On Friday President Obama announced his intent to nominate Charles McConnell to serve as assistant secretary of the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy. This position is subject to Senate confirmation.

Mr. McConnell currently serves the office as Chief Operating Officer. Below is Mr. McConnell’s biographical sketch provided by the White House.

Charles McConnell, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Department of Energy
Charles McConnell is the Chief Operating Officer in the Office of Fossil Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Prior to joining DOE in 2011, Mr. McConnell served as Vice President of Carbon Management at Battelle Energy Technology from 2009-2011, with responsibility for business and technology management. He previously spent 31 years with Praxair, Inc., in various positions in the U.S. and Asia, including as Global Vice President. Mr. McConnell has held a number of advisory positions including chairmanships of the Gasification Technologies Council and the Clean Coal Technology Foundation of Texas. He has served on the FutureGen Advisory Board in Texas, the Gulf Coast Carbon Center, T&P Syngas Company, the Pittsburgh Coal Conference and the Coal Utilization Research Council. Mr. McConnell holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Cleveland State University.