Nick C. Aquilina was born June 10, 1937 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Aquilina obtained a bachelor of arts degree in scoiology from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (1958). Aquilina was part of the United States Army from 1960 to 1962.

Aquilina began working at the Nevada Test Site in 1962; joined AEC from January 1967 to 1976; Idaho National Engineering Lab (INEL) from 1976 to 1987; Manager of the Nevada Operations Office from 1987 to 1994, when he then retired.