David Turk

For the American historian, see David S. Turk.

David M. Turk is an American attorney who served as the United States deputy secretary of energy in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025.^[1][2]

David Turk
Official portrait, 2021
21st United States Deputy Secretary of Energy
In office March 25, 2021 – January 20, 2025
President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Mark Menezes
Succeeded by	TBD
Personal details
Born	Quito, Ecuador
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Emily Turk
Children	3
Education	University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) University of Virginia (JD)

Early life and education

Turk was born in Quito, Ecuador and raised in Rock Falls, Illinois.^[3] Turk attended Rock Falls High School before he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1999.^[4][5]

Career

From 2001 to 2007, Turk worked in the United States Senate offices of Joe Biden and Kent Conrad. He was also the staff director of the United States House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security. During the Obama administration, he served as a special assistant to the president and senior director of the United States National Security Council. He then moved to the United States Department of State, where he worked as a deputy special envoy for climate change and helped coordinate efforts to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons between Russia and the United States.^[6][7] Turk later served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Climate and Technology.^[2] He joined the International Energy Agency in October 2016, where he helped promote clean energy around the world.

On February 13, 2021, his nomination by President Joe Biden to be Deputy Secretary of Energy was formally submitted to the Senate for confirmation.^[8]The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources favorably reported the nomination by a 20–0 vote, and the full United States Senate confirmed Turk by a 98–2 vote on March 24, 2021, with only Senators Josh Hawley and Rand Paul in opposition.^[9] He was sworn in on March 25, 2021, by Secretary Jennifer Granholm.^[10]

Turk attracted controversy at DOE by relying on International Energy Agency data to justify the controversial Biden Administration policy to freeze U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) export approvals in early 2024. ^[11]

Personal life

Turk and his wife, Emily, have three children. Emily is a sustainability expert and architect.^[4]