State of Nuclear

Todd Abrajano is the President and CEO of the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council (USNIC) where he serves as USNIC's chief advocate in its mission to advance the development and implementation of new nuclear technology and services to secure the advanced nuclear supply chain in America and abroad. Additionally, he leads the promotion of USNIC’s vision to advance nuclear energy to be established, recognized, and accepted world-wide as an essential baseload, emissions-free, reliable, and clean energy source, as well as promoting the expansion of the use of nuclear for space, medical, propulsion, and other advanced applications.

Previously, Todd was the Founder and President of Turning Point Public Affairs. For nearly 13 years, the firm assisted corporate, non-profit, and political clients with international markets and business development, government affairs, strategic communications, political strategy, and legislative and regulatory grassroots advocacy.

From 2017- 2021, Todd served as a senior-level presidential appointee in the U.S. Federal Government. He began his federal service at the U.S. Department of Commerce as the Department's White House Liaison and a top advisor to former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. In 2018, he transitioned to the U.S. Trade and Development Agency where he ultimately served as the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Agency, leading the Agency’s global export promotion efforts to support U.S. businesses grow jobs and revenue through priority development projects within emerging markets in the energy, transportation, ICT, healthcare, and agribusiness sectors.

Todd holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations from Yale University and currently lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Melanie, and their two children.

Judi Greenwald has over 35 years of energy and environmental policy leadership experience in the public and nonprofit sectors, including the U.S. Congress, the White House, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES, formerly the Pew Center on Global Climate Change). Highlights of her distinguished career include working on the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments as congressional committee staff; overseeing energy and environmental programs at C2ES and DOE; co-founding the Carbon Capture Coalition; advising U.S. state and regional greenhouse gas initaitives; and collaborating with stakeholders to advance both economic and environmental goals.

She has focused extensively on deep decarbonization through the interplay of public policy, technology innovation, human behavior, and markets. She served as Deputy Director for Climate, Environment, and Energy Efficiency at U.S. DOE's Energy Policy and Systems Analysis Office, and the Senior Climate Advisor to the Energy Secretary. She is a fellow at Princeton University's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Judi received a BS in Engineering, cum laude, from Princeton University, and an MA in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from George Washington University.

John Kotek is the Senior Vice President for Policy and Public Affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute. He’s responsible for providing policy and public affairs leadership on economic, electricity market and environmental issues related to the nuclear energy industry. John also serves as President of Nuclear Matters, a national coalition of grassroots advocates working to inform the public and policymakers about the clear benefits of nuclear energy.

John joined NEI from the U.S. Department of Energy. He was appointed in January 2015 as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy and was nominated by President Obama in October 2015 to serve as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. In that role he was responsible for DOE’s research efforts on current and future nuclear energy systems, establishing a path forward for the nation’s spent nuclear fuel management program, and other national priorities.

Prior to his appointment, John was the Managing Partner of the Boise office of Gallatin Public Affairs. John advised energy, natural resources and other clients facing complex communication and government relations challenges.

From 2010-2012, John served as Staff Director to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which recommended a new strategy for managing nuclear waste in the United States.

From 2003-2006, John was Deputy Manager of the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office. Before joining DOE-Idaho, John worked for Argonne National Laboratory where he directed Argonne’s participation in the Generation IV nuclear energy technology roadmapping project.

In 2002, John was the American Nuclear Society’s Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Fellow, serving in the office of Office of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).

John started his career with DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology. He held several positions during his nine years with DOE-NE, including Associate Director for Technology, Associate Director for Management and Administration, and Chief of Staff.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland. He serves on nuclear engineering advisory committees at the University of Illinois, the University of Michigan, and Penn State University.

Amy Roma is a Partner and the Global Energy Practice Leader at the international law firm Hogan Lovells. In her practice, Amy advises clients on a wide range of legal, business, and policy matters involving the nuclear and fusion industry. Amy works on first-of-a-kind, cutting edge nuclear projects. She has testified before Congress several times on nuclear energy issues and was recognized as one of the “Top 10 most innovative lawyers” in North America by the Financial Times. The National Law Journal has declared her to be one of the Top 50 “great minds impacting the crucial intersection of energy production and the environment."

Amy has also led a number of high impact pro bono humanitarian initiatives. Among them, she lead the legal team to send the New England Patriots private team plane to China in March 2020 to pick up and donate nearly two million N95 masks to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also performed extensive pro bono work with refugees, most recently supporting evacuations and resettlements from Afghanistan. She began her legal career at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.