The U.S. Department of Energy announced new appointees, including Christoper Davis, who will serve as chief of staff, in a March 18 news release.
Davis, current senior advisor to Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm, will take up his new duties April 4. He replaces outgoing Chief of Staff Tarak Shah.
"Christopher has been advising me since day one of this administration, and I have seen up close how smart, kind and passionate he is about solving the climate crisis," Granholm said in the news release. "Christopher has been and will be an excellent leader and teammate for the department. Together, with these new appointees, they will work to build on the incredible foundation we’ve laid with Tarak in the last 14 months."
In addition to Davis, the news release announced other appointees who will be taking on new roles in the department. DOE Deputy Director of Public Affairs Bridget Bartol will now be deputy chief of staff to Granholm, and Deputy Chief of Staff Jeremiah Baumann will be chief of staff to the department's under secretary for infrastructure.
The news release also announced five new administration appointees "who will work to achieve President Biden’s ambitious goals of establishing a clean energy economy that works for all Americans and combats climate change."
Michael Harris, who provided legal advise for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Division of Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior, will be a U.S. House legislative affairs advisor for the Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs office.
Isha Korde, who has a background in public health and environmental science, will be special assistant in the White House's Liaison Office.
Sonrisa Lucero, equitable buildings decarbonization manager at the Denver-based nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute, will be special advisor for stakeholder engagement in DOE's Economic Impact and Diversity office.
Fred Pfaeffle, senior environmental and civil rights attorney, will be a senior counsel in DOE's General Counsel office.
Ron Pierce, previously a Democratic National Committee senior advisor to the party's chairman and senior leadership team on veteran and small business engagement, will direct DOE's Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization office.
"These talented new colleagues bring a breadth of experience and knowledge to DOE and add to what is already an incredibly dedicated and historically diverse group," Shah said. "Together with Christopher, they will continue to advance the president’s mission to lead the world in combatting climate change and deliver an equitable clean energy future for all Americans."
The news release states the DOE appointees continue to be a "historically diverse team," with 59 percent of appointees being women, 56 percent people of color and 21 percent who identify as LGBTQ+, according to the news release.
