SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Environmental Working Group is excited to announce the appointment of Bernadette Del Chiaro as its California senior vice president overseeing the organization’s policy priorities in the state.
Del Chiaro will lead EWG’s advocacy and legislative campaigns in Sacramento, pushing for the state to advance critical environmental and public health policies, including enhanced transparency and accountability from California’s regulators overseeing the state’s big monopoly electric utilities.
In addition, Del Chiaro will advise the organization’s national energy policy agenda, striving to keep the country moving forward on clean energy and away from polluting forms of energy.
Del Chiaro, a seasoned clean energy advocate and committed environmentalist, brings to EWG three decades of experience fighting for clean energy and a healthier environment. She brings a unique expertise in California energy policy, along with strong ties to the state legislature. She served most recently as executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association, or CALSSA, developing it into the leading voice of the clean energy industry in California and a formidable advocate for solar and energy storage expansion, and helping transform the state’s clean energy landscape.
“We are thrilled to have Bernadette on board,” said EWG President and Bay Area resident Ken Cook. “Her deep knowledge of California’s clean energy landscape, combined with her experience both leading impactful campaigns and building up advocacy organizations, will be invaluable as we continue our efforts to protect California’s environment and secure a healthier, more sustainable future for all.”
“Joining EWG and building up its work in California is an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Del Chiaro.
“I am passionate about California’s role as an environmental leader, and I look forward to collaborating with EWG’s team and our partners to protect public health, advance the state’s clean energy transition and safeguard the environment through innovative policy solutions,” she added.
Before leading CALSSA for a dozen years, Del Chiaro served as director of clean energy and global warming programs at Environment California and as Environment America’s Western states regional director.
In those roles and others, Del Chiaro has played a vital role in advancing clean air and clean energy goals. She has been a key advocate for major clean energy policies, including the Million Solar Roofs Initiative to expand rooftop solar and a defender of net energy metering, which maximizes the built environment, helping protect open space.
Del Chiaro cut her teeth in New England, working as the organizing director of the Toxics Action Center, now Community Action Works. There, in the style of Lois Gibbs, she helped community groups fight local sources of toxic pollution, strengthening the movement for a cleaner environment.
Del Chiaro is a recognized expert whose work has garnered widespread media attention, with coverage in top outlets, such as MSNBC, NPR, BBC, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among others. She has authored several influential reports on clean energy and is regularly consulted for her deep knowledge of California’s energy and climate policies.
As EWG’s senior vice president for California, Del Chiaro will work closely with its leadership, partners and stakeholders to drive advocacy campaigns and legislative initiatives that protect the state’s environment and build a sustainable, clean energy future.
A native Californian, Del Chiaro holds a degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and lives in Sacramento with her husband and two children.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.