CEO Report Item 13
CEO Report Item 13
TO: Ava Community Energy Board of Directors
FROM: Howard Chang, Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: CEO Report (Informational Item)
DATE: July 17, 2024
________________________________________________________________________ Recommendation
Accept Chief Executive Officer (CEO) report on update items below.
Executive Committee Meeting
The July 3, 2024 Executive Committee meeting was cancelled. The next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
Marketing Regulatory and Legislative Subcommittee Meeting A Marketing, Regulatory and Legislative Subcommittee Meeting was held on Friday, June 21, 2024. There was not a quorum for this meeting; however, staff still delivered presentations highlighting the current and future marketing efforts and an update on bill assistance and other equity initiatives. The latter presentation included the following summarized information:
Program Detail Impact
Ava Solar Discount 20% discount on 100%
renewable energy for nearly
3,000 Ava customers
Percentage of Payment
Income Plan
Capped fee payment plan 700 Ava customers
Arrearage Management
Program
Debt relief program that
erases past debt after 12
months of on-time payment
5,900 Ava customers
Medical Baseline Plan with increased baseline
allowance for us in home with
medical equipment utilized by
18,600 Ava customers
California Arrearage
Payment Program
COVID debt relief program covered $13.8M in Ava customer energy bill debt
LIHEAP and REACH One-time emergency financial
assistance programs
debt relief up to $1,000
Ava Customer bill credits $50 on-bill credit for
CARE/FERA customers
~120k low-income Ava
customers, totaling over $12M in
the last 2 years
CEO Report Item 13
Ava CARE/FERA
NEM Adder
Additional surplus credit to
CARE/FERA customers
4,720 Ava customers, each
received ~$39/year
Community Outreach
Partnerships
Focus on signing up
customers for financial
assistance programs
Worked with 8 local community-based organizations since 2019 Ava CARE Outreach Outreach campaigns to Ava
customers who likely qualify
for discount program results in
greater efficacy and lower
costs
Outreach to 55,000 Ava
customers
Prior, smaller campaign resulted
in ~300 new enrollments
Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee Meeting A Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee meeting was held on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Members received updates on the R100 Cost Allocation Methodology and Fremont R100 Citywide default, and San Joaquin County JPA membership. The next Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 11, 2024 at 1pm.
New Employees
Molly Vazquez – HR Operations Manager
Molly Vazquez joined Ava Community Energy on June 18, 2024 as the Human Resources Operations Manager. Molly is responsible for Ava's HR programs and policies, managing employee relations, driving learning & development across Ava and ensuring safety compliance.
Before joining Ava, Molly worked at companies within the outdoor and renewable energy sectors including CamelBak Products, Vista Outdoor, and Soligent Distribution, leading Human Resources programs as well as building and implementing safety programs across multiple locations.
Molly holds an M.S. Ed. from SF State, BA from Sonoma State University along with single & multiple subject teaching credentials.
New Interns
China Duff -- Public Policy Intern
China Duff joined Ava on June 11, 2024, as Public Policy Intern on the Public Policy Team. She will focus on all things legislative, including building out a network mapping tool in Salesforce and producing a white paper by the end of the summer.
China is currently a rising senior at UC Berkeley studying Environmental Economics and Policy with a minor in Energy and Resources. She has previously worked for Kip Lipper on a report to expedite transmission deployment in California where she interviewed experts at the CPUC, CEC, CAISO, IOUs/munis, and other developers in order to provide feasible recommendations for streamlining the process. She has been elected as one of 20 UC Berkeley student Senators, representing 32,000 undergraduates, and sits on Berkeley’s Clean Energy Campus Advisory Committee, steering decisions on decommissioning the campus’ natural gas cogeneration plant and planning for a clean energy microgrid.
CEO Report Item 13
Prior to joining Ava, China was a Data Operations Fellow at a customer acquisition community solar startup, Solstice Power Technologies, based in Cambridge, MA. China is originally from East Providence, Rhode Island.
Kendall Downie, Public Policy Intern
Kendall joined Ava's Public Policy Team in June 2024 as a regulatory intern. In this role, she supports the Policy team by drafting responsive comments to CPUC decisions, tracking proceeding updates, and maintaining the team's Confluence page to ensure it reflects key submission dates, relevant impacts, and next steps for Ava.
Prior to her position at Ava, Kendall was a Public Affairs Fellow at Lucas Public Affairs in Sacramento. There, she gained valuable experience collaborating across California's policy landscape, with a focus on clean energy development initiatives.
Kendall holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Public Affairs from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Sara Sprankle, Marketing Intern
Sara Sprankle joined Ava on June 18, 2024 as an Outreach Intern on the Marketing team.
Sara will be responsible for making a tangible impact on our local community by engaging and educating members of the public about our services.
Prior to Ava, Sara worked at The Center for Security in Politics, a UC Berkeley institution founded by former Secretary Janet Napolitano that supports research, curriculum, and convenings that bring students, academics, and leading political practitioners together to address critical global risks. There, she assisted Napolitano in coordinating high-level conferences and policy briefings such as the landmark FBI CRADA, facilitating connections between government, academia, and industry stakeholders while also enhancing the Center's brand and communication with the public.
Sara is currently earning a B.A. in Political Economy and Public Policy from UC Berkeley.
Avery Kelly – Outreach Intern
Avery Kelly joined Ava on June 25th, 2024 as an Outreach Intern on the Marketing team. Avery will be responsible for making a tangible impact on our local community by engaging and educating members of the public about our services.
Avery graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, in May 2023, with a double major in Environmental Studies and Government and a minor in Education.
Prior to Ava, Avery worked as a Title IX and Civil Rights Intern at the Title IX Office & Student Council in Middletown, CT. In this role, Avery collaborated with the Assistant Vice President for Equity & Inclusion & Title IX Coordinator to facilitate communication and enhance student awareness of bias, discrimination, and harassment. Additionally, Avery assisted with the adaptation of prevention and education materials to meet the specific needs of Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff. Avery also served as the Director of Outdoor Living Skills and Sustainability at Farm and Wilderness in Plymouth, VT. Avery wrote and curated an environmental education curriculum for a girls and non-binary camp known as Firefly Song CEO Report Item 13
under the larger camp company Farm and Wilderness, a Quaker camp dedicated to social justice and sustainability while empowering youth to connect with nature.