Joseph Bordogna Forum: David Turk, Former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy

David Turk has served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy from March 2021 to January 2025. As Deputy Secretary, Turk served as the number two official and Chief Operating Officer of a $50 billion per year organization focused on all things energy, basic science, and nuclear security. Turk has taken a leading role in implementing President Biden’s historic clean energy legislation, including coordinating with the White House, interagency partners, companies, investors, NGOs, and other key stakeholders. With Secretary Granholm, he has orchestrated a major reorganization of the Department to create and staff new offices to demonstrate and deploy clean energy technologies. Turk has also focused on early-stage innovation, including the launch of a series of Energy Earthshots. Turk led U.S. delegations to various G7, G20, IEA, IAEA, and climate conferences, and coordinated bilaterally with dozens of countries in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, Asia, Europe, and from around the world.

Prior to his nomination as Deputy Secretary, Turk was the Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, where he focused on helping countries around the world to make progress on their clean energy transitions. Turk coordinated with all 31 IEA Member countries; various other country Partners; and a wide variety of companies, investors, and NGOs. He also helped lead various analytical efforts, including Digitalization and Energy, the Future of Hydrogen, and Tracking Clean Energy Progress.

In the Obama-Biden Administration, Turk served for a first time in the Department of Energy, including spearheading the launch of Mission Innovation – a global effort to enhance clean energy innovation. Turk has also been a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the U.S. National Security Council, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change at the State Department, and a Staff Director of the National Security Subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee. 

Turk was born in Quito, Ecuador, and raised in Rock Falls, Illinois. He is a graduate of both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Virginia Law School. He and his wife, Emily Turk, have three children.