Francis Brunet
BLAC would like to spotlight Francis Brunet '11 of Episcopal High School of Alexandria, Virginia
Francis Brunet attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA from 2007 to 2011. Following EHS, he went on to attend Colgate University in Hamilton, New York where he played football and graduated with a degree in International Relations and focus in Philosophy.
Francis, a second-generation immigrant, was born at Roy Lester Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas, USVI and attended All Saints Cathedral School. His mother, Sandra, and her family are from Guyana, while his late father, Georges, and his family are from Haiti. He has two older brothers, Justin and Thomas. He grew up between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Port-au-Prince, Haiti before attending EHS for his last years of high school.
Currently, Francis is on the Federal Programs team at the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry’s leading trade association responsible for strategizing policies and legislative solutions that advance the use and adoption of nuclear power, both domestically and internationally.
His main responsibilities involve engaging with stakeholders on Capitol Hill, within the administration, and throughout the energy industry to ensure that sensible, technology-neutral and nuclear-inclusive legislation is moving through Congress. In particular, he has experience in navigating the federal energy appropriations and federal funding processes. Further, he also works closely with the State Programs team to research and track national clean energy, nuclear energy and climate-related policies.
Francis has a particular focus on the development of Advanced Nuclear Reactors, both small modular and microreactors. He currently helps to manage the Advance Reactor Legislative Task Force for NEI, a team comprised of over 40-plus member utilities, research institutions and power companies that are presently focused on the development and deployment of the next generation of nuclear technologies. Recently, he wrote a policy white paper for NEI that examines the potential of advanced reactors to transform the energy systems and economies of remote grids and Caribbean islands. His long-term goal is to integrate sensible energy solutions back in his hometowns and across the U.S. territories.
Prior to joining NEI in 2018, Francis spent a few years working in the Office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), where he focused on legislative research and constituent issues relating to energy and healthcare. Before that, his legislative experiences included working for former U.S. Virgin Islands Senate President Neville James as a Legislative Aide and for former U.S. Congresswoman Donna Christensen as an Intern.