Jessica Chiavara – Eversource Energy

From the high-paced clatter of San Francisco restaurant kitchens to the deliberative hearings of New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Commission, Jessica Chiavara’s career has followed a steady current of passion—for sustainability, for people, and the planet. As senior counsel at Eversource Energy, she plays a pivotal role in shaping New Hampshire’s energy future, ensuring that innovation and customer benefits go hand in hand.

Jessica Chiavara | Eversource Energy | Senior Counsel

Eversource Energy is New England’s largest energy delivery company, serving more than 4.4 million electric, natural gas, and water customers across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The company is committed to modernizing its grid infrastructure, increasing system resiliency, and expanding access to renewable energy, all while prioritizing energy affordability. In New Hampshire, where Chiavara works, that mission plays out amid a complex and often divided energy landscape.

Chiavara is part of the company’s State Regulatory Legal Group, focused solely on matters in New Hampshire. She and a colleague “tag team” the entire state—handling everything from electric vehicle infrastructure to distribution rate cases and net metering policy.

“We’re super hands-on,” she says. “It’s never boring, always busy, and very interactive.”

Whether she’s collaborating with solar developers, responding to inquiries from the Department of Energy, or advocating for her clients before regulators, Chiavara’s work sits at the intersection of law, policy, and progress. It’s exactly where she wants to be.

From restaurants to regulation

Chiavara’s path to energy law was anything but conventional. After high school, she moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in theater but ultimately found success in the restaurant industry. She seriously considered opening her own place—but the volatile nature of the industry made her reconsider.

“I wanted to build my brain,” she says. At 25, she transferred to UC Berkeley, where she dove into environmental studies and the sustainable food movement. A mentor encouraged her to take the LSAT. She did—and earned a full scholarship to Hofstra Law.

While there, she interned with EPA Region 2 in New York City in the Clean Air Division and gained hands-on experience in environmental regulation. After graduation, she worked on regulatory compliance in environmental cleanup and later transitioned into the competitive energy supply sector. Still, something was missing.

“I wanted to be closer to the policymaking and implementation side of things,” she explains.

That desire ultimately led her to Eversource in 2019—and to a job that bridges her values, her legal skills, and her curiosity for how systems work.

Navigating a divided landscape

At Eversource, Chiavara’s work primarily focuses on regulatory strategy and compliance in New Hampshire, a state with a complex energy landscape. The political environment is mixed, she says. Some stakeholders advocate for expanding solar and clean energy access, while others are wary of the potential rate impacts and cost allocation.

“It’s a balancing act,” she explains. “Where we are right now, people in New Hampshire are reasonably compensated for net metering, but the question is whether that’s enough to incentivize further growth.”

She recently participated in a major docket around solar compensation, an issue that could impact both small rooftop systems and utility-scale solar farms.

Chiavara also helped design New Hampshire’s first electric vehicle (EV) “make ready” program, developed in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Services and funded in part by the Volkswagen settlement. The goal was to build charging infrastructure along key travel corridors—a move aimed at reducing range anxiety and supporting tourism.

Unfortunately, uptake has been slow.

“It was a good program, but the New Hampshire DES had very few people apply for grant funding, so we likewise only had a few projects apply,” she explains.
“DES has since closed the RFP.”

Still, she sees progress.

And then there’s the ongoing fight to preserve and expand energy efficiency programs—initiatives Chiavara considers essential.

“These programs are vital for customers, the environment, and foster energy affordability,” she says. “Helping protect them has been some of the most rewarding work I’ve done.”

Translating passion into purpose

Chiavara’s effectiveness as a legal advisor stems from more than her technical knowledge. Her background in hospitality sharpened her listening skills and her ability to read the room.

“You learn to ask the right questions, stay curious, and communicate clearly,” she says. Those traits now help her build consensus among stakeholders with competing interests—from corporate energy users like Walmart to advocacy groups like AARP.

She thrives on the challenge.

“My brain is on fire every day,” she says with a laugh. “I’m constantly learning—from regulators, from engineers, from policy experts. It keeps me sharp and engaged.”

While Chiavara doesn’t manage a team directly, she currently supervises two summer interns and enjoys mentoring young legal professionals.

“It’s so cool to see things through their eyes. They ask great questions, and it reminds me how far I’ve come.”

She also contributes outside of work. Chiavara serves on the board of Community Solutions Inc. (CSI), a nonprofit that provides holistic support to justice-involved individuals and their families. She serves as the corporate secretary and a member of the executive committee, guiding strategy while upholding the organization’s mission of compassion, accountability, and rehabilitation.

“I was drawn to CSI because they’re doing systemic work with heart,” she says. “And because someone at Eversource thought I’d be a good fit and suggested I get involved. That kind of leadership and care—internal and external—is something I really value.”

Rooted in New England, focused on the future

After living in cities across the country, Chiavara now feels at home in New England. Whether she’s hiking the White Mountains in the winter or working to modernize the state’s energy infrastructure, she’s invested in the region’s future.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to be at Eversource,” she says. “I’ve found a place that reflects my values, challenges me intellectually, and gives me a seat at the table where change happens.”

With policy shifting, technology evolving, and the grid facing greater demands, the work is far from done. But for Chiavara, that is precisely the point.

“I didn’t have a roadmap,” she says. “But I’ve always followed the things that mattered to me—and that’s what brought me here.”