My guest today is Jackie Toth, founder of New Hill Consulting, a DC-based strategic communications and government affairs firm working across the clean energy space — with a real specialty in nuclear.

Before launching New Hill in 2024, Jackie spent a decade in energy communications, and she got her start the hard way: as a journalist covering energy and environment policy on Capitol Hill — the EPA, the Department of Energy, the NRC, all of it. From there she moved into advocacy, pushing for clean energy policy at the federal level, before deciding to build something of her own.

What makes Jackie rare in this field is that she brings all three of the things clients actually need — strong writing, real connections to policymakers, and deep topical knowledge. Most firms have two. She has all three.

She's also someone Big Red Oak is proud to be partnering with, so this conversation is a bit of a window into why that partnership exists in the first place. We get into nuclear's public perception problem, the death of the "keep your head down" era, why community engagement is the most underrated challenge in the sector, and her very strong take on whether nuclear should be hitching its wagon to data centers.

It's a great one. Jackie, welcome to the show.