.jpg "Chris Nichols photo")
Executive Director
Renewables Forward
Chris Nichols serves as the Executive Director of Renewables Forward, championing action for diversity, equity and inclusion with clean energy industry leaders. Nichols has worked in the energy industry for more than three decades, with national non-profit advocacy organizations, corporations, contractors and Federal agencies. She led national communications for the Federal ENERGY STAR® program, and later served as the Green Jobs Advisor for the Department of Labor under ARRA. She created and led the “City Tour for Solar†with SunEdison in 2008-’09, an early champion of solar at the commercial and municipal scale. Most recently, Chris worked with Groundswell, a non-profit solar and economic justice organization. Chris developed Groundswell’s “Communities and Corporates†program in partnership with CEBA and led national research [“LIFTâ€] to determine best practices for financing and delivering low-income community solar access.
Prior to joining Groundswell, Chris served as the Senior Advisor for Energy Workforce within the US Department of Energy’s Jobs Strategy Council (JSC), supporting all DOE technology offices in economic and workforce development, and publishing the first US Energy and Employment report.* She also managed national lab research and workforce initiatives for DOE's Solar Energy Technology Office - SunShot Initiative. She created the Solar Ready Vets program and the Solar Instructor Training Network, established Veterans in Energy with a national coalition of energy utility associations, and managed programs that reduced solar costs through advancing microgrid and Grid (transmission) professional training, regulatory issues, financing, permitting, inspection, and customer acquisition. Chris is thrilled to now apply workforce and systems analysis to speed a just clean energy transition.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM