Governor Jennifer Granholm

Jennifer Granholm is an American lawyer, educator, author and politician who served most recently as the 16th United States Secretary of Energy, and before that as the two-term governor of Michigan (2003-2011). As governor, she spearheaded Michigan’s economic recovery after the Great Recession by diversifying the state’s economy to focus on clean energy and revitalizing the auto industry to build electric vehicles.

As Secretary of Energy (2021-2025), Granholm restructured the U.S. Department of Energy to focus on research and development of advanced clean energy solutions, and — importantly — deployment of zero-carbon technologies. She oversaw $200 billion worth of U.S. DOE investments to accelerate the clean energy transition. During her tenure as Secretary, thanks to the policies and laws that she helped to shape, the country saw record deployment of clean energy — adding the equivalent of 30 Hoover Dams of zero-carbon energy to the nation’s electricity grid in 2024, more than twice as much solar power deployed as ever before. Businesses announced almost 1,000 factories were coming or expanding in the U.S. to build clean energy products, from solar panels to EVs, to batteries and more. The transmission grid also saw record expansion. Under her leadership, DOE with its 110,000 employees was ranked among the Top 10 Best Places to Work in the federal government. Granholm was named in 2024 to the Time 100 Most Influential People list and ranked No. 2 on Forbes list of Top Climate Leaders.

Granholm taught law and public policy at UC Berkeley from 2011-2020, specializing in clean energy and public leadership. A former Attorney General of Michigan and an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, Granholm is an engaging and motivational communicator, having delivered hundreds of keynote speeches and presentations. She is the author of A Governor's Story: The Fight for Jobs and America’s Economic Future and has penned scores of articles and opinion pieces. She regularly appears on CNN, MSNBC, and other networks, and continues to play a leading role in shaping America’s energy future.