From the CEO's Desk Newsletter
Nick Chaset Bids Farewell to Ava
Ava’s founding CEO Nick Chaset will be stepping down this summer. He oversaw Ava’s launch and growth to a leading national energy provider.
Ava’s founding CEO Nick Chaset will be stepping down this summer to join a global clean energy company as a senior executive leader. Chaset has been with Ava since its formation in 2017, leading the company through an era of unprecedented achievement and growth.
“I joined Ava because I wanted to build a clean energy agency that would operate at a scale large enough to bend the trajectory of the clean energy transition in a meaningful way,” said Chaset. “My goal with Ava was to show our community that clean energy can be more affordable, more reliable, and just plain better than fossil fuel. And, over the past seven years, we have achieved just that.”
A profile in the inaugural issue of this newsletter, in 2018, described Chaset as having “energy in his blood.” His parents worked for California agencies, including the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), while his grandfather and great-grandfather ran a home heating oil business in Rhode Island.
Nick’s own career in the energy business included his own stint at the CPUC, as Chief of Staff to CPUC President Michael Picker. He previously worked for clean energy companies and consultants, before landing on the staff of Governor Jerry Brown, shepherding the evolution of net energy metering for rooftop solar.
“We’ve reached a critical mass with CCAs and now we have to come up with a system that allows for continued growth,” he said at the time. “I’m putting a lot of my attention to policies that allow for that growth.”
Staff has grown from 9 to 80 in five years
Under Chaset’s guidance, Ava experienced monumental growth, maintaining a consistent 95% customer retention and adding five new jurisdictions to its original customer geography - Newark, Pleasanton, Tracy, Stockton and Lathrop - currently serving a population of 1.7 million people. Throughout its expansion, Ava has returned millions of dollars in savings back to customers, with an estimated $39 million in bill savings in this fiscal year alone.
Ava has also created a host of local programs aimed at resilience and electrification, including $17.5 million for public EV chargers, nearly 1350 residential solar and battery backup installations that contribute to a first-of-its-kind virtual power plant, and a try-before-you-buy induction cooktop program.
Since its formation, Ava’s team has grown to include 80 employees, and the company was recently named one of America’s “Great Places to Work.” Ava established and has maintained an A Credit Rating as well as set a target of 100% clean energy by 2030 - 15 years ahead of California’s goal.
“I’m proud of the fact that Ava Community Energy has become a national trailblazer in broadening equitable access to clean energy, building resilience in our communities, and creating a broader demand for clean energy solutions,” says Chaset.
Chaset plans to depart July 15, 2024. The Board has opened a formal search process for a new CEO.