DOE Welcomes New Biden-Harris Appointees and Announces Promotions

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that nine new Biden-Harris Administration appointees have joined the DOE to work alongside U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm to implement President Biden’s historic climate and energy agenda and the Administration’s investments in energy infrastructure across the nation. DOE also announced that six current appointees are taking on new roles in the Department. With these new hires, DOE appointees continue to make up an historically diverse team with 57% women, 59% people of color, and 21% of staff identifying as LGBTQ+.

“The Department of Energy has a workforce of dedicated public servants, and we are thrilled to be growing the team with new appointees who are committed to President Biden’s goal that the transition to clean energy reaches, and lifts, every pocket of America,” said DOE Chief of Staff Christopher Davis. “This cohort of talented individuals is arriving at DOE during a pivotal time as the Department, under Secretary Granholm’s leadership, implements the energy investments in the President’s Investing in America agenda.”

New appointees are listed below:

Derrick Buechele Bhole, Special Assistant, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Bhole was previously a legislative correspondent in the office of U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (GA), where he covered tax, banking, budget, appropriations, manufacturing, and trade issues. Bhole previously served as finance associate on the Warnock for Georgia campaign in 2020. He holds a B.S. in economics and psychology from the University of Georgia and is pursuing a M.S. in economics from Johns Hopkins University. Bhole grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia, and is a proud son of Brazilian and Indian immigrants.

Alexander T. Bok, Senior Advisor, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
Bok was most recently general counsel and director of government affairs at an energy storage technology platform. Previously Bok served as corporate counsel with responsibilities for government affairs and business development for a lithium-ion battery manufacturer based in Massachusetts. Bok has also served in a variety of senior roles in several early-stage start-ups. Bok served as the Chairman of the Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund and as an executive committee member of the Environmental League of Massachusetts board. He co-chaired the Energy, Environment and Open Spaces transition team for Boston Mayor-elect Martin J. Walsh from 2013 to 2014. Bok earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, and a B.A. in government from Harvard College.

Sarah Butler, Director, Office of the Executive Secretariat
Butler was most recently Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the office of U.S. Senator Ed Markey (MA), where she worked for the past decade. Butler started her career as a congressional aide for Senator Markey when he was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. She later served as Chief Democratic Clerk for the U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and Committee on Natural Resources. She also served on Senator Markey’s campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2013.

John Farah, Oversight Advisor, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Farah previously gained energy law experience at Holland & Knight LLP and White & Case LLP. He worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a law clerk for the Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Farah held fellowships with the Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown University and the Public Policy and Law Practice of K&L Gates LLP. Born and raised in Michigan, Farah is a first-generation American of Arab and Armenian heritage. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A. in communication, legal institutions, economics, and government from American University, graduating cum laude.

Deion Lemelle, Director of Scheduling, Office of Management
Lemelle previously served as Assistant Director at the University of Chicago Center for Effective Government, worked as Special Assistant and Engagement Manager at Win the Era, and was both a Principal Scheduler and Principal Travel Manager for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential primary campaign. Lemelle also served in the United States Navy for more than two years, having been a Student Naval Aviator until his medical disqualification from flight training in 2017. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and a B.S. in aerospace science engineering from Tuskegee University. He is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot, FAA advanced ground instructor, and FAA instrument ground instructor.

Dr. Ariel Marshall, Chief of Staff, Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation
Marshall was previously the legislative director for U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH). In that position, Marshall developed and implemented the Senator’s legislative agenda, including leading efforts to secure historic investments in energy, water, and broadband infrastructure as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. During her nearly nine-year tenure on Capitol Hill, Marshall served in many roles, including as a senior domestic policy advisor, helping to advance legislative initiatives in the areas of energy, environment, advanced manufacturing, science and innovation, and additional domestic policy fields. Marshall holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a doctorate degree in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Anna Newby, Director of Public Affairs, National Nuclear Security Administration
Newby was previously Senior Director for Communications at Albright Stonebridge Group, where she led work to develop and execute the firm’s communications and marketing strategies across a variety of earned and owned platforms. Before that, she served as Communications Director and Managing Editor of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, where she led strategic communications, content development, digital marketing, and media relations for the program and its scholars. Earlier in her career, she was an editor with the World Bank’s Poverty Global Practice, a Yahoo! Junior Fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, and Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. Newby received her M.S. in foreign service from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and her B.A. from Brown University.

Andrew Sacks, Deputy Speechwriter, Office of Public Affairs
Sacks most recently served as a Presidential Writer at the White House. Previously, he wrote speeches for U.S. House of Representative and U.S. Senate candidates. He previously served on the Biden-Harris campaign in Pennsylvania and Pete Buttigieg’s presidential primary campaign in Iowa. Sacks holds a B.A. in history and literature from Harvard University.

Giulia Siccardo, Director, Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Siccardo was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company and leader of McKinsey’s Green Growth service line. For more than a decade, she has focused on scaling low-carbon systems and value chains across major corporations and emerging start-ups, covering zero-emissions energy, vehicles, and materials. Together with industry leaders, she founded Frontier, a $1-billion-plus advance market commitment to catalyze high permanence carbon dioxide removals. Prior to McKinsey, Siccardo worked at Adobe on clean energy procurement and data center decarbonization. Siccardo holds a dual B.A. in economics and environmental studies from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Appointees taking on new roles are listed below:

Christian Bato, Senior Regional Advisor, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Bato was most recently Regional Intergovernmental and External Affairs Specialist for the Southwest. He previously worked for U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) in her Las Vegas office. Previously, he was the Nevada Coalitions Director for the Biden-Harris campaign. He began his career working for SEIU’s iAmerica, which advocated for immigrant justice in the AAPI and Latino communities. Bato is originally from Rancho Cucamonga, California, and holds a B.A. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is the proud son of Filipino immigrants.

Rose Dady, Director of Community Engagement, Office of State and Community Energy Programs
Dady was most recently Regional Intergovernmental and External Affairs Specialist for the Midwest. She previously served as Director of Grants Administration for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office in Detroit, Michigan. Immediately prior, she was the District Director for U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence (MI-14). She also served as the Michigan Coalitions Director for the Biden-Harris campaign. She has dedicated her career to implementing grassroots solutions for marginalized groups throughout the state of Michigan.

Matt Dannenberg, Senior Tribal Liaison, Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Dannenberg was most recently Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Before that, he was Senior Associate Director at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. He previously was the Wisconsin Coalitions Director for the Biden-Harris campaign. Dannenberg started his career at Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters as an organizer, field director, and program director. He also served as communications and legislative director at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Dannenberg is a proud member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Crystal Perkins, Senior Regional Advisor, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Perkins was most recently Regional Intergovernmental and External Affairs Specialist for the South Central United States. She was previously a strategy and fundraising consultant for progressive campaigns and organizations. She served as the South Central Regional Finance Director for Biden for President and the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Before joining the Biden campaign, she served as Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party and held positions at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She grew up on the south side of San Antonio, Texas, and graduated from Texas State University.

Spencer Thibodeau, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs
Thibodeau was most recently Regional Intergovernmental and External Affairs Specialist for the Northeast. Thibodeau is an attorney and public servant who practiced law in the real estate practice group of the Portland, Maine-based law firm Verrill Dana LLP for eight years. In addition to his legal practice, Thibodeau served for nearly six years on the Portland City Council, where he chaired the Housing and Economic Development (2021) and Sustainability and Transportation Committee (2017 to 2020) committees. In 2020, Thibodeau was selected to be the Maine Senior Advisor to the Biden-Harris campaign. Thibodeau has served on a number of boards and committees, including the United Way of Greater Portland and the Equity Subcommittee of the Maine Climate Council. Thibodeau also served as a member of Maine Governor Janet T. Mills’ transition team in 2019. Thibodeau is a graduate of Fairfield University and Northeastern University School of Law.

Avi Zevin, Principal Deputy General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
Zevin was most recently Deputy General Counsel for Energy Policy. Zevin is an attorney with experience advancing policies that enable the provision of carbon-free, reliable, and cost-effective electricity. He was a senior attorney and Affiliated Scholar at the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law and an attorney at Van Ness Feldman LLP. Zevin holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a B.A., with high honors, from the University of California, Berkeley.

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