President-elect Donald Trump has named Chris Wright as his secretary of the Department of Energy, and the second-named member of the newly formed Council of National Energy, which is being led by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who will serve as Interior secretary for the Trump Administration..
Wright is a leading technologist and entrepreneur in energy, having worked in nuclear, solar, geothermal, and oil and gas. He pioneered the shale revolution that fueled American energy independence, and helped transform global energy markets and geopolitics, Trump said.
Wright has known and worked for years with Burgum.
“This team will drive U.S. Energy Dominance, which will drive down Inflation, win the A.I. arms race with China (and others), and expand American Diplomatic Power to end Wars all across the World,” Trump said.
Trump is empowering Wright to drive innovation and cut red tape.
Chris Wright Biography:
Self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur, Wright is the founder, chief executive officer, and chairman of the Board of Liberty Energy (NYSE: LBRT).
Wright completed an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at MIT and graduate work in Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley and MIT. He founded Pinnacle Technologies and served as CEO from 1992 to 2006. Pinnacle created the hydraulic fracture mapping industry, and its innovations helped launch commercial shale gas production in the late 1990s.
He was chairman of Stroud Energy, an early shale gas producer, before selling to Range Resources in 2006. He founded and served as executive chairman of Liberty Resources and Liberty Midstream Solutions until its sale in 2024.
In addition to his role at Liberty, he sits on the Board of Directors for Urban Solutions Group, Oklo Inc. (NYSE: Oklo), and EMX Royalty Corp. (NYSE: EMX). He also serves on the board of numerous nonprofit organizations, including ACE Scholarships, and as a founding board member of the Bettering Human Lives Foundation.
Wright grew up and currently lives in Colorado with his wife, Liz.
Only Trump has the KSAs – knowledge, skills, and ability – to build such an amazing coalition of experts and successful Americans. He continues to amaze.