Dave Gottschalk

Dave Gottschalk serves as Regulatory Counsel for the Environmental League of Massachusetts, where he leads ELM’s engagement in regulatory proceedings and state agency policymaking to advance an affordable, equitable, and decarbonized energy system.

He brings extensive legal, regulatory, and policy experience to ELM. Prior to joining the organization, Dave worked in federal energy policy in Washington, D.C., coordinating regulatory strategy and government affairs for a major U.S. energy infrastructure company. He most recently served as a Compliance Officer at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, where he investigated employment discrimination claims and managed contested administrative proceedings.

During law school, Dave served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Aide to Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt, working on building energy code updates, PACE financing policy, and a broad portfolio of state regulatory issues. He also clerked with Nebraska’s Public Defender’s Office, drafting appellate briefs that contributed to two Nebraska Supreme Court decisions. Before law school, he worked as an advocacy strategist with Planned Parenthood, where he led a coalition of health organizations and researchers to advance comprehensive sex education policy and coordinated legislative strategy on reproductive rights legislation.

His work across state and federal policymaking has reinforced a core conviction: that effective advocacy requires understanding the viewpoints and concerns of everyone at the table — and finding common ground even with those on the other side of it.

A proud Cornhusker, Dave earned his B.A. in Political Science and his J.D. from the University of Nebraska, where he also received a National Security and Space Law Certificate. He is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and holds a Mediation Certificate from the Nebraska Judicial Branch.