DOE Announces New Biden-Harris Administration Appointees and Promotions

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced four new Biden-Harris Administration appointees who will work alongside U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm to ensure Americans have access to affordable clean energy and pursue President Biden’s goals of a 100% clean electricity by 2035 and a net-zero economy by 2050. DOE appointees are a historically diverse team, and with these appointments, are comprised of 58% women, 62% people of color, and 16% identifying as LGBTQ+. Today’s announcement also recognizes the promotion of two exceptional appointees who are taking leadership roles within the Department.   

“The Department of Energy boasts a remarkably talented group of appointees, and we are so excited to welcome four new additions. Alongside these new staff members, we are proud to announce the promotion of two appointees who have exhibited exceptional leadership in their contributions to the Administration and the country,” said DOE Chief of Staff Christopher Davis. “They bring years of experience in government, the private-sector, and public service, and will leverage those finely honed skills to help meet President Biden’s ambitious energy security and climate goals.” 

New appointees are listed below: 
 
David Berrios, White House Liaison, Office of the Secretary 
David Berrios was previously the Head of Community at Swing Left, where he oversaw the organization’s national organizing and mobilization efforts. Prior to that, he served as the coordinated campaign director for the North Carolina Democratic Party during the 2020 general election. He brings years of experience in strategic planning as well as organization-building, having worked with dozens of organizations and political campaigns since President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. Berrios is originally from Lima, Peru, and grew up in Sonoma County, California. He earned his B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. 

David Crane, Director, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations 
David Crane is a leading business voice in the field of sustainability, clean energy, and climate change. Previously Crane was the CEO of Climate Real Impact Solutions and served on the boards of Heliogen Inc., Source Global, JERA Co. Inc., and Tata Steel Ltd. along with the not-for-profits Elemental Excelerator and The Climate Group NA. Prior to Climate Real Impact Solutions, Crane was CEO of NRG. During his 12-year tenure, he took NRG from Chapter 11 to a Fortune 200 company. Crane also led NRG to the forefront of next-generation clean energy development through large-scale initiatives in utility scale renewables (now Clearway), residential solar, post combustion carbon capture (Petra Nova), and DC fast charging (EVGO). Prior to NRG, Crane was CEO of International Power plc, a United Kingdom-domiciled FTSE 100 company. During Crane’s tenure, NRG won numerous industry, community, and environmental awards, including multiple “transaction of the year” awards. Crane was named Energy Industry “CEO of the Year” by EnergyBiz in 2010, top CEO in the electric utility sector by Institutional Investor in 2011, and “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young in 2010. Crane was also awarded the Corporate Environmental Leadership award by GlobalGreen in 2014 and the Equinox Solar Champion Award and The C.K. Prahalad Award for Global Sustainability Business Leadership, both in 2015. NRG, under Crane’s leadership, was a key member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership from 2008 to 2011. Crane is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Princeton University. 

Jeff Marootian, Senior Advisor for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of the Secretary  
Jeff Marootian previously served as a Special Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Prior to his service in the Biden-Harris Administration, he was a member of the Biden-Harris Transition Team. Marootian previously served in District of Columbia government as the Director of the District Department of Transportation, where he piloted sustainable transportation technologies, oversaw the effort to electrify the city’s Circulator bus fleet, and led the city’s early adoption of the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Marootian oversaw the modernization of hundreds of miles of roads and sidewalks and advanced critical infrastructure projects, such as the reconstruction of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and expansion of dedicated bus and bike lanes. Marootian previously served in the Obama-Biden Administration as the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Chief Sustainability Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation. He is an alumnus of The George Washington University, where he has also taught as an adjunct faculty member in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Administration. 

Current appointees taking on new roles are listed below: 

Miles Fernandez, Chief of Staff, Office of Electricity  
Miles Fernandez most recently served as Director of the Office of the Executive Secretariat. Prior to joining DOE, he held the role of Director of the Office of the Secretary at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and was the youngest member of the party's leadership team. He previously served as the DNC's Youth & Seniors Deputy Engagement Director. Fernandez started his career at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. A first generation Filipino-American, Fernandez was the first in his family to graduate from college when he earned a B.A. from the University of Washington. 

Caroline Grey, Chief of Staff, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations 
Caroline Grey has more than 10 years of management experience, including her most recent role as the White House Liaison in the Office of the Secretary at DOE. Prior to joining DOE, she played integral roles in three winning Presidential campaigns, setting department and organizational priorities for President Biden as a States Director, leading President Obama’s internal polling as a Director on the Analytics team of the 2012 re-election campaign, and beginning her career as an organizer for then-Senator Obama during the 2008 Iowa caucuses. She has deep experience scaling organizations from three to 3,000, never straying from impact or joy. In 2013, Grey co-founded Civis Analytics, a data science and technology firm that empowers organizations to engage the people they care about most. Originally from Berkeley, California, she lives in Washington, D.C. 
 

Click here for the full list of DOE Biden-Harris Administration appointees.