrow, Advanced Energy United and the Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association, a regional affiliate of the Solar Energy Industries Association. In these roles, she helped build strong bipartisan coalitions to support offshore wind energy transmission expansion, streamlined rooftop solar permitting and improved stormwater management practices for utility scale solar projects.
She holds a B.A. in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government and an M.P.A. in Environmental Policy, both from American University, and helped reestablish the D.C. chapter of Young Professionals in Energy in 2024.
Get to Know Me Further
Hi there! I grew up on a lake outside of Richmond, Virginia, romping through the woods and catching tadpoles. My parents were small business owners and environmentalists who instilled in me both a deep respect for nature and a practical belief that the world is full of superfluous paperwork. That combination still shapes how I think about policy. It’s no surprise that I ended up a permitting reform wonk!