Full Name
Pepper Natonski
Job Title
Vice President, Federal Government Affairs
Company (Please input the full name of your organization)
Duke Energy
Speaking At
Speaker Bio
Pepper Natonski is vice president of federal government affairs for Duke Energy, one of America’s largest energy holding companies. She has an important role in driving the nation’s largest clean energy transition.
Leading federal policy advocacy strategy on tax and finance, cyber and grid security, and customer-related and grid resiliency issues, Pepper has a strong record of delivering successful outcomes on behalf of Duke Energy’s customers and shareholders. Additionally, she advances enterprise strategy and jurisdictional priorities with key federal policymakers.
As chair of the company’s Political Expenditures Committee, Pepper leads the committee responsible for developing the company’s annual political expenditures strategy and approving, monitoring and tracking our political expenditures. In this role, she regularly reports to the board of directors’ Corporate Governance Committee.
She led the company’s work that secured several significant provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, a transformative law that accelerates the development of clean energy technologies and helps reduce customer costs. She also delivered a critical industry carve-out and other policy wins in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the largest tax overhaul of the nation’s tax code since 1986.
From 2019-2022, Pepper served as vice president, national stakeholder strategy and sustainability, advancing initiatives that power the lives of Duke Energy’s customers and recognize the vitality of our communities.
Prior to joining Duke Energy, Pepper served for over a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for a member of Congress from North Carolina, where she had two bipartisan legislative initiatives signed into law. During her time as chief of staff, Pepper was named one of National Journal’s “25 Most Influential Women Under 35 in Washington.”
Pepper graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School with a Master of Business Administration.
Pepper is enthusiastic about empowering the leaders of tomorrow. She advances this passion by serving on the board of Running Start, a nonpartisan nonprofit that trains young women to run for public office; working as a certified building inclusive workforce facilitator; and serving in parent teacher association leadership roles.
She and her husband, Dave, live in northern Virginia with their two children.
Leading federal policy advocacy strategy on tax and finance, cyber and grid security, and customer-related and grid resiliency issues, Pepper has a strong record of delivering successful outcomes on behalf of Duke Energy’s customers and shareholders. Additionally, she advances enterprise strategy and jurisdictional priorities with key federal policymakers.
As chair of the company’s Political Expenditures Committee, Pepper leads the committee responsible for developing the company’s annual political expenditures strategy and approving, monitoring and tracking our political expenditures. In this role, she regularly reports to the board of directors’ Corporate Governance Committee.
She led the company’s work that secured several significant provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, a transformative law that accelerates the development of clean energy technologies and helps reduce customer costs. She also delivered a critical industry carve-out and other policy wins in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the largest tax overhaul of the nation’s tax code since 1986.
From 2019-2022, Pepper served as vice president, national stakeholder strategy and sustainability, advancing initiatives that power the lives of Duke Energy’s customers and recognize the vitality of our communities.
Prior to joining Duke Energy, Pepper served for over a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for a member of Congress from North Carolina, where she had two bipartisan legislative initiatives signed into law. During her time as chief of staff, Pepper was named one of National Journal’s “25 Most Influential Women Under 35 in Washington.”
Pepper graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School with a Master of Business Administration.
Pepper is enthusiastic about empowering the leaders of tomorrow. She advances this passion by serving on the board of Running Start, a nonpartisan nonprofit that trains young women to run for public office; working as a certified building inclusive workforce facilitator; and serving in parent teacher association leadership roles.
She and her husband, Dave, live in northern Virginia with their two children.
