Mary Warlick appointed as IEA Deputy Executive Director

Mary Burce Warlick

Former US Ambassador Mary Burce Warlick has been appointed as IEA Deputy Executive Director and will soon take up duties.

Ms Warlick retired from the US Department of State in September 2017 after a 34-year career during which she served most recently as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs. Previously, she was Ambassador to Serbia under President Barack Obama, Consul General in Melbourne, Australia, and Counselor for Economic Affairs in Moscow.

In her last assignment, she served for three years as the US representative on the IEA Governing Board and as Chair of the IEA’s Standing Group on Long-Term Cooperation. Since leaving government service, she has also served as team leader for the IEA’s recent in-depth peer reviews of the energy policies in the Netherlands and Canada.

During her government career, Ms Warlick has held a variety of other senior leadership positions in Washington and overseas at the Department of State, the National Security Council and the Department of Defense.

She also has extensive foreign policy experience working on Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, having served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia; and Director of the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs and the Office of Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus Affairs.

“We are very excited to welcome Mary to the IEA,” said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA. “She brings with her a wealth of experience in energy, foreign policy and international affairs, and a deep commitment to facilitating a global transition to sustainable energy and expanding international collaboration.”

Ms Warlick holds a BA in Political Science and Humanities from Valparaiso University in Indiana, and an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

She succeeds David Turk, who recently took up duties as Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy. Keisuke Sadamori, IEA Director of Energy Markets and Security, will continue serving as acting Deputy Executive Director until Ms. Warlick starts in her new post.