Jessica Singh is the vice president of market strategy at Momentum, supporting clients across the energy and utility, manufacturing, transportation, and ports industries to secure public funding and design, develop, and deploy transformative infrastructure, clean energy, resilience, and economic development projects. She started her first three-year term as an associate member advisor on the NWPPA Board of Trustees in May.

Singh joined the utility industry 25 years ago, working in marketing and communications at PacifiCorp. She later worked for David Evans and Associates, Avangrid Renewables, and North Highland. Following North Highland, she formed her own consulting company, working with clients such as the Western Power Pool, the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative, the California ISO, PNGC Power, Flathead Electric Cooperative, and several energy technology startups. In October 2024, she merged her firm into Momentum and took on her current role. Singh holds an undergraduate degree in English literature and Spanish from the University of Puget Sound and an MBA from Marylhurst University.

What are the current challenges at your company?

Shifts in federal and state funding priorities have created greater uncertainty for our clients around programs that support clean energy, climate resilience, and community-focused initiatives. Many of our clients have faced canceled, reduced, or delayed funding, which has greatly impacted their projects. The consulting industry is also going through significant changes as a result of constrained budgets and the rise of artificial intelligence. There is increased scrutiny regarding the value and impact a consultant is bringing versus the client doing it themselves and using AI as a supplemental resource. My perspective is that good consultants provide value by showing up with a different way of seeing problems and opportunities. They ask the questions no one internally is asking, challenge assumptions, bring expertise from dozens of similar situations, and turn ambiguity into structured decisions. They also bring a consulting mindset—one grounded in curiosity, structured problem-solving, and a focus on client outcomes.

What do you see as the current challenges in the industry?

Public power utilities are navigating a significant period of change while continuing to deliver on their core mission of providing safe, reliable, affordable, and locally governed electricity. Key challenges include: 1) Maintaining affordability while modernizing infrastructure. Utilities are under pressure to replace aging infrastructure, strengthen system resilience, address cybersecurity risks, and invest in grid modernization while minimizing rate impacts to customers.2) Managing unprecedented load growth and changing demand. Electrification, industrial development, and rapidly growing data center loads are creating planning challenges that existing forecasting methods were not designed to address. 3) Workforce shortages and knowledge transfer. Many utilities are facing retirements of experienced employees while simultaneously needing new skills in digital technologies, data analytics, cybersecurity, and advanced grid operations. 4) Technology disruption and AI. AI presents tremendous opportunities to improve utility operations, planning, and customer service, but it also introduces uncertainty around workforce development, training needs, and responsible adoption of new technologies. 5) Navigating an increasingly complex policy and regulatory environment. Federal and state priorities, regulations, and funding opportunities continue to evolve.

How does NWPPA help your company and the industry with these challenges?

NWPPA plays a critical role by convening public power utilities to share best practices; providing workforce development and technical training; advocating for the industry; and serving as a trusted source of information on emerging technologies, regulatory changes, and evolving industry trends. This collaboration helps members make informed decisions and plan.

Any hobbies outside of the public power world?

I love to read (I just finished “Dream State” by Eric Puchner); travel internationally; and spend time with my husband and 16-year-old son. I also watch a lot of tennis and try to play as much as I can—not very well, but I try. I am also a proud dog mom to a French bulldog, Coco, and mini schnauzer, Toby.