Catherine Wolfram Joins U.S. Treasury Department to Lead Energy and Climate Change Policy

MARCH 3, 2021

Energy Institute Faculty Affiliate, Catherine Wolfram, has been selected to join President Biden’s treasury department as deputy assistant secretary for climate and energy economics. Catherine started her role in the treasury’s Office of Economic Policy this week. She is on leave from her most recent position as associate dean for academic affairs and chair of the faculty at Berkeley Haas.

“It’s fantastic that the Biden Administration is paying so much attention to climate change, and I’m excited to be part of the efforts. It’s one thing to sit in your office and write about what policy makers should and shouldn’t do, but I’m really curious to see how these decisions get made in practice.”
– Catherine Wolfram

Catherine brings broad and deep expertise on climate and energy economics in the United States, Europe, and the developing world. She has published extensively on the economics of energy markets. Her recent work has analyzed rural electrification programs in the developing world, energy efficiency programs in the U.S. and electric vehicle charging in California. Catherine joins Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a professor emerita, and Assoc. Prof. Adair Morse, appointed deputy assistant secretary of capital access last month, as the third Berkeley Haas woman appointed to a leadership role in the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

“Catherine brings a rare combination of expertise on energy and climate issues in developed and emerging markets. With experience in both areas, she sees the connections between making progress on carbon emissions domestically and helping grow developing economies on a sustainable pathway.”
– Severin Borenstein

We congratulate Catherine on this exciting appointment.