Consulting

For the past 13 years I have worked for a large consulting firm where I now serve as a part time expert consultant. Projects ares and experience includes:

Energy Efficiency  

*Management of team that supports the EPA in ensuring that the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program meets its strategic objectives for market penetration of ENERGY STAR qualified homes and increased industry stakeholder Partnership. 

*Designed, launched and managed ENERGY STAR for New Homes programs for each of the five public utilities in the state of Maryland. Responsible for all aspects of program implementation including infrastructure development, recruitment/outreach, and administration. Collectively these programs increased the market penetration of ENERGY STAR homes in the state from 6% in 2008 to 48% by 2011. Maryland is now ranked 2nd for ENERGY STAR home market penetration in the country (up from 43rd in 2008). 

*Implemented the Southern California Edison New Homes Program to cost-effectively achieve maximum energy savings by actively recruiting program participants, strategically managing accounts, and conducting targeted marketing, training, outreach, and technical support.  

Environmental Program Evaluation 

*Evaluated the overall performance of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) by: developing the research methodology; researching GEF activities relating to international waters, biodiversity, and land degradation; conducting over 100 stakeholder interviews; coordinating over 18 international field visits; and writing substantive portions of the final report.  

*Evaluated the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol by: developing survey instruments to support data collection; conducting quantitative analyses of financial management and project implementation data; developing key findings for the evaluation; and drafting the final report. 

Environmental Management Systems 

*Supported strategic development of the Maryland Department of Transportation’s environmental management system, which will enable the Department to be proactive instead of reactive in meeting all environmental regulations to which they are subject and prioritize continuous improvements related to the environmental impacts of Department activities. 

*Developed the recommendation for a formal environmental management system that met the unique needs of the Department of Homeland Security based upon an analysis of environmental management information systems used or planned throughout the eleven Departments to track, report and trend environmental compliance and environmental management.  

Water Resources and Global Climate Change 

*Conducted research for the EPA to support the development of a predictive model of non-point source contributions to water quality due to land-use change and a decision support framework to aid attainment of water quality goals under global climate change scenarios.  

*Facilitated a large stakeholder collaboration session to develop the long term organizational structure of the Offshore Wind Energy Development Framework on behalf of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Developed the interview guide used to solicit critical information from key stakeholders during individual interviews with a focus on the impacts of wind energy development on the marine environment.   

• "I have not worked for a better manager, period. Chiara has the indispensable ability to understand and manage both the process and the personalities involved. It has been a pleasure working on her programs. Chiara values her team…discussing issues, considering options, and developing the plan to move forward. Additionally, she has a pleasant personality and her communications are well thought out and articulate. I would highly recommend Chiara on any project."
• "Chiara is well liked and respected by her colleagues and clients alike and she develops deep and trusting relationships. Chiara really values people and understands how to work with them to not just get the job done, but to build a team.  She has demonstrated exceptional capabilities regarding internal and external client management."