DOE Announces New Senior Leaders

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced several new senior leadership appointments.

The new leaders will direct policy at the DOE, coordinate across the administration and enact U.S. President Joe Biden’s vision for bold action on the climate crisis and on safeguarding the Americans most affected by it, the DOE noted.

Tarak Shah will serve as the organization’s new Chief of Staff, becoming the first Indian-American and first openly LGBTQ person to hold the position at the DOE. David G. Huizenga will serve as the Acting Secretary of Energy. He was most recently Associate Principal Deputy Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration and has been a career employee at the DOE since 1987. Other appointments can be seen below:

• Shalanda H. Baker - Deputy Director for Energy Justice
• Vanessa Z. Chan - Director, Office of Technology Transitions (Chief Commercialization Officer)
• Robert Cowin - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Engagement
• Tanya Das - Chief of Staff, Office of Science
• Christopher Davis - Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy
• Ali Douraghy - Chief of Staff, Office of the Under Secretary for Science & Energy
• Caroline Grey - White House Liaison
• Todd Kim - Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and Enforcement
• Jennifer Jean Kropke - Director of Energy Jobs
• Andrew Light - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs
• David A. Mayorga - Director of Public Affairs
• Shara Mohtadi - Chief of Staff, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
• Ali Nouri - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs

According to the DOE’s website, the organization’s mission is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. Based in Washington, DC, the organization has been in existence since 1977 but traces its lineage to the Manhattan Project effort.

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