Nicolette Santos supports the work of U.S. Energy Foundation’s Federal program. Serving as “air traffic control” for the program, Nicolette arranges meetings with grantees, consultants, internal colleagues, and funders; tracks and manages the program budget; reviews grant proposals; drafts reports; and communicates with grantees and funders on a variety of issues, all while keeping up to date on the fast pace of federal policy opportunities. She also has a large role in keeping all members of the U.S. Energy Foundation program team informed of and engaged in the organization’s federal strategy.
Nicolette previously served as a Communications Associate with David Gardiner and Associates, a clean energy consulting firm located in Washington, D.C., where she was responsible for leading the firm’s strategic communications and marketing efforts for clients. As an undergraduate, Nicolette was a Communications and Marketing Intern with the Energy Futures Initiative, where she served as a critical member of the communications effort for the organization’s carbon dioxide removal research. Nicolette also worked as a Policy Intern with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, where she conducted policy research on current federal and state level legislation around climate adaptation.