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October 30, 2024
Nicholas Institute Experts Advance Climate and Sustainability Solutions Within Federal Government
Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
Three Nicholas Institute experts discuss recent temporary assignments with federal entities—and what they brought back to Duke.
For nearly two decades, the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University has accelerated solutions for critical environmental challenges. Institute experts produce actionable research and analysis and engage directly with decision-makers across the public and private sectors to craft timely, pragmatic approaches.
Widely regarded as effective, trustworthy and non-partisan collaborators, institute experts have even operated within federal entities for stints as brief as a few months or as long as two years.
Meet three Nicholas Institute experts who have recently served one- or two-year terms with federal entities:
Win-Win Arrangements
In the United States, the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program provides a pathway for academic experts—as well as other non-federal personnel—to temporarily work with federal entities while remaining employed with their universities.
“These opportunities are vital mechanisms for bridging Duke’s world-class experts and federal decision-makers to advance durable and equitable solutions for climate and sustainability,” said Brian Murray, director of the Nicholas Institute.
“Nicholas Institute experts are helping federal entities accelerate high-priority projects, applying their in-depth knowledge and their creativity for immediate impact on some of the nation’s most critical environmental challenges,” added Murray. “Meanwhile, our experts gain connections and valuable insights into the policy process that boost Duke research and external engagement efforts, as well as their preparation of Duke students as future leaders.”
“When putting Duke knowledge to use in service of society, it’s invaluable for Duke citizens to engage in actual policy processes ourselves, so we understand what knowledge is useful, in what form and through what lenses it will be seen.” – Tim Profeta, senior fellow, Nicholas Institute
Bringing Knowledge Back to Duke
Back at Duke, the three Nicholas Institute experts—Martin Doyle, Lydia Olander and Tim Profeta—are already generating new avenues of research and policy work based on their experiences.
Much of the value of their time in the federal government comes from gaining a “subtle, soft understanding” of how federal policy is made within the agencies, Profeta said.
“There's no better way to learn the mechanisms of government than to work within the government itself,” he said.
Profeta came out of his stint at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a clearer picture of the regulatory development process and the interrelationship between the agency and the White House. Perhaps even more valuable, he got to know the actual people who make up the EPA: the culture they’ve created, their personalities and their motivations. He’ll tap into this knowledge as he continues to engage with the EPA and other entities to advance decarbonization.
At the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Olander expanded her understanding of the critical climate resilience and nature-related issues that the federal government is grappling with, along with the nuances involved. That has helped her figure out where she and colleagues can plug in to make high-impact future contributions.
Future leaders studying at Duke stand to gain from all this new knowledge, too. Between his recent experience with the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Civil Works and his earlier one with the Department of the Interior, Doyle said his ability to translate the work of large federal agencies to students has considerably increased.
“My students have benefited obscenely well,” he said. “How I will teach them about federal agencies and federal water management now compared to two years ago is completely different.”
Institute Experts in Service
Since 2005, Nicholas Institute experts have undertaken temporary positions with the following governmental and non-governmental entities:
Canadian national and provincial governments
International Energy Agency (2)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Office of the Assistant Secretary of the United States Army for Civil Works
United Nations High-Level Climate Champions
United States Department of the Interior
United States Environmental Protection Agency
White House Council on Environmental Quality (2)
