Former and future president Donald Trump has had four years to mull potential cabinet picks, such as secretary of energy, during a second term and the choice could be a familiar face or a surprise.
That was the assessment of a couple of contractor executives and politics-watchers who spoke to Exchange Monitor this week and speculated who might run DOE during the second Trump administration.
Between the two industry reps, they listed four names that would seemingly fall within the traditional niche of individuals with significant background in the energy, security and or nuclear issues at the department. Indeed, three of them have already worked in DOE posts.
But both industry executives stressed Trump will make his own choices and as one of them said could throw a “curve ball” pick where loyalty might count more than subject matter experience.
Mark Wesley Menezes, currently an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., was deputy secretary of energy during the first Trump administration. He has also worked with the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Paul Dabbar was undersecretary of energy for science during the first Trump term. He is currently listed in LinkedIn as co-founder and CEO of Bohr Quantum Technology, which targets quantum computing.
Lisa Gorden- Haggerty led DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration during Trump’s first term. She has also worked with the White House National Security Council and the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) decided not to run for re-election in South Carolina’s 3rd district. He is currently a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee and previously worked in banking.
During Trump’s first term, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was his first secretary of energy. The then-deputy secretary Dan Brouillette was confirmed in December 2019 to succeed Perry. Brouillette recently announced he is leaving the Edison Electric Institute.