Ken McQueen

Ken McQueen serves as Oklahoma’s Cabinet Secretary of Energy and Environment where he was appointed in 2022 by Governor J. Kevin Stitt. In this role, he is responsible for 36 state agencies, boards, compacts, and commissions as well as advancing policies that encourage economic growth.

Before this appointment, he co-served as US EPA Region 6 Administrator in Dallas TX and US EPA National Energy Policy Advisor. He was the first and only native-born Oklahoman to serve as a regional administrator at EPA. During his time at EPA, he also served as Co-Chair of the Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC) and Co-Chair of the US-Mexico Border 2020 Regional Work Group for New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua

Before federal service, he was New Mexico’s Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources (EMNRD) and led New Mexico’s energy efforts to become the third largest crude oil producer in the US. EMNRD includes the Departments of Oil Conservation, Forestry, State Parks, Energy Conservation and Management, and Mining. During his appointment in New Mexico, he also served as Chair of the Rio Grande Trails Commission, Chair of the Carlsbad Brine Well Authority, Chair of the Natural Lands Protection Committee, Chair of the New Mexico Radioactive Waste Consultation Task Force, Secretary of the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) , member of the Water Trust Board (WTB), and member of the Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB)

Industry experience spanned 35 years as a petroleum engineer, retiring as an asset team Vice President for a major upstream energy company in 2016. Notable industry experience includes a diversified domestic and international energy background in three countries and 12 states, leading a multi-disciplined exploration and production team to go well beyond the status quo.

His academia background includes serving as a petroleum engineering adjunct professor at University of Tulsa and guest lecturer at other colleges and universities.

In addition to teaching, Mr. McQueen consulted on a wide array of natural resource issues, with particular focus on water use/reuse, the hydrogen economy, helium, oil and gas, electrical generation, and carbon sequestration.

Mr. McQueen graduated from the University of Tulsa with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering; he currently serves on TU’s Industry Advisory Board where he twice served as chair. He was inducted into the TU College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2018.

Mr. McQueen is a high school graduate of Davis Public Schools in south-central Oklahoma.