Veronica Annala

Howdy! My name is Veronica Annala, I am originally from Northern Minnesota. During high school I was interested in chemistry and clean energy and had that chance to do student research in developing solar cells. I decided to pursue engineering and so I moved across the country to Texas A&M University. I thought I would major in chemical engineering so I focused on taking chemistry classes. It was during a lesson on nuclear chemistry that the professor explained the immense clean, reliable power that is nuclear energy. This was crazy to me. There was a solution to the climate crisis no one was talking about - nuclear energy. I had always wanted to focus on solving climate change, so I decided to etam into nuclear engineering.

The summer before my sophomore year I spent the summer in East Africa, in a village called Nungwi. Nungwi, like so many other villages, is in energy poverty. You can’t turn on lights or water whenever you want like you can in most places in the US. In fact I learned that 3 billion people lived in energy poverty and that sparked my motivation to use nuclear energy to end energy poverty while simultaneously helping slow the climate crisis.

That mission led me to found the Nuclear Advocacy Resource Organization (NARO), a national nonprofit
dedicated to reshaping public perceptions of nuclear energy through evidence-based outreach, strategic
communication, and coalition-building. As a nuclear engineer and nonprofit leader, I have organized debates
with anti-nuclear groups, collaborated with policymakers, and engaged students and industry leaders in shaping a clean energy future.

I would like to work for an organization in the clean energy sector that is focused on addressing climate change and expanding access to reliable power. I bring a strong technical foundation in nuclear engineering, leadership experience from founding and running a national nonprofit, and the business skills I am developing through my MBA program. I am analytical, adaptable, and able to communicate complex topics clearly to a variety of audiences.