WASHINGTON -- Former White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty and former Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz have announced the creation of a consulting partnership that will focus on energy matters.
McLarty, a Hope, Ark., native, served as the chairman and chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 natural gas company before going to Washington.
Moniz, a nuclear physicist, is a professor emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was the founding director of the MIT Energy Initiative. He was secretary of energy in the administration of President Barrack Obama.
EJM Associates, an energy advisory firm founded by Moniz, will partner with McLarty Associates, offering advice on energy policy, technology, innovation and risk assessment.
McLarty Associates is "kind of like a private-sector State Department," McLarty, who served in the administration of President Bill Clinton, said in an interview. "We help companies open markets and solve problems around the word."
Now clients will be able to tap Moniz's expertise and his understanding of energy markets and policy, McLarty said.
"I think most people would describe Ernie, pretty clearly, as whip-smart. Brilliant," McLarty said. "He's got an engaging personality, a great spirit, and ... he does know how to bring people together."
Moniz is widely respected, according to Colette Honorable, who served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and is a former Arkansas Public Service Commission chairman.
"His skills [are] formidable with regard to energy and physics and science. He is equally savvy with regard to the development and execution of energy policy," she said.
The former Cabinet member also has a proven ability "to navigate the choppy waters on the Hill before Congress," she said. "His leadership is vast and he's a very well respected and admired man."
Moniz and McLarty have known each other for several years and worked together on an MIT interdisciplinary study that focused on natural gas.
The former Cabinet member said he looks forward to working with McLarty, calling him "a smart guy, a strategic guy, a gentleman, a high values guy and a fun guy."
The partnership is a good fit, he said.
"What we see is a real opportunity for synergy because we really have complimentary skill sets," Moniz added.
Business on 07/15/2017