Trump Selects Three Senior DOE Officials
DOE senior staff nominees, from left to right; Wells Griffith, Darío Gil, and Brandon Williams.
Wells Griffith for Congress, IBM, Congress.
President-elect Donald Trump announced his selection of three senior Department of Energy officials yesterday: National Science Board Chair Darío Gil to be under secretary for science and innovation, former Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY) to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration, and Wells Griffith to be under secretary of energy.
Trump also recently announced his selection of James Danly, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair, to be deputy energy secretary.
If confirmed, these nominees will serve under Trump’s nominee for secretary of energy, Chris Wright, who appeared at a Senate confirmation hearing earlier this week.
Darío Gil, under secretary for science and innovation
Gil currently chairs the National Science Board and is the director of IBM Research. In its present form, the role of under secretary for science and innovation oversees DOE’s applied R&D programs and the Office of Science, which is the steward of 10 national labs. If confirmed, Gil would be the successor to Biden appointee and physical chemist Geri Richmond, who has served in the role since 2021.
As NSB chair and a member of the Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST) taskforce, Gil has advocated for a modern-day National Defense Education Act to bolster American science and technology. Gil’s work at IBM focuses on directing innovation in technologies such as hybrid cloud computing, AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing. Gil is the first industry executive appointed to lead the NSB in more than 30 years.
“Darío is a brilliant businessman and scientist,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.
Gil served on the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology during Trump’s first term, chairing a subcommittee focused on American global leadership in industries of the future which helped to produce a report on the same theme.
“It is a great honor to be nominated for the position of Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy,” said Gil in an emailed statement. “This office is the largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences, and through its world-leading network of National Laboratories, it tackles some of the most inspirational and aspirational challenges we pursue as a Nation.” Gil added that the future prosperity and security of the U.S. depends on its leadership in energy, science, and technology.
An NSB spokesperson said Gil will stay in his NSB chair role until he secures Senate confirmation. NSB Vice Chair Victor McCrary would then act as chair until a new board election is held.
Brandon Williams, NNSA administrator
Williams was in the Navy from 1991 to 1996 and served on a nuclear submarine. NNSA is responsible for designing the reactors used in Navy submarines. NNSA also oversees three of DOE’s national labs and is currently engaged in efforts to ramp up production of the plutonium cores used in nuclear weapons.
During his single term in Congress, Williams sponsored various energy-related bills, including the Department of Energy Artificial Intelligence Act of 2024, which aimed to invest in AI R&D at the agency, and a bill aiming to incentivize the production of advanced nuclear fuel. Neither made it into law. Williams also served on the House Education, Science, and Transportation committees.
Wells Griffith, under secretary of energy
Griffith held multiple roles at DOE and in the White House during Trump’s first term, including senior director for energy and environment on the National Security Council and acting assistant secretary for international affairs at DOE — roles that Trump highlighted in a Truth Social post announcing his selection.
Griffith will replace Biden appointee David Crane, who holds the title of “undersecretary of energy for infrastructure.” It is unclear whether the Trump administration intends to alter the scope of the role.
