John Nicholson

John Nicholson returned to service as the Chief Deputy Secretary, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality in January 2025. Nicholson previously served as the Chief Deputy Secretary for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality for five years (2017-2022). In addition to the many duties he performed as Chief Deputy, he was also tasked as the agency’s lead on disaster recovery, marine fisheries, risk and resilience planning, economic development coordination and modernizing all aspects of the department’s environmental permitting processes.  

From 2022-2025 Nicholson served as the Chief of Staff for EPA’s Southeast Region (Region 4) where he was in direct support of EPA efforts to protect public health and the environment for the region spanning Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and six federally recognized tribes. 

John is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps where he served on active duty for 28 years. Upon his retirement he assumed the role of military affairs advisor to two North Carolina governors where he was accountable for guiding the Governor’s strategic vision and execution of efforts to develop and grow jobs in NC’s $23 billion+ military and defense economy.