Joseph Hezir joined former Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz and fellow Principal Melanie A. Kenderdine in founding the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to driving innovation in energy technology, policy, and business models. As a Principal and Executive Vice President, Hezir is the lead executive on key EFI research projects including reports examining federal support for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) research technologies; the U.S. nuclear enterprise and its key role in national security, and white papers on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) budget priorities and federal tax incentives for energy innovation. He is also currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University.
Hezir (pronounced HE-sher) served as chief financial officer and senior advisor to the secretary of energy from 2013 through 2017. As chief financial officer, he led a 200-person organization responsible for the $30 billion DOE budget, and supervised strategic planning, programming, budget formulation, and budget execution. As senior advisor to Secretary Ernest Moniz, Hezir managed organization and strategic initiatives. He led the analytical work, advocacy, and negotiations processes with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and Congress to secure a total increase in the DOE budget of about 10 percent during his tenure. Hezir also played a key role in cross-departmental management processes, serving as chair of the Loan Program Risk Committee, vice chair of the Credit Review Board, member of the DOE Operating Committee, and the Energy Council and Cyber Council. He provided key contributions to the Quadrennial Energy Review, the Quadrennial Technology Review, departmental reorganization, collective energy security policy, and National Laboratory strategic partnerships.
Prior to joining DOE, Hezir was a senior member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative. He served as Executive Director of The Future of Solar Energy study from 2012 to 2013 and was a co-author of The Future of National Gas study published in 2011. He led the analysis of industry demand opportunities for natural gas and natural gas liquids while co-leading a meta-analysis of the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing and a modeling analysis of natural gas substitution in electric power generation.
From 1992 to 2014, Hezir co-founded and served as managing partner of the EOP Group, Inc, providing strategic advice to corporations, nonprofit organizations, and industry trade associations on environmental, energy, budget, and regulatory policy. He also formed the EOP Foundation and EOP Education, LLC, affiliated organizations providing public policy analysis and executive training programs. He is a co-author of two books published by the EOP Foundation, Understanding the Budget of the United States Government and Understanding the Regulatory Policy of the United States Government.
Hezir served for 18 years (1974 to 1992) in positions of increasing responsibility at the White House Office of Management and Budget, rising to the level of senior career official responsible for federal energy, science, technology, and space exploration policies and budgets. Early in his career, he held short-term appointments with Exxon Research and Engineering Company, President Jimmy Carter’s Government Reorganization Project, St. Joe Minerals Corporation, Carnegie Mellon University, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.
Affiliation
- Board Member, Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University
Awards and Honors
- William A. Jump Foundation Award (1989)
- The President’s Outstanding Federal Executive Award (1989)
