Neva Espinoza is a Principal Technical Leader in the Generation Sector at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). She is responsible for the Operations Management & Technology (OM&T) research program, which focuses primarily on processes and related technologies that improve plant operations, support increased plant reliability and reduce operating costs.
Espinoza joined EPRI in January of 2012 with over 10 years of operational and engineering experience in the power industry. Prior to EPRI, Espinoza was the Operations Manager at NRG’s Arthur Kill Power Station, where she was responsible for establishing and managing the Operations department to standards for safe and reliable operation of the plant. Previously, Espinoza worked at Exelon, where she was a Systems Engineer, a member of the Engineering Response Team and an Operations Supervisor. She was the Lead Test and System Engineer of the first Hollow Fiber Filtration System commissioned in the United States. Espinoza began her career at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) where she ensured safe operation of Naval nuclear propulsion plants, trained staff operators and students to support fleet manning and coordinated maintenance and testing on plant systems.
Espinoza received a Master of Business Administration from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rutgers University. She is a graduate of the Navy’s Officer Nuclear Power Program and held a Senior Reactor Operators License from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.