Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has already named a replacement for Energy Secretary Jeff Starling who announced his planned resignation as the Secretary in early October.
Picked as his successor, at least until the Governor leave’s office in January, is Chris Schinnerer, deputy secretary of energy and environment.
The governor said he will name Chris Schinnerer, deputy secretary of energy and environment, to replace Starling for the remainder of his term. Schinnerer served in the George W. Bush administration as a staff member of the National Security Council.
He left to return to Oklahoma and work for Devon Energy where he held leadership roles in marketing and strategic planning, most recently directing natural gas marketing efforts for the Permian and Powder River Basins. He most recently was vice president of business development at Lagoon Water Midstream. At Lagoon, he led the corporate and business development efforts of the company.
“Oklahoma has led the world in energy development for over a century, and we are on the cusp of the next generation of energy innovation,” Schinnerer said in the release. “I’m proud to continue to support Governor Stitt and his administration through these opportunities and set Oklahoma up to continue to lead.”
Prior to Devon, Chris was employed at Goldman Sachs supporting the Special Situations Group in New York. Before his time in New York, he worked at the White House during the administration of George W. Bush as a staff member of the National Security Council (office of Asian Affairs). He also worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Chris holds a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering; from Oklahoma State University and a Masters in Energy Finance and Policy from Columbia University.
