Nikki Headshot

Nikki Chiappa

Associate Director of Federal Policy, Climate and Energy

Nikki leads Breakthrough’s permitting program, focusing on NEPA reform, the domestic critical minerals supply chain and forest management. She uses a blend of policy research and advocacy to translates BTI’s ecomodernist ideals into policy change. Nikki is also on the Board of D.C.’s chapter of Young Professionals in Energy.


Before joining Breakthrough, she worked in state-level clean energy advocacy at Advanced Energy United and the Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association, a regional affiliate of the Solar Energy Industries Association.


Nikki earned her B.A. in Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government (CLEG) and her M.P.A. in Environmental Policy, both from American University. Hailing from a family of small business owners in Richmond, Virginia, she believes decarbonization can be market-driven, community-focused, and bipartisan.

By Nikki Chiappa: