FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 5, 2019
Contacto de prensa de la MCE:
Kalicia Pivirotto | Directora de Marketing
(415) 464-6036 | kpivirotto@mceCleanEnergy.org
SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — MCE announced today that environmental justice advocate Stephanie Chen has joined its regulatory and legislative policy team, where Chen will be working to expand MCE’s consumer advocacy efforts and programs for income-qualified customers, as well as MCE’s ongoing response to PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff events to address wildfire risk.
“We’re proud to welcome Ms. Chen to MCE, where we continue to expand our role as California’s longest-serving community choice renewable energy provider,” said Dawn Weisz, CEO of MCE. “Ms. Chen will play an important role in helping MCE continue our commitment to environmental stewardship and environmental justice—providing clean power at stable, competitive rates to more than 1 million residents and businesses across the Bay Area, and supporting equity and inclusion throughout the communities we serve.”
Chen comes to MCE from The Greenlining Institute, where she has served as Energy Equity Director for the last seven years. Her work at Greenlining focused on ensuring that the environmental, economic, and health benefits of clean energy reach California’s communities of color.
Chen’s advocacy has driven new clean energy technology investments into underserved communities, while also promoting pathways to meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for people of color in California’s growing clean energy economy. As an attorney practicing before the California Public Utilities Commission, Chen litigated several high-profile cases, impacting billions of dollars in utility rates, and winning broad statewide protections for communities of color, income-qualified ratepayers, and small business owners.
“I am so pleased to be joining the team at MCE, an organization I have long admired for its leadership on renewable energy and environmental justice issues,” said Chen. “Greenlining and MCE have partnered for several years on sustainability, environmental justice, and energy policies aimed at protecting income-qualifying households. I look forward to continuing this important work on behalf of ratepayers and residents across the Bay Area.”
Chen will continue to serve as a member of the state’s Disadvantaged Communities Advisory Group, which works with the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission to ensure that clean energy policies benefit environmental justice and serve all communities equitably. Additionally, Stephanie currently serves on the board of directors for Vote Solar, and has previously served on the boards of directors for Rising Sun Center for Opportunity and the Conference of California Public Utility Counsel.
Chen has a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
###
Acerca de la MCE: MCE is California’s first Community Choice Aggregation Program, a not-for-profit, public agency that began service in 2010 with the goals of providing cleaner power at stable rates to its customers, reducing greenhouse emissions, and investing in targeted energy programs that support communities’ energy needs. MCE is a load-serving entity supporting approximately 1,000 MW peak load. MCE provides electricity service to approximately 470,000 customer accounts and more than 1 million residents and businesses in 34 member communities across 4 Bay Area counties: Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, and Solano. For more information about MCE, visit mceEnergíaLimpia.org.
