President & COO
- Former Chief of Staff at US Energy Department;
- Former Vice Chairman, International Energy Agency Board of Governors;
- Former Co-Chair, US-China Energy Cooperation Working Group
- Former Administrative Assistant & General Counsel, U.S. Senate
Joseph McMonigle is President and COO of The Abraham Group LLC, an international strategic consulting firm based in Washington, DC. In March 2005, McMonigle stepped down from his post as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Energy after serving four years as a senior energy official in the Bush Administration.
As Chief of Staff, McMonigle helped managed a cabinet department with a $23 billion budget and over 100,000 federal and contractor employees. The Department of Energy is a diverse agency that includes 17 National Laboratories; the National Nuclear Security Administration which operates the nuclear weapons complex and non-proliferation programs; a Science program which is the nation's single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences; and a $7 billion environmental cleanup program which is the largest on the planet.
McMonigle was responsible for the implementation of the Secretary of Energy's policy initiatives as well as overseeing public affairs and strategic planning. He also provided advice to the Secretary on a broad range of topics including international affairs, budget and legal issues. He also served as the Secretary's primary liaisons to the White House, other Cabinet agencies and Capitol Hill.
In addition, McMonigle concurrently served as U.S. Representative and Vice Chairman of the Governing Board of the Paris-based International Energy Agency, an international organization of oil consuming countries, whose core mission is to work for stable energy markets and respond with joint measures to meet oil supply emergencies.
McMonigle also served as the American co-chair of the US-China Energy Cooperation Working Group and led DOE's bilateral activities and engagement with China. In 2004, McMonigle made three trips to China and headed the U.S. Delegation at the US-China Oil and Gas Summit in Shanghai.
McMonigle served two Secretaries of Energy and most recently assisted current Secretary Sam Bodman as a member of his confirmation and transition team.
Before joining the Bush Administration, McMonigle was the Administrative Assistant and General Counsel to former Michigan U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham. He was also campaign manager for the Abraham for Senate committee and has held top positions in numerous other Republican campaigns. He also served as President of the U.S. Senate Press Secretaries Association, a bipartisan organization of Senate press secretaries and communications directors.
A native of Pennsylvania, McMonigle is a graduate of King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and District of Columbia Bars.
