Kerry Duggan
Kerry C. Duggan is a nationally recognized policy leader, strategist, corporate board director, and highly sought-after global speaker. Known as a "climate MacGyver" for her ability to navigate complex challenges, Duggan is the founder of Energy Security Partners (ESP). Since 2017, the global strategic advisory firm has helped clients, ranging from multinational corporations and the Breakthrough Energy Ventures portfolio to major universities and foundations, navigate the intersection of energy, security, and economic development with pragmatic, place-based solutions.
A trusted cross-sector advisor, Duggan has held senior roles from the White House to the boardroom. She currently serves on the corporate boards of Perma-Fix and BlueGreen Water Technologies, as well as the advisory boards of Arctaris Impact Investors, Commonweal Ventures, Our Next Energy (ONE), Aclima, Inc., Vesta, and Zero Circle. Committed to her home state, she is a two-time appointee of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Council on Climate Solutions, served on the bipartisan Growing Michigan Together Council's Infrastructure & Place Working Group, and was appointed to the inaugural Detroit Women’s Commission by City of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (no relation).
An alumna of the Obama-Biden White House, Duggan played a key role in shaping national policy as a climate and energy advisor to then–Vice President Joe Biden, simultaneously serving as Deputy Director of President Obama’s Detroit Task Force. She later served as a Biden delegate to the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force, on the Biden-Harris Transition Team, and was appointed to the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) under Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Her earlier roles at the U.S. Department of Energy included Liaison to the City of Detroit under Secretary Ernest Moniz, Director of Legislative, Regulatory, and Urban Affairs, and Stakeholder Engagement Director for the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.
Beyond government, Duggan was a Partner at the Honorable Tom Ridge’s firm and is a lecturer at the University of Michigan, where she founded both the SEAS Sustainability Clinic in Detroit and the Michigan Business Sustainability Network. Crain’s Detroit Business has named her to their prestigious “40 Under 40” and inaugural “Notable Leaders in Sustainability” lists, and her work has been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, and Scientific American.
A daughter of the Great Lakes, Duggan earned Division I basketball scholarships at St. John’s University and the University of Vermont, where she earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies. She holds an M.S. in Natural Resource Policy & Behavior from the University of Michigan. She is a film executive producer, angel investor, and proud mom.