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March 2024

Happy Women's History month! Read on for spotlights on leading women at Ava, a new round of Ava's Community Sponsorships, Earth Day events in member cities, information on recent bill increases, and an announcement from Ava CEO Nick Chaset.

Highlighting Women in Leadership at Ava

March is Women's History Month! 

This March we honor women in our lives, our society, and our history. Read about some of the inspiring women in leadership roles at Ava:

Marie Fontenot, Vice President of Power Resources at Ava.

Lorraine "Mickey" Souza, Vice Chair of Ava's Community Advisory Committee.

Annie Henderson, Chief Customer Officer at Ava.

Julie Roche, Ava Board Director and Chair of MRL Subcommittee.

Teresa Cox, Ava Board Director and Chair of FAP Subcommittee.

Apply by March 31 for a Community Sponsorship! Ava is dedicated to supporting local community organizations. Funding areas include (but are not limited to) sports, art, music, and STEM. Learn more.

Celebrate Earth Day 2024!

The 54th annual Earth Day is on Monday, April 22! Head to an event in one of our member cities or read to the end for ideas on how to celebrate on your own.

Saturday, April 13th:

• San Leandro - San Leandro Open House and Earth Day Festival (we'll be there!)

Saturday, April 20th:

• Hayward - Annual Citywide Clean-up & Community Fair (we'll be there!)
• Fremont - Earth Day Celebration (we'll be there!)
• Berkeley -  Home Electrification Fair
• Dublin - Volunteer Day, Compost Giveaway and more!

Friday, April 26th:

• Piedmont - Arbor Day & Earth Day Celebration (more info coming soon!)

Saturday, April 27th:

• Berkeley - Berkeley Bay Festival (we'll be there!)
• Tracy - Earth Day Celebration (we'll be there!)

Looking to celebrate Earth Day on your own? 

• Learn about how to switch to an EV (and maybe even attend an EV and e-Bike show) with Ride & Drive Clean!
• Choose 100% California wind and solar power with Ava's Renewable 100 electricity service.
• Get outside and celebrate the Earth with East Bay Regional Parks.
• Pick up trash in your neighborhood.
• Use a reusable instead of a single-use cup for your morning coffee or tea.
• Sign up for our induction cooktop lending program to test out an induction cooktop for FREE!

Electricity rates – and customers’ bills – are going up, but Ava customers can still save 5% compared to what they otherwise would have paid PG&E. Read more about the recent PG&E rate increases.

Ava CEO Nick Chaset Announces Plans to Step Down

Chaset, who has served as Ava Community Energy CEO since 2017, announced his plans to step down late last month. He will remain CEO through mid-July 2024. 

Chaset joined and helped to found Ava Community Energy in 2017 after serving as the Chief of Staff for the California Public Utilities Commission. Under Chaset’s guidance, Ava experienced monumental growth, maintaining a consistent 95 percent customer retention rate and adding five new jurisdictions to the original customer geography - Newark, Pleasanton, Tracy, Stockton and Lathrop - currently serving a population of 1.7 million people.

“Under Nick’s direction, Ava Community Energy has become one of the largest purveyors of 100% renewable energy in the entire country,” said Jack Balch, Council Member at the City of Pleasanton and Ava Community Energy Board Chair. “The entire Ava community is grateful for Nick’s ongoing contributions in bringing broader access to clean energy to residents across the East Bay and the Valley.”

Read the full press release.

Upcoming Hybrid Meetings

Community Advisory Committee | 4/15 at 6:00 PM

Board of Directors | 4/17 at 6:00 PM

Marketing, Regulatory, and Legislative Subcommittee | 4/19 at 12:00 PM