Alumni Highlights
Deputy Secretary of Energy Credits His Success to Texas Tech
Long before he was appointed deputy secretary of the United
States Department of Energy, Clay Sell was a Red Raider.
“The four years I spent at this university were some of the best years of my life,” he says. “Without a doubt, my experiences here were critical in gaining the skills and experiences that contributed to my success since I left the university.”
Sell was sworn in as deputy secretary of the United States Department of Energy on March 21 after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He was in Lubbock for Homecoming in mid-October.
“The first thing people think of when they think Department of Energy is oil or fuel, but what we do is so much more than that,” he says. “What we do is advance the scientific and research-based innovation of the nation.”
Sell also serves as the department’s Chief Operating Officer and assists the secretary with policy and programmatic oversight over the 100,000 employee, $23 billion agency.
Prior to his White House appointment, Sell was staff director and majority clerk of the U.S. Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Before moving to Washington, Mr. Sell practiced law in Texas. He received his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech in 1989.
“Texas Tech has most certainly provided the educational and relationship foundation I needed for this position,” he says. “What we do is incredibly important, and that’s why we could use more Texas Tech grads.”
- Michael Castellon