Viccy Salazar

About Viccy Salazar

I am a Fellow with Democracy Forward and a Senior Policy Associate with the Environmental Protection Network, focused on rebuilding federal climate, environmental, and energy systems.Through Democracy Forward, I work with senior leaders across agencies to document institutional harm, workforce erosion, regulatory slowdowns, and weakened scientific capacity affecting climate and environmental governance since 2025. We are developing implementation-ready roadmaps to restore durable, science-based climate and energy governance that can withstand political cycles.At the Environmental Protection Network, I provide strategic policy and systems design support to strengthen federal climate capacity, adaptation planning, and institutional resilience. My work bridges strategy and execution, translating climate policy ambition into operational structures that function under real institutional constraints.I previously served more than 30 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in senior leadership roles advancing climate action, equity, and institutional reform. I co-authored EPA’s Strategic Plan, helped develop the agency’s first performance framework for climate adaptation, supported the direction of more than $3B toward communities facing disproportionate climate and health burdens, modernized federal grantmaking systems, and co-founded global sustainable electronics procurement standards that reshaped procurement markets.I am also the Founder of The EcoLearn Project, a peer-led climate education initiative that equips high school and college students to teach environmental literacy and civic leadership in K–12 schools, translating climate learning into measurable environmental and climate action.My work centers on climate governance, institutional design, equity-centered policy, and coalition leadership. I speak on federal climate rebuild strategy, systems reform, youth climate leadership, and the future of public service.Selective advisory work by request.

Experience

1. Senior Environmental Policy Associate

   Environmental Protection Network

   Feb 2026 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Provide strategic policy and systems design support on federal climate governance, adaptation, and institutional resilience.• Advise on modernization of federal environmental programs, workforce rebuilding, and implementation strategy.• Translate high-level climate and environmental policy goals into operational design frameworks suitable for agency execution.• Support development of policy briefs, training materials, and advisory products for environmental leaders and practitioners.• Contribute to cross-network coordination among former EPA leaders working to strengthen federal environmental capacity.

Education

• University of Washington

  MBA, Marketing and Change Management

  1992 — 1994

• University of Washington

  Bachelor's of Science, Psychology