Speaker: Chelsea Olivieri
Topic: At the SAME Hampton Roads Post event on January 14th, Chelsea Olivieri will provide a strategic overview of the evolving energy landscape in Hampton Roads and its direct implications for Department of Defense installation resilience across Virginia. The presentation will provide a high-level assessment of regional and statewide energy dynamics—highlighting accelerating demand alongside growing vulnerabilities. Mrs. Olivieri will explore key challenges facing DoD and regional stakeholders, including energy security, infrastructure modernization, workforce capacity, supply chain complexities, and the need to balance reliability, affordability, and environmental stewardship. The discussion will also emphasize the significant opportunities unique to Hampton Roads, including its concentration of military assets, research institutions, port infrastructure, and emerging clean and advanced energy technologies. The presentation will provide an overview of the Secure Energy Future Center (SEFC) at Tech Center Research Park, a new hub designed to accelerate next-generation energy solutions that support mission-critical resilience for DoD installations and the broader region. Attendees will gain insight into SEFC’s role in convening industry, government, academia, and entrepreneurs to pilot technologies, strengthen energy workforce pipelines, and position Hampton Roads as a national leader in secure, resilient energy systems.
Chelsea Jenkins Olivieri Bio:
Chelsea Jenkins Olivieri is the President of COSOLVE and the Managing Director of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Newport News. COSOLVE is a management consulting agency focused on solving complex problems in the energy, defense and economic development sectors. The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center is where education meets business. VTCRC Newport News integrates Virginia Tech research with state and national entities igniting the growth of key industrial sectors, especially energy. VTCRC is a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc., which manages the University’s endowment, real estate portfolio, and other assets.
Chelsea has held a diverse set of leadership roles within academic, non-profit, private sector and governmental organizations for over 20 years including serving the Commonwealth of Virginia as the Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Governor Glenn Youngkin and Secretary Caren DeWitt Merrick. As a key leader responsible for the management and operation of 13 agencies, 1,700 employees and $3B in resources, Chelsea focused on economic and job growth in Virginia to help realize Governor Youngkin’s vision of making Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family. Chelsea’s proudest accomplishments include helping to lead the development of Governor Youngkin’s All of the Above Energy Plan and other economic growth, housing and tourism plans that have helped position Virginia as the Top State for Business in 2024.
Prior to joining the Youngkin Administration, Chelsea served as Vice President of Government and External Affairs and as Vice President of Business Development of the global engineering consulting company ROUSH CleanTech for 11 years. There she led the creation of a government affairs division and served in key product development and business development leadership teams. Prior to her private sector experience, Chelsea served as the Virginia Clean Cities Executive Director and Program Coordinator and was a recipient of the 2009 Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year award. She was also inducted into the Department of Energy’s Hall of Fame in 2011. Jenkins helped establish Valley AIRNow, an air quality outreach non-profit for two counties in Virginia and participated in key leadership roles during the development of the biofuels, renewable gaseous fuels and other advanced transportation industries in the US and abroad. Jenkins holds a degree from James Madison University in Integrated Science and Technology with a triple concentration in energy, environment and transportation and resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and three children.