SHAREHOLDER LETTER

March 28, 2023

Dear Fellow Shareholder:

Important Information About Avista’s Virtual Annual Meeting

Avista Corporation’s (“Avista” or the “Company”) 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) will be held virtually, by live webcast. Shareholders of record at the close of business on March 10, 2023, are entitled to participate in the meeting and participants will be able to ask questions, make comments and vote on the matters brought before the meeting. Below are some frequently asked questions regarding our Annual Meeting.

How can I view and participate in the Annual Meeting? To participate, visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/AVA2023 and log in with your 16-digit control number included in your proxy materials.

When can I join the virtual Annual Meeting? You may begin to log in to the meeting platform beginning at 7:45 a.m. Pacific Time on May 11, 2023. The meeting begins at 8:15 a.m. Pacific Time on May 11, 2023.

How can I ask questions and vote? We encourage you to submit your questions and vote in advance by visiting www.proxyvote.com. Shareholders may also vote and submit questions virtually during the meeting (subject to time restrictions). During the meeting, questions can only be submitted in the question box provided in the virtual meeting webcast. To participate in the meeting webcast visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/AVA2023.

What if I lost my 16-digit control number? You will be able to log in as a guest. To view the meeting webcast visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/AVA2023 and register as a guest. If you log in as a guest, you will not be able to vote your shares or ask questions during the meeting.

What if I experience technical difficulties? Please call (844) 986-0822 (US) or 1 (412) 317-5419 (international) for assistance.

Where can I find additional information? For additional information about how to attend the Annual Meeting, please see “Additional Information” starting on page 65.

A recording of the Annual Meeting will be posted as soon as practical at https://investor.avistacorp.com along with answers to a representative set of any shareholder questions received before and during the Annual Meeting not answered due to time constraints. We also encourage you to read our Annual Report on Form 10-K available at www.proxyvote.com.

Your vote is important to us! Please vote today at www.proxyvote.com.

Table of Contents

PROXY SUMMARY

Proxy Summary

Governance Highlights

Our Company is committed to maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance. Strong corporate governance practices help us achieve our performance goals and maintain the trust and confidence of our investors, employees, customers, regulatory agencies and other stakeholders. Our corporate governance practices are described in more detail starting on page 18 and in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which can be found in the Corporate Governance section of our website at https://investor.avistacorp.com/corporate-governance.

DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

BOARD LEADERSHIP

INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

PROXY SUMMARY

BOARD OVERSIGHT OF RISK MANAGEMENT

STOCK OWNERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

BOARD PRACTICES

ACCOUNTABILITY

Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”): Building Trust and Accountability

The Company understands its commitment to sustainability, stewardship and corporate citizenship is important, not only to our shareholders, but to our communities and other constituencies. For over 130 years, these commitments have guided us in what we do. We have long been committed to conducting our business in ways that are principled, transparent and accountable, and we recognize the importance of ESG disclosure as a means of making our commitments more transparent. For these reasons, the Board’s Governance Committee caused the Company to pursue an initiative for enhanced ESG disclosure grounded in the Company’s

PROXY SUMMARY

commitments to the environment, its employees, its customers and the communities we serve, as well as ethical governance. Information about the Company’s commitments is available on our website at https://investor.avistacorp.com/corporate-responsibility/our-commitment. Material on our website, including information regarding our corporate responsibility commitments and related ESG reports and metrics, is not part of nor intended to be incorporated into this Proxy Statement.

Compensation Highlights — 2022

In 2022, the Compensation and Organization Committee (“Compensation Committee”) established performance goals for the Company based on input from the CEO and aligned the short-term and long-term incentive plans with those goals. Our incentive arrangements allow us to focus on maintaining an attractive financial profile while creating long-term value for shareholders and customers.

As summarized below, the compensation earned by our Named Executive Officers (“NEOs”) in 2022 reflects our corporate performance for the fiscal year.

HIGHLIGHTS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Proposal 1: Election of Directors

Director Selection Process

The Board is elected by the shareholders to oversee their interests in the long-term overall success of the Company’s business and its financial strength. Our directors have diverse backgrounds and experience and represent a broad spectrum of viewpoints.

The Board has a robust and effective director nomination and evaluation process. The Board has delegated to the Governance Committee the responsibility for reviewing and recommending to the Board nominees for director. The Governance Committee annually reviews with the Board the composition of the Board as a whole and recommends, if necessary, steps to be taken so the Board reflects the appropriate balance of knowledge, experience, competencies and expertise, all in the context of an assessment of the needs of the Board and the Company at the time. In evaluating a director candidate, the Governance Committee considers the knowledge, experience, integrity, business acumen and judgment of that candidate; the potential contribution of that candidate to the diversity of backgrounds, experience and competencies the Board desires to have represented; the willingness of that candidate to consider strategic proposals; and any other criteria established by the Board, as well as any core competencies or technical expertise necessary to staff the Board Committees.

For longer-serving directors, the Governance Committee also considers the tenure of a director and whether the duration of service impairs such director’s independence from management, as demonstrated by the director’s relationship with management and the director’s participation in Board and committee deliberations. Directors must be able to commit the requisite time for preparation and attendance at regularly scheduled Board and committee meetings, as well as be able to participate in other matters necessary to ensure good corporate governance is practiced.

The Board is committed to actively seeking out highly qualified, diverse candidates and including such individuals in each Board candidate pool. The Board considers diversity of experience, skills, background, and viewpoint, as well as diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation and/or gender identity when considering individual candidates.

The Board considers the appropriate size of the Board and the needs of the Company with respect to the particular talents and experience of its directors. In evaluating individual director candidates, the Board takes into consideration the criteria set forth in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines (available on the Company’s website at https://investor.avistacorp.com/corporate-governance), including, but not limited to:

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The Board believes it must continue to refresh itself. During the last five years, the Board added five new members, four of whom are independent, as a result of retirements and departures due to professional and personal commitments. The Board consists of directors with a range of experience at policy-making levels in business, government and other areas relevant to the Company’s activities. The average tenure of the current director nominees is 7.5 years and the average age is 59.7.

The Governance Committee identifies nominees by first evaluating the current members of the Board. Current members of the Board with competencies and experience relevant to the Company’s business strategies and who are willing to continue in service are considered for re-nomination. If any member of the Board did not wish to continue in service, or if the Governance Committee decided not to nominate a member for re-election, the Committee would then identify the desired qualifications, competencies, expertise, diversity, abilities and experience of a new nominee considering the criteria set forth above. Current members of the Board are polled for recommendations of individuals meeting the criteria described above. The Governance Committee may also consider candidates recommended by management, employees or others. The Governance Committee may, at its discretion, engage executive search firms to identify qualified and diverse individuals.

Shareholder Recommendations and Nominations of Director Candidates; Proxy Access

The Governance Committee will consider written recommendations for candidates for the Board made by shareholders. Recommendations must include detailed biographical material indicating the qualifications of the candidate for the Board and must include a written statement from the candidate of willingness and availability to serve. The Governance Committee will consider any candidate recommended in good faith by a shareholder. The Governance Committee will evaluate director nominees in the same manner as other candidates are evaluated; as discussed above.

While candidates for director are usually nominated by the Board (after consideration and recommendation by the Governance Committee, as discussed above), shareholders may directly nominate candidates for election as directors. In order to do so, shareholders must follow the procedures set forth in the Company’s Bylaws (“Bylaws”), referred to under “2024 Annual Meeting Information,” on page 68. The Chair of the meeting may refuse to acknowledge any nomination not made in compliance with the Bylaws.

In addition, subject to the satisfaction of additional requirements and conditions, and to the exceptions and limitations set forth in the Bylaws, each registered shareholder (or group of not more than 20 shareholders) who has owned at least 3% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock for at least three years, may designate one nominee for election as a director of the Company for inclusion in management’s proxy soliciting materials for each Annual Meeting of Shareholders; provided, however, that management is not required to include a number of such designees greater than 20% of the total number of members of the Board of Directors; and provided, further, the designating shareholder(s) and the designated nominee(s) shall also meet the eligibility and other requirements set forth in the Bylaws.

Current Nominees

Eleven directors are to be elected to hold office for a one-year term, and until a qualified successor is elected. The Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws provide for up to 11 directors, as specified from time to time by the Board. The Board has fixed the number of directors at 11.

Upon recommendation from the Governance Committee, the Board has nominated Julie A. Bentz, Donald C. Burke, Rebecca A. Klein, Sena M. Kwawu, Scott H. Maw, Scott L. Morris, Jeffry L. Philipps, Heidi B. Stanley, Dennis P. Vermillion and Janet D. Widmann to be re-elected as directors for a one-year term to expire at the Annual Meeting in 2024 and until their successors shall have been elected. Also, upon recommendation of the Governance Committee, the Board has nominated Kevin B. Jacobsen to stand for election at the Annual Meeting for a one-year term to expire at the Annual Meeting in 2024 and until his successor shall have been elected. The nominees have consented to serve as directors, and the Board has no reason to believe any nominee will be unable to serve. If a nominee should become unavailable, your shares will be voted for a Board-approved substitute. The Board concluded all nominees, with the exception of Mr. Vermillion, are independent and all nominees satisfy the various criteria for nomination as directors.

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Included in each nominee’s biography is an assessment of the specific qualifications, competencies, attributes and experience of such nominee based on the qualifications described above.

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

SUMMARY OF BOARD CORE COMPETENCIES

Our director nominees bring a balance of relevant skills to the boardroom, as well as an effective mix of diversity and experience. The following graph sets out a summary of the director nominees’ core competencies:

		Environmental
		4
		Economic Development
		6
		Entrepreneur/Innovation
		6
		Regional Business Connections
		7
		Legal
		1
		Customer Service
		7
		Organizational Development/HR
		6
		Consulting
		4
		Technology
		6

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Except as otherwise indicated, committee membership is as of December 31, 2022.

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Corporate Governance Matters

Corporate Governance Principles

The Board is responsible for directing the management of the business and affairs of the Company. As such, the Board gives the Company’s executive officers strategic direction and oversees their operation of the Company’s business and their conduct of its affairs, with a view to serving the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and other stakeholders.

The Board has adopted Governance Guidelines to address matters including qualification of directors, standards of independence for directors, election of directors, responsibilities and expectations of directors, and evaluation of director and committee performance. The Governance Guidelines are reviewed annually and updated as necessary. The Governance Guidelines, along with the Bylaws, Board Committee Charters, and the Code of Conduct, provide the framework for the governance of the Company.

Board Leadership Structure

The Board does not have a policy as to whether the role of CEO should be separate from the Chairman, nor, if the roles are separate, whether the Chairman should be selected from the independent directors. The Board selects the Chairman in a manner it determines to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. This flexibility has allowed the Board to determine whether the role should be separated based on the individuals and the circumstances existing at that time. The Board believes the Company has been well served by this leadership structure.

Annually, the Board examines its governance practices, including the separation of the positions of the Chairman and the CEO and the independence of the Chairman. The Board believes it needs to retain the ability to balance the independent Board structure with the flexibility to appoint as Chairman someone with hands-on knowledge of and experience in the operations of the Company. Currently, the roles of Chairman and CEO are separated. Mr. Morris, who retired as CEO, effective October 1, 2019, serves as the Chairman of the Board. The Company is led by Mr. Vermillion, who has served as its President since January 1, 2018 and President and CEO since October 1, 2019.

Having retired as CEO effective October 1, 2019, Mr. Morris now meets the independence standards established by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Nonetheless, the Company continues to maintain an independent Vice Chair on the Board, with the duties described below.

Duties of the Chairman

The Chairman’s duties include:

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Independent Vice Chair

The Board has also established the position of independent Vice Chair, which was previously designated as independent Lead Director. Kristianne Blake was selected on May 11, 2020, to serve as Lead Director/Vice Chair for a three-year term. Ms. Blake is retiring effective May 11, 2023, and the Board selected Donald Burke to serve as Vice Chair for a three-year term beginning May 11, 2023. The Vice Chair’s duties include:

The Vice Chair is available for communications and consultation with major shareholders. The Company has a mechanism for shareholders and other interested parties to communicate with the Vice Chair and independent directors as a group, or on an individual basis. (See “Communications with Shareholders” on page 22.)

Director Independence

The Board has been, and continues to be, a strong proponent of director independence. It is the policy of the Board that a majority of the directors be independent from management and that the Board not engage in transactions that would conflict with the best interests of the Company’s business.

The Company’s corporate governance structures and practices provide for a strong, independent Board and include several independent oversight mechanisms:

The Board believes this governance structure and these practices ensure strong and independent directors will continue to effectively oversee the Company’s management and key issues related to its long-range business plans, long-range strategic decisions, risks and integrity.

Independence determinations are made on an annual basis at the time the Board approves nominees for election at the next Annual Meeting and, if a director joins the Board between Annual Meetings, at such time. To assist in this determination, the Board adopted Categorical Standards for Independence of Directors (the “Categorical Standards”). As a result of this review, the Board affirmatively determined the directors nominated for election at the Annual Meeting are independent of the Company and its management, with the exception of Mr. Vermillion. Mr. Vermillion is an inside director because of his employment as President and CEO of the Company.

Related Party Transactions

The Board recognizes related party transactions present a heightened risk of conflicts of interest and/or improper valuation of transactions (or the perception thereof) and, therefore, has adopted a written Related Party Transaction Policy, which is followed in connection with all related party transactions involving the Company and specified related persons including directors (including nominees) and executive officers, certain family members and certain shareholders, all as outlined in the applicable rules of the

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). During its annual review, the Board considered whether there were any transactions or relationships between directors or members of their immediate families (or any entity of which a director or a director’s immediate family member is an executive officer, general partner, or significant equity holder) and members of the Company’s senior management or their affiliates inconsistent with a determination that the director is independent.

In particular, the Board considered the Company and its subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business have, during the last three years, purchased products and services from companies at which some of our directors were officers, board members, or investors during 2022.

SEC rules require the Company to disclose any related party transaction in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000 in the last year. The Governance Committee has determined the Company had no reportable related party transactions for 2022.

Board Meetings

The Board strongly encourages its members to attend all Board and committee meetings and the Annual Meeting. The Board held five meetings in 2022. The attendance at all Board and Committee meetings was 100%, save for one special meeting for which attendance was 91%. All the directors attended the prior year’s Annual Meeting and all directors are planning to attend the upcoming Annual Meeting.

Meetings of Independent Directors

The independent directors meet at each regularly scheduled Board meeting. The Chairman and the Vice Chair collaboratively establish the agenda for each session and also determine which, if any, other individuals, including members of management and independent advisors, should be available for each such meeting.

Board Risk Oversight

The Board plays an active role in the identification of the major risks affecting the Company and the oversight of the Company’s risk management. For organizational purposes, the Board has categorized the various risks facing the Company as follows:

While the Board retains full responsibility for the general oversight of the management of all categories of risk, it has delegated to and allocated among its committees first oversight responsibility regarding specific categories of risk. The allocation of categories of risk to the respective committees is described generally below and is more specifically set forth in the committee charters. While management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risk, appropriate Company officers make periodic reports to the respective committees or, if circumstances so warrant, to the full Board, and respond to specific inquiries made by the committees and/or the Board. Following a risk report to a committee, the chair of that committee reports to the full Board. This process facilitates the coordination of the oversight and management of the various categories of risk, particularly for the interrelationships among various risks.

See Item 1A — “Risk Factors” and Item 7 — “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Enterprise Risk Management” in the Annual Report for discussions of the various risks within the general categories listed above and the Company’s risk management processes and procedures.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

CEO Succession Plan

Succession plans for our CEO and other officers are an important part of the Company’s long-term success, and the Company has a succession-planning process reflecting the Company’s long-term business strategy. The Compensation Committee conducts an annual review of the succession plans for our CEO and other executives of the Company and receives quarterly updates on the plans. Our CEO and the Compensation Committee review those succession plans annually with the full Board. The succession plans reflect the Board’s belief the Company should regularly identify internal candidates for the CEO and other executive positions and it should develop those candidates for consideration when a transition is planned or necessary. Accordingly, management identifies internal candidates in various phases of development and implements development plans to assure the candidates’ readiness. Those development plans identify the candidates’ strengths and developmental opportunities, and the Compensation Committee receives periodic updates and regularly reviews the candidates’ progress. In addition to internal development pools, to assure selection of the best candidate(s), the Company may recruit externally if such approach would better suit the Company’s strategic needs. The Compensation Committee believes the Company’s succession planning process provides a good structure to assure the Company will have qualified successors for its executive officers.

The Board has adopted a Contingency CEO Succession Plan to outline the procedures for the temporary appointment of an interim CEO to avoid a vacancy in leadership that may occur because of an absence event due to death, illness, disability, or sudden departure of our CEO.

Board and Committee Evaluations

The Board conducts an annual assessment of its performance and effectiveness. The process is coordinated by the Board Chair and the Chair of the Governance Committee and is proctored through written assessments completed by each director. Areas of inquiry include, among other things, the following:

Each Board Committee also conducts an annual assessment of its performance and effectiveness through written assessments completed by each committee member. Areas of inquiry include, among other things, the following:

Individual Director Assessments

Annually, the Board Chair conducts an objective assessment of the quality of each Board member, considering such factors as attendance, participation, engagement with other Board members, and any other factors deemed appropriate. This process includes a discussion between the Board Chair and the Chairs of each Board Committee, as well as individual interviews of each director. The process provides an opportunity for input on individual director performance, as well as practical input from each director on what the Board should continue doing, start doing and stop doing. The information gathered through the assessment process is reviewed by the Governance Committee and considered in its recommendation of Board members to stand for election each year.

A summary of all committee assessment results is provided to the Governance Committee and the Board for review and discussion.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Director Orientation and Continuing Education

The Governance Committee and management are responsible for director orientation programs. Orientation programs are designed to familiarize new directors with the Company’s business strategies and policies. The Governance Committee is also responsible for director continuing education. Continuing education programs for directors include a combination of internally developed materials and presentations and outside programs presented by third parties. Financial and administrative support is available to directors for attendance at academic or other independent programs.

Director Retirement Policy

Directors may not stand for election after age 72.

Code of Conduct

The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct that applies to members of the Board and our employees, including our CEO (the principal executive officer) and our CFO (the principal financial officer).

Information on Company Website

The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Code of Conduct, and the Related Party Transaction Policy are available on the Company’s website at https://investor.avistacorp.com/corporate-governance. A written copy of any of these documents will be provided free of charge to any person upon request to the Corporate Secretary’s office at 1411 East Mission Avenue, P.O. Box 3727 (MSC-10), Spokane, Washington 99220.

Communications with Shareholders

Shareholders and other interested parties may send correspondence to our Board or to any individual director to the Corporate Secretary’s office at 1411 East Mission Avenue, P.O. Box 3727 (MSC-10), Spokane, Washington 99220. Concerns about accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters should be directed to the Chair of the Audit Committee at the same address. All communications will be forwarded to the person(s) to whom they are addressed, unless it is determined the communication:

The director or directors who receive any such communication have discretion to determine whether the subject matter of the communication should be brought to the attention of the full Board or one or more of its committees and whether any response to the person sending the communication is appropriate. Any such response will be made through the Company’s Corporate Secretary or General Counsel and only in accordance with the Company’s policies and procedures and applicable laws and regulations relating to the disclosure of information.

Board Committees

The Board has six standing committees — Audit Committee, Compensation and Organization Committee (“Compensation Committee”), Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee (“Governance Committee”), Finance Committee, Environmental, Technology and Operations Committee (“Environmental Committee”) and Executive Committee. The committees, their membership as of the end of 2022, and their principal responsibilities are described below.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Each committee of the Board has adopted a Charter approved by the Board. The Charters are reviewed on an annual basis and amendments are made as needed. The committee Charters are available on the Company’s website at https://investor.avistacorp.com/corporate-governance. A written copy of our committee Charters will be provided free of charge to any person upon request to the Corporate Secretary’s office at 1411 East Mission Avenue, P.O. Box 3727 (MSC-10), Spokane, Washington 99220.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Director Compensation

The Board regularly reviews director compensation with the assistance of Meridian Compensation Partners (the same consultant used for executive compensation) to determine whether it is appropriate and competitive in light of market circumstances and prevailing best practices for corporate governance for the energy/utility industry. The Board targets overall director compensation to the median of the same peer group used to review executive compensation (see page 37 for the peer group.) As a result of this review process, meeting fees for directors were eliminated and the annual retainer for directors was adjusted from $190,000 to $220,000 for 2023. The retainer for Vice Chair was adjusted from $25,000 to $30,000.

The elements of director compensation reflect the Board’s view that compensation to the independent directors should consist of an appropriate mix of cash and stock. The cash portion of the retainer is paid quarterly, and the stock portion is paid annually (as soon as practicable following the Annual Meeting). Employee directors are not compensated for their Board service.

Elements of Director Compensation

Each director is entitled to reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with meetings of the Board or its committees and related activities, including third party director education courses and materials. These expenses include travel to and from the meetings, as well as any expenses they incur while attending the meetings.

Director Stock Ownership Policy

The Company has a minimum stock ownership expectation for all Board members. Outside directors are expected to achieve a minimum investment of five times the minimum stock portion of their retainer and retain at least that level of investment while a Board member. Shares previously deferred under the former Non-Employee Director Stock Plan count for purposes of determining whether a director has achieved the ownership expectation.

The ownership expectation illustrates the Board’s philosophy of the importance of stock ownership for directors to further strengthen the commonality of interest between the Board and shareholders. The Governance Committee annually reviews director holdings to determine whether they meet ownership expectations.

There were no annual stock option grants or non-stock incentive plan compensation payments to directors for services in 2022 and none are currently contemplated under the current compensation structure. The Company also does not provide a retirement plan or deferred compensation plan to its directors. Listed below is compensation paid to each non-employee director who served during any part of the 2022 fiscal year.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Director Compensation Table — 2022

Prohibition Against Hedging and Similar Transactions

Pursuant to our Insider Trading Policy, directors, officers and employees are prohibited from engaging in short-sales, zero-cost collars, forward sales contracts, pledging, hedging or otherwise offsetting any decrease in the market value of their Company shares.

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Audit Committee Report

Charter and Responsibilities

The Audit Committee operates under a written Charter adopted by the Board that outlines its responsibilities and the practices it follows. The Charter can be found on the Company’s website at https://investor.avistacorp.com/corporate-governance. The Audit Committee reviews and assesses the adequacy of its Charter at least annually, and, when appropriate, recommends changes to the Board.

The Audit Committee is composed of non-management directors who meet the independence and financial literacy requirements of the NYSE and additional, heightened independence criteria applicable to members of the Audit Committee under SEC and NYSE rules. The Audit Committee recommended to the Board the designation of Donald C. Burke as the Audit Committee Financial Expert solely for the purposes of compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC implementing Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Board approved this recommendation.

The Audit Committee assists the Board in overseeing the integrity of the Company’s financial statements, the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the Company’s Code of Conduct, the Company’s enterprise risk management program and the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence. The Audit Committee also assists the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the Company’s systems of internal controls, including, without limitation, those established and maintained pursuant to the Exchange Act, as amended, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, the Audit Committee participates in external education sessions and educational sessions developed by management, at the request of the Audit Committee.

2022 Activity

During 2022, the Audit Committee fulfilled its duties and responsibilities as outlined in the Charter. Six meetings were held, with meeting agendas established by the Audit Committee’s Chair and the Director of Internal Audit. Specifically, the Audit Committee:

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

2022 Financial Statements

The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management and Deloitte the Company’s audited financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022. Additionally, the Committee reviewed Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and the Auditor’s Report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Based on its review and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to the full Board, and the full Board approved the inclusion of the Company’s audited financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, for filing with the SEC.

This report is provided by the following independent directors, who comprise the Audit Committee:

PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF DELOITTE AS INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2023

Proposal 2: Ratification of Appointment of Deloitte as Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm For 2023

The Audit Committee has the direct responsibility to hire, evaluate and, where appropriate, replace the Company’s independent auditor and, in its capacity as a committee of the Board, is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, and general oversight of the work of the independent auditor. The Audit Committee has appointed Deloitte as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for continuing audit work in 2023.

Shareholder approval is not required for the appointment of Deloitte. However, the appointment is being submitted to shareholders for ratification. Should the shareholders fail to ratify the appointment of Deloitte, such failure (1) would have no effect on the validity of such appointment for 2023 (given the difficulty and expense of changing the independent registered public accounting firm midway through a year) and (2) would be a factor to be taken into account, together with other relevant factors, by the Audit Committee in the selection and appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm for 2024 (but would not necessarily be the determining factor).

Annual Evaluation and Selection of the Independent Auditor

The Audit Committee annually reviews Deloitte’s independence and performance in deciding whether to retain Deloitte or engage another independent auditor. In the course of these reviews, the Audit Committee considers, among other things:

Long Tenure Benefits

PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF DELOITTE AS INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2023

Independence Controls

As a result of its evaluation, the Audit Committee concluded the selection of Deloitte as the independent registered public accounting firm for 2023 is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The Audit Committee made this recommendation to the full board and the full board approved.

Audit Fees and All Other Fees

The Audit Committee approves the fees paid to Deloitte for audit and non-audit services and receives periodic reports on the amount of fees paid. The aggregate fees for audit and other services provided by Deloitte in 2022 and 2021 were:

Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Auditors

The Audit Committee is required to pre-approve the audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed. The Audit Committee has adopted what it terms its Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy (the “Policy”), which sets forth the procedures and conditions pursuant to which services proposed to be performed by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm may be pre-approved. All services provided by Deloitte in 2022 and 2021 were pre-approved in accordance with the Policy adopted by the Audit Committee.

PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF DELOITTE AS INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2023

The Audit Committee intends to pre-approve services, whether specifically or pursuant to general pre-approvals according to the Policy, only if the provision of such services is consistent with SEC and PCAOB rules on auditor independence and all other applicable laws and regulations. In rendering general or specific pre-approvals, the Audit Committee will consider whether the independent registered public accounting firm’s provision of specific services, or categories of services, would be inconsistent with the independence of the auditor.

Hiring Restrictions for Deloitte Employees

The Audit Committee has adopted a policy that has certain restrictions on the Company’s hiring of any Deloitte partner, director, manager, staff member, advising member of the department of professional practice, reviewing tax professional, and any other individuals responsible for providing audit assurance on any aspect of Deloitte’s audit and review of the Company’s financial statements.

Other Information

The Company has been advised by Deloitte that neither the firm, nor any covered person of the firm, has any financial interest, direct or indirect, in any capacity in the Company or its subsidiaries. A representative of Deloitte is expected to attend the Annual Meeting with the opportunity to make a statement if he/she desires to do so and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Ratification of the appointment of the independent auditors requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the holders of the shares of common stock voting in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”)

This CD&A provides information about the compensation objectives and policies for our NEOs and puts in perspective the quantitative and narrative disclosures in the compensation tables included in this Proxy Statement. Our NEOs for 2022 were:

The CD&A also describes the following:

BUSINESS RESULTS IMPACT ON INCENTIVE COMPENSATION

The Compensation Committee, with input from the CEO, establishes target incentive compensation for our NEOs at the beginning of each performance period. The Board establishes target incentive compensation for our CEO also at the beginning of each performance period. Actual pay varies above or below the target based on individual, organizational, and stock performance. Because a substantial portion of each NEO’s compensation is in the form of equity, our NEOs’ actual compensation aligns closely with changes in the stock price.

We employ several quantitative criteria to assess the performance of our NEOs. Our objectives include achieving the EPS target, achieving favorable TSR relative to our peers, managing our costs per customer, customer satisfaction, our response time to natural gas emergency calls, reliability of service, and business development. The charts below illustrate the relationship between our 2022 financial performance targets and our actual performance.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

The chart below illustrates the relationship between our 2022 performance and our CEO’s 2022 compensation.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE PRACTICES

The Company highly values strong compensation governance practices. We believe our executive compensation practices align with our corporate values and provide a foundation for success. The governance practices we employ, and those we avoid, include:

2022 SAY ON PAY ADVISORY VOTE

At the May 2022 Annual Meeting, 96.94% of the votes cast were in support of our Say on Pay advisory resolution on our executive compensation. We view this outcome as a signal of strong shareholder support for our executive compensation philosophy, policies and practices.

Decision Making Process

ROLE OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

The Compensation Committee makes all compensation decisions regarding our CEO, our other NEOs and other executive officers, including the level of cash compensation and equity awards. Our CEO annually evaluates each executive officer’s performance and presents his evaluation to the Compensation Committee for its consideration of salary adjustments, annual incentive opportunity and annual equity award amounts. The Compensation Committee annually reviews the CEO’s performance, which it considers in the development of the CEO’s salary adjustments, annual incentive opportunity and annual equity award amounts.

ROLE OF THE COMPENSATION CONSULTANT

The Compensation Committee selects and retains an independent compensation consultant to support its oversight of our executive compensation programs. For 2022, the Compensation Committee engaged Meridian as its independent compensation consultant. (The Committee also purchased survey information from the Willis Towers Watson (“WTW”) Energy Services Executive Compensation database but did not otherwise consult with WTW.) Meridian provides the Compensation Committee consulting services solely relating to executive compensation and governance matters. In accordance with NYSE rules, the Compensation Committee determined Meridian is independent and, further, no conflicts of interest arose due to Meridian’s services rendered to the Compensation Committee.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

A representative of Meridian attended Compensation Committee meetings in 2022 and advised the Compensation Committee on the principal aspects of executive compensation, including the competitiveness of program design and award values and specific analyses for our executive officers.

The Compensation Committee determines the work to be performed by Meridian. Meridian works with our Vice President of Safety & Chief People Officer and his staff to gather data required in preparing its analyses for Compensation Committee review. Meridian provides services or advice to management only to the extent requested by the Compensation Committee.

Meridian interacts with management to gather information and obtain recommendations, but the Compensation Committee Chair determines if and when Meridian’s advice and materials can be shared with management. When important pay decisions are made, Meridian provides advice to the Compensation Committee in an executive session without Company management present. This approach ensures the Compensation Committee receives objective advice from Meridian so the Compensation Committee can make independent decisions about executive pay.

ROLE OF MANAGEMENT

Our CEO provides input to the Compensation Committee for each executive officer’s (other than himself) total compensation and each component of compensation.

At the request of the Compensation Committee, both the Vice President of Safety & Chief People Officer and our CEO regularly attend Compensation Committee meetings, excluding the executive sessions during which their respective compensation and other matters are discussed.

RISK MITIGATION OVERVIEW

The Compensation Committee believes the Company’s compensation policies and practices do not create risks reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. In establishing pay practices for the Company, the Compensation Committee’s goal is to design a compensation structure that does not encourage inappropriate risk-taking by employees or executive officers. The following features of the compensation structure reflect this approach:

Elements of Compensation

COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES

Our compensation program is designed to align the interests of our NEOs with those of our shareholders and to pay for achieved performance. To accomplish these objectives, our compensation program incents executive officers to achieve specific annual, long-term, and strategic goals and improves shareholder value. The Compensation Committee believes the overall compensation of our senior executives should be weighted toward variable performance-based compensation. As a result, a significant portion of compensation is linked with goals related to specific items of corporate performance likely to produce long-term shareholder and customer value.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

The charts below show the portion of target compensation that is variable and, therefore, is “at risk” for our CEO and the average for our other NEOs. Variable compensation includes annual incentives, RSUs and performance shares. The charts also show the portion of target compensation for our CEO and the average target compensation for our other NEOs directly linked to share value, including RSUs and performance shares.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS AND PEER GROUP

The Compensation Committee believes it is important to provide a compensation structure competitive with compensation paid to comparable executives of companies within the energy/utility industry to ensure the Company can attract and retain quality employees in key positions to lead the Company. To achieve this objective, the Compensation Committee works with Meridian to conduct an annual competitive review of its total compensation program for our CEO and other NEOs. Through the review process, the Compensation Committee generally targets overall total compensation levels (base, short-term incentive and long-term incentives) at the median of the peer group. Pay components for an individual NEO may be higher or lower than the median depending on an individual’s role, responsibilities, and performance within the Company. The Compensation Committee believes this target positioning is effective to attract and retain our executives.

The Compensation Committee annually compares each element of NEO total compensation against a peer group of publicly traded companies within the energy/utility industry of similar revenue size and market capitalization. For 2022, our NEO compensation was compared with market data, as disclosed in proxy statements, from the fourteen companies in the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Utilities Index (“Proxy Peer Group”). This group is designed to be representative of the Company’s business, size and competitive market for talent.

The use of publicly disclosed data allows the Company to maintain a consistent peer group. The Proxy Peer Group can change slightly from year to year due to changes in company size and weightings determined by S&P; MDU Resources was removed from the index in 2022 due to industry reclassification. The median revenues and market capitalization of the Proxy Peer Group were $2.2 billion and $3.9 billion, respectively. This compares with Avista’s revenues of $1.6 billion and market capitalization of $2.7 billion. The companies comprising the 2022 Proxy Peer Group were:

To supplement market data derived from the Proxy Peer Group, the Compensation Committee also considered benchmark compensation data derived from the WTW Energy Services Executive Compensation database, which covered comparable diversified energy companies with revenues between $1 billion and $3 billion and with median revenues of $1.62 billion. This supplemental compensation data helped to inform the Compensation Committee on broad market compensation practices and trends within the energy services sector.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

The Compensation Committee believes in aligning pay with performance. To help accomplish that alignment, all executives receive annual performance reviews conducted by their direct manager, and the Compensation Committee reviews each NEO’s performance ratings.

At the beginning of each calendar year, the Compensation Committee asks our CEO to develop specific performance targets and goals for his role based on strategic goals for the Company set by the Board. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves our CEO’s goals at its annual February meeting and presents those goals to the full Board for its information and review. The Board quarterly reviews our CEO’s performance relative to his targets. At the end of the year, the Compensation Committee reviews our CEO’s year-end results as part of its overall CEO annual performance review process.

BASE SALARY

Our NEOs are provided with an annual base salary to compensate them for services rendered during the year. The Compensation Committee reviews the base salary of all executive officers at least annually. The factors influencing the Compensation Committee’s decisions in setting the annual base salary for our NEOs include the market data provided by Meridian and each NEO’s job complexity, experience and breadth of knowledge in the utility and diversified energy industry. The Compensation Committee also considers each NEO’s responsibilities, which may include electric and natural gas utility operations, as well as subsidiary operations, and recognizes the Company operates in several states, which requires quality relationships and interaction with multiple regulatory agencies.

2022 Base Salaries

In addition to considering the factors noted above, the Compensation Committee also reviews performance results from the prior year to determine how our CEO performed against specific targets and operational goals established at the beginning of the prior year. Our CEO’s annual performance goals for 2021 were generally related to strategic planning, financial performance, safety targets, diversified energy resource management, regulatory and legislative matters, succession planning, governance and customer value delivery. When reviewing the CEO’s base salary for 2022, the Compensation Committee agreed our CEO met the established goals for 2021 performance.

The Compensation Committee also reviewed performance ratings of each of the other NEOs to determine appropriate adjustments in base salary. The Committee considered market data and individual performance in determining 2022 salary increases. The table below outlines the changes to base salary in 2022 for our NEOs.

2022 EXECUTIVE OFFICER ANNUAL CASH INCENTIVE

The 2022 Executive Officer Annual Cash Incentive Plan (the “Cash Incentive Plan”) was designed to align the interests of our NEOs and senior management with those of our shareholders and customers through the achievement of financial and operational performance goals for the Company. The Cash Incentive Plan reflects these goals by having 55% of the total incentive opportunity tied to Consolidated Earnings Per Share, 40% tied to key components of utility operation and 5% tied to business development. Each metric is independent, which allows the Cash Incentive Plan to pay a portion of the award upon the attainment of one goal even if the other goals are not met.

The Cash Incentive Plan’s performance metrics are based on factors essential for the long-term success of the Company, and, except for the Consolidated Earnings Per Share and the metric tied to business development, are identical to performance metrics used in the Company’s annual cash incentive plan for non-executive employees. The Compensation Committee believes having similar metrics for both the Cash Incentive Plan and the non-executive plan encourages employees at all levels of the Company to focus on common objectives.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

The following chart shows the Cash Incentive Plan performance goals for each performance metric, the weighting of each metric, and the 2022 actual results of each metric.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

The Compensation Committee sets target goals for these performance metrics that are rigorous, but reasonably achievable with strong management performance. Maximum performance levels were designed to be difficult to achieve given historical performance and the Company’s forecasted results at the time the performance metrics were approved. Over the last ten years, the actual performance results of the Plans have averaged 107% of target and ranged from a low of 25% of target to a high of 150% of target as shown in the chart below.

2022 EXECUTIVE OFFICER ANNUAL CASH INCENTIVE TARGET AWARD OPPORTUNITY

Individual annual cash incentive awards are set as a percentage of base salary. The Compensation Committee compares annual cash incentive opportunity levels against the Proxy Peer Group. As discussed previously, the Compensation Committee targets overall total compensation levels, which include base salaries, short-term incentives, and long-term incentives at the median of the Proxy Peer Group.

For 2022, the Compensation Committee maintained the target opportunity of 100% of base salary for the CEO, 65% of base salary for the CFO and 60% of base salary for each of the other NEOs. The actual total amounts paid could increase (up to 150% of target) or decrease (as low as 0% of target) depending on the Company’s actual performance.

2022 RESULTS FOR THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S ANNUAL CASH INCENTIVE PLAN

After the end of each year, the Compensation Committee assesses the performance of the Company against each Plan objective, comparing the actual year-end results to the pre-determined threshold, target, and exceeds levels for each objective, and an overall percentage amount for meeting the objectives is calculated and audited.

Based on this review, at its February 2023 meeting, the Compensation Committee determined the Company met the targets for three of the four non-financial metrics: Customer Satisfaction, Reliability, and Average Response Time. The target was partially met for Non-Regulated Activity. The Company exceeded the target for Consolidated Earnings Per Share, but the target was not met for O&M Cost Per Customer. The actual performance result of the 2022 executive officers’ annual cash incentive plan was 113.5% of target. As a result, and at the same meeting, the Compensation Committee authorized payment of cash incentives equal to 113.5% of base salary (113.5% of 100%) for our CEO, and an average of approximately 70% of base salary (113.5% of 61%) for all other NEOs.

LONG-TERM EQUITY COMPENSATION

The Compensation Committee believes equity-based compensation is the most effective way to create a long-term link between shareholder returns and the compensation provided to NEOs and other key management. This program encourages participants to focus on long-term Company performance and provides an opportunity for executive officers and designated key employees to increase their ownership in the Company through grants of Company stock that can be earned based on either service or performance, over a three-year cycle. Using long-term performance awards and RSUs, the Company can compensate executives for sustained increases in the Company’s stock performance, as well as long-term growth relative to its peer group for the relevant cycle.

The Company’s current Long-Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”) authorizes various types of equity awards. As with all the components of executive compensation, the Compensation Committee determines all material aspects of the long-term incentive awards—who receives an award, the form of the award, the amount of the award, the timing of the award, as well as any other aspect of the award it may deem material.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

For 2022 equity grants, the Compensation Committee determined each NEO’s target LTIP value based on competitive market data and the NEO’s ability to influence overall Company performance. In addition, and as previously discussed, the Compensation Committee targets overall total compensation levels, which include base salaries, short-term incentives and long-term incentives, at the median of the Proxy Peer Group. The Compensation Committee determined 75% of the NEO’s target LTIP value would be granted in the form of performance share units and 25% of the NEO’s target LTIP value would be granted in the form of RSUs. Awards are generally granted each year at the February Compensation Committee meeting and the granting of awards is not coordinated with the release of material non-public information.

Performance-Based Equity Awards

Our performance-based equity awards are designed to provide a direct link to the long-term interests of shareholders by ensuring shares will be paid only if the Company attains specified performance levels. For 2022, 37.5% of the awards were contingent on our TSR relative to our peers and 37.5% was measured by our CEPS over a three-year period. For 2022, the Compensation Committee considered market data provided by Meridian regarding the total compensation levels for our CEO and all other NEOs compared to the median of the Proxy Peer Group.

The peer group for TSR performance purposes consists of the fourteen companies comprising the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Utilities Index, as discussed previously, as of January 1 in the first year of the three-year performance cycle. Throughout the course of the performance cycle, companies may be added or dropped from the index by S&P due to mergers or other activities. At the end of the cycle, new companies added to the index are included in the rankings as if they had been in the ranking from the beginning, provided there is sufficient trading history to include them in the final calculation. When a company is dropped from the index, everything related to the company is excluded as if it were never in the index. The amount of payment of any award is determined at the end of the three-year performance cycle based on the Company’s percentile rate-of-return ranking compared to the companies in the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Utilities Index, and is payable at the Compensation Committee’s discretion in cash, shares of Company common stock, or a combination of both. Dividend equivalents on performance awards are accumulated and paid upon vesting if the awards vest and are paid based on performance. If the Company’s relative TSR over the three-year performance period is below the threshold performance required to earn the award, accumulated dividends are forfeited as well.

The second performance metric, CEPS, aligns with current competitive practices within the peer group based on market data provided by the Compensation Committee’s consultant. Each year the Compensation Committee reviews and establishes a threshold, target, and maximum performance level for CEPS. The Compensation Committee seeks to establish performance levels that assure the goals are realistic enough to be achievable yet difficult enough to incentivize outstanding performance. The amount of payment of any award is determined at the end of the three-year performance cycle based on the Company’s earnings and is payable at the Compensation Committee’s discretion in cash, shares of Company common stock, or a combination of both. Dividend equivalents on performance awards are accumulated and paid upon vesting if the awards vest and are paid based on performance. If the Company’s CEPS over the three-year performance period is below the threshold performance required to earn the award, accumulated dividends are forfeited as well.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

Range of Award Opportunity for Performance Share Units

Each year, the Compensation Committee approves a grant to each NEO of a target number of performance share units that vest over a three-year performance cycle based on achieving pre-determined performance goals. The number of performance shares that may be earned at the end of the performance cycle can range from 0% to 200% of the target, depending upon the level of achieved performance. The target number of performance share units granted to each NEO was determined by dividing the NEO’s target LTIP value allocated to performance share units by the grant date share price of our common stock.

The table below shows the changes made to the target value of performance share grants in 2022 for the 2022 through 2024 performance period for our NEOs. In general, the target value of performance shares increased to align with market data for 2022. Ms. Rosentrater and Mr. Thackston received the highest increases to bring them closer to market at the SVP level.

The table below outlines the target number of performance share units granted in 2022.

The following graphs show the percentage of performance share units that will be earned at different levels of achieved performance.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

2020-2022 Performance Shares Settlement

For performance shares linked to the Company’s TSR and granted in 2020 for the performance period ending December 31, 2022, the Compensation Committee held a special meeting on January 10, 2023, to review, certify, and settle the issuance of shares to executive officers. The Company’s cumulative TSR was 1.45% during the three-year performance cycle, which placed the Company at the 55^th percentile among the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Utilities Index. Based on these results, our CEO and our other NEOs earned 112.5% of the performance share awards granted in 2020 vesting based on TSR. Accrued cash dividend equivalents were paid out on the same percentage of performance shares covered by the 2020 grant.

For performance shares linked to the Company’s CEPS and granted in 2020 for the performance period ending December 31, 2022, the Compensation Committee reviewed, certified and settled the issuance of shares to executive officers at its February 2023 meeting. The Company’s CEPS for the 2020-2022 performance cycle ended at $6.12. Since the results were below threshold performance level, no shares were earned, and no cash dividend equivalents were paid on performance shares granted in 2020.

Restricted Stock Units

In February 2022, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of RSUs to each NEO. The 2022 RSUs are designed to incent retention, link compensation to the value of the Company common stock and align the interests of our NEOs with those of our shareholders. The 2022 RSUs are subject to three-year ratable vesting. On each vesting date one-third of the RSUs are settled in

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

shares, provided the NEO remains continuously employed by the Company through the vesting date. Dividend equivalents on RSUs accrue and are paid in cash to the extent the underlying RSUs vest. To the extent RSUs are forfeited, the accrued dividend equivalents on such RSUs also would be forfeited.

The number of RSUs granted to each NEO was determined by dividing the NEO’s target LTIP value allocated to RSUs by the grant date share price of our common stock. The table below shows the changes made to the target value of RSU grants in 2022 for the 2022 through 2024 vesting period for our NEOs. As with performance share units, in general, the target value of performance shares increased to align with market data for 2022. Ms. Rosentrater and Mr. Thackston received the highest increases to bring them closer to market at the SVP level.

The following chart shows the value realized by our NEOs for the RSUs vested and issued along with the associated cash dividend equivalents.

PERQUISITES

The Company does not provide any perquisites or personal benefits to our CEO or any other NEO.

OTHER BENEFITS

The majority of our employees, including our NEOs, are eligible for the Company’s defined benefit plan, the Company’s 401(k) plan, health and dental coverage, Company-paid term life insurance, disability insurance, paid time off and paid holidays.

The Company’s retirement plan provides a traditional retirement benefit based on employees’ compensation and years of credited service. Earnings credited for retirement purposes represent the final average annual base salary of the employee for the highest 36 consecutive months during the last 120 months of service with the Company. The NEOs participate in this retirement plan.

SUPPLEMENTAL EXECUTIVE RETIREMENT PLAN

In addition to the Company’s retirement plan, the Company provides additional pension benefits through the SERP to the Company’s executive officers. Details of the SERP benefits and the amounts accrued by each NEO are found in the Pension Benefits section on page 54.

The Compensation Committee believes the pension plans and the SERP are an important part of our NEOs’ compensation. These plans are market competitive within the energy/utility industry and serve a critically important role in the retention of senior executives. The benefits increase each year these executives remain employed, thereby encouraging our most senior executives to remain employed and continue their work on behalf of shareholders.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

EXECUTIVE DEFERRED COMPENSATION

The Company also maintains an Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (the “EDC Plan”). Each NEO may voluntarily participate in this EDC Plan on the same terms and conditions as all other eligible employees who reach a set compensation level. This EDC Plan is competitive in the market and provides eligible employees and executives with a tax-efficient savings method. Additional information about this EDC Plan, including 2022 contributions and year-end account balances, can be found in the Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan table on page 55.

COMPANY SELF-FUNDED DEATH BENEFIT PLAN

To provide death benefits to beneficiaries of executive officers who die during their term of office, the Company maintains an executive death benefit plan providing an executive officer’s designated beneficiary with a lump sum payment equal to twice the executive officer’s final annual base salary, payable within 30 days of the executive’s death. Prior to January 1, 2008, the plan continued to provide the death benefit to the beneficiaries of executives who died after retirement. Effective January 1, 2008, the post-retirement death benefit was eliminated for any individual who became an executive officer after that date. Individuals who were executive officers prior to January 1, 2008 continue to be eligible for the post-retirement death benefit. For an officer who is eligible for the post-retirement death benefit, in the event of his or her death after retirement, the designated beneficiary will receive a lump sum equal to twice the retired executive officer’s total annual pension benefit. Death benefits are paid from the general assets of the Company. The present value of this benefit for each NEO can be found in the Potential Payment Upon Termination or CIC Tables starting on page 56.

SUPPLEMENTAL EXECUTIVE DISABILITY PLAN

The Supplemental Executive Disability Plan provides benefits to the Company’s executive officers who become disabled during employment. The plan provides a benefit equal to 60% of the executive officer’s annual salary at the date of disability reduced by the aggregate amount, if any, of disability benefits provided for under the Company’s Long-Term Disability Plan for employees, workers’ compensation benefits, and any benefit payable under provisions of the Federal Social Security Act. Benefits will be payable until the earlier of the executive officer’s date of retirement or age 65. The present value of this benefit for each NEO can be found in the Potential Payment Upon Termination or CIC Tables on page 56.

CHANGE IN CONTROL (“CIC”) AND SEVERANCE BENEFITS

The Compensation Committee believes it is in the interest of shareholders to provide severance to our executive officers in the event of a CIC, thereby reducing the inherent conflict of our executive officers pursuing a transaction that may result in their personal job loss. Effective January 1, 2020, our new Executive Change in Control Plan (“CIC Plan”) was put in place for all executive officers of the Company replacing individual agreements certain executive officers had regarding a CIC. The following are key features of the plan:

Additional information regarding the CIC Plan, including definitions of certain key terms and a quantification of benefits that hypothetically would have been received by our NEOs under the CIC Plan, and an applicable termination occurred on December 31, 2022, due to a CIC can be found in the Potential Payment Upon Termination or CIC Tables on page 56.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS (“CD&A”)

INTERNAL REVENUE CODE (“CODE”) SECTION 162(M)

Code Section 162(m) prohibits a publicly held corporation from taking a deduction for compensation paid to an NEO in excess of $1 million for any fiscal year. When consistent with the Company’s compensation philosophy and objectives, the Compensation Committee structures its compensation plans so the related compensation expense may be deductible for tax purposes. However, in light of the need to maintain flexibility in administering our executive compensation program and the recent changes in the tax law, the Compensation Committee retains discretion to recommend to the Board executive compensation that will not be deductible.

Compensation Governance Matters

Recoupment Policy

The Compensation Committee believes if the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement because of misconduct or a material error, incentive payouts based on the original results should be revised. Therefore, the Board adopted a formal recoupment policy applicable to incentive compensation awards. The policy authorizes the Company to recover incentive payouts if those payouts are based on performance results subsequently revised or restated to levels that would have produced payouts lower than the original incentive plan payouts. If willful or negligent misconduct or material error results in a restatement of financial results, the Compensation Committee may recommend that the Board either require forfeiture of incentive awards or seek to recover appropriate portions of the executive officer’s compensation for the relevant period, in addition to other disciplinary actions that might be appropriate based on the circumstances.

Effective February 5, 2020, the Compensation Committee expanded this policy to allow up to three years of incentive compensation to be subject to recovery for detrimental conduct, which includes:

The Board, in its discretion, would determine when the need for a recoupment is triggered, to whom the recoupment would apply, the amount subject to recoupment and the recoupment mechanism.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

The Board has implemented stock ownership guidelines for the Company’s executive officers. The guidelines require executive officers to own shares and achieve set ownership levels based on a formula designated as a multiple of salary within a target timeframe of five years from their employment date or date of promotion, as described within the program guidelines. The value for each executive’s ownership level is determined by using the average closing share price over the prior calendar year. This methodology aligns with current competitive practices within the peer group based on market data provided by Meridian.

The objectives of our stock ownership guidelines are to: