Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government announced that “Daniel Poneman, former Deputy Secretary of Energy, has joined Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs as a senior fellow.””  

Poneman was nominated by President Obama to be Deputy Secretary of Energy on April 20, 2009, and was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 18, 2009. Under the leadership of Secretaries of Energy Steven Chu and Ernest Moniz, Poneman also served as Chief Operating Officer of the Department. Between April 23, 2013, and May 21, 2013, Poneman served as Acting Secretary of Energy. He concluded his responsibilities as Deputy Secretary on October 3, following the longest tenure in that position in the Department’s history.””  

Poneman’s responsibilities spanned the full range of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, including fossil and nuclear energy, renewables and energy efficiency, and international cooperation around the world. He led 2009 negotiations to address Iran’s nuclear program and participated in the Deputies’ Committee at the National Security Council. He played an instrumental role in the Department’s response to crises from Fukushima to the Libyan civil war to Hurricane Sandy, and led the Department’s efforts to strengthen emergency response and cybersecurity across the energy sector. As Chair of the Credit Review Board, he considered a wide array of DOE loan guarantees to support the expansion of clean power generation (including wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass) and advanced vehicles across the nation. His efforts supported all three pillars of the President’s Climate Action Plan – cutting carbon pollution in America, preparing the United States for the impacts of climate change, and leading international cooperation to support the first two pillars.”