Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment

The Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment is an undersecretary position within the United States Department of State. The Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment serves as senior economic advisor at the State Department and advises the Secretary of State on international economic policy and is often referred to as the senior economic diplomat of the United States. The Under Secretary also leads the work of the department on trade, agriculture, aviation, and bilateral trade relations with America's economic partners.

United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Acting  since January 20, 2025
Department of State
Reports to	The United States Secretary of State
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	William L. Clayton
Formation	August 1, 1946
Salary	Executive Schedule, Level 3
Website	Official Website

The position is called the “E” within the government. Responsibilities include international trade and investment policy; international finance, development, and debt policy; economic sanctions and combating terrorist financing; international energy security policy; international telecommunications and transportation policies; support for U.S. businesses, and economic policy analysis, public diplomacy and private sector outreach. The E also serves as the Privacy Shield ombudsperson.

History

An Act of Congress first authorized an Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs on August 1, 1946, for a 2-year period as the third-ranking officer in the department. The position was not renewed, however, and between 1947 and 1958 the ranking officer in the department handling foreign economic matters was either a Deputy Under Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of State. On June 30, 1958, Congress re-established the position of Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Mutual Security Act. The following year, the Department of State Organization Act of July 30, 1959, authorized the President to appoint either an Under Secretary for Political Affairs or an Under Secretary for Economic Affairs.

Between 1959 and 1972, during periods when there was no Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, the ranking officer for foreign economic affairs was again either a Deputy Under Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of State. On July 13, 1972, Congress established separate and permanent positions at the Under Secretary of State level for Economic Affairs and for Political Affairs, in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. On August 16, 1985, Congress changed the title to include Agricultural Affairs. The Under Secretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary (previously Under Secretary) on matters relating to foreign economic and commercial policy. Specified duties, responsibilities, and assignments have varied over time. Each incumbent is commissioned with a functional designation as part of his title. On May 12, 1994, the title was changed to Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs. It was changed again in 2011 to Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment after the reorganization of the EEB bureau to EB, and the spin off of two new bureaus under the Under Secretary.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2019, the E is also charged with advancing the State Department's economic development agenda; elevating and intensifying the department's efforts related to energy security, clean energy, and environmental sustainability; and fostering innovation through robust science, entrepreneurship, and technology policies. The E covers issues that reach from the vastness of space, through the Office of Space Affairs, to the depths of the oceans with the goal of advancing U.S. strategic interests through policy aimed at ensuring that economic growth and a healthy planet go hand in hand.

List of Under Secretaries of State for Economic Affairs, 1946–1985

#	Name	Assumed office	Left office	President served under
1	William L. Clayton	August 3, 1946	October 15, 1947	Harry S. Truman
2	C. Douglas Dillon	July 1, 1958	June 11, 1959	Dwight D. Eisenhower
3	George W. Ball	February 1, 1961	December 3, 1961	John F. Kennedy
4	Thomas C. Mann	March 18, 1965	May 31, 1966	Lyndon B. Johnson
5	William J. Casey	February 2, 1973	March 14, 1974	Richard Nixon
6	Charles W. Robinson	January 3, 1975	April 9, 1976	Gerald Ford
7	William D. Rogers	June 18, 1976	December 31, 1976	Gerald Ford
8	Richard N. Cooper	April 8, 1977	January 19, 1981	Jimmy Carter
9	Myer Rashish	June 29, 1981	January 20, 1982	Ronald Reagan
10	W. Allen Wallis	September 23, 1982	January 20, 1989	Ronald Reagan

List of Under Secretaries of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs, 1985–1994

The office of Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs was renamed the Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs on August 16, 1985.^{[citation needed]}

#	Name	Assumed office	Left office	President served under
10	W. Allen Wallis	September 23, 1982	January 20, 1989	Ronald Reagan
11	Richard T. McCormack	April 14, 1989	May 3, 1991	George H. W. Bush
12	Robert Zoellick	May 20, 1991	August 23, 1992	George H. W. Bush
13	Joan E. Spero	April 1, 1993	February 24, 1997	Bill Clinton

List of Under Secretaries of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs, 1994–2011

The office of Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs was renamed the Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs on May 12, 1994.

#	Name	Assumed office	Left office	President served under
13	Joan E. Spero	April 1, 1993	February 24, 1997	Bill Clinton
14	Stuart E. Eizenstat	June 6, 1997	July 16, 1999	Bill Clinton
15	Alan P. Larson	November 24, 1999	February 25, 2005	Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
16	Josette Sheeran	August 23, 2005	April 4, 2007	George W. Bush
17	Reuben Jeffery III	June 27, 2007	January 20, 2009	George W. Bush
18	Robert Hormats	September 23, 2009	July 31, 2013	Barack Obama

List of Under Secretaries of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, 2011–present

The office of Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs was renamed the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment on December 8, 2011.

#	Name	Assumed office	Left office	President served under
18	Robert Hormats	September 23, 2009	July 31, 2013	Barack Obama
19	Catherine A. Novelli	April 22, 2014	January 20, 2017	Barack Obama
-	Manisha Singh (Acting)	September 28, 2018	June 20, 2019	Donald Trump
20	Keith J. Krach	June 21, 2019	January 20, 2021	Donald Trump
-	Marcia Bernicat (Acting)	January 20, 2021	August 5, 2021	Joe Biden
21	Jose W. Fernandez	August 6, 2021	January 20, 2025	Joe Biden
-	(Acting)	January 20, 2025	Incumbent	Donald Trump

References

1. "Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment". Office of the Historian. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
2. "Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment - Principal Officers - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
3. "Office of Space Affairs - United States Department of State".
4. "Administrative Timeline of the Department of State". history.state.gov.
5. Rogin, Josh (December 8, 2011). State Department unveils new super-office: economics, energy, and the environment. FP (Foreign Policy Magazine), December 8, 2011. Retrieved on January 29, 2017 from https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/12/08/state-department-unveils-new-super-office-economics-energy-and-the-environment/.
6. "Marcia Bernicat - United States Department of State".

External links

• The government website of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
• The Office of the Historian's history of the position, and list of former Under Secretaries