Pouneh Ghaffarian

Pouneh Ghaffarian serves as Commissioner Houck’s Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor. She joined the Commission in 2007 with most recently serving in the federal section of the CPUC’s Legal Division where she represented the CPUC at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. As staff counsel, she has advised on energy, privacy, governance, contracts, and employment matters. Pouneh previously served as interim legal advisor to Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen. She holds a B.A in Literature from University of California at Santa Cruz, an M.S. in Administrative Studies from Boston University, and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.