The Honorable Clarence “Bud” Albright retired in January 2023 as the immediate past President and CEO of the United States Nuclear Industry Council (USNIC). He was elected to that position in March of 2020 after serving as the organization’s chairman of the board. The companies represented by USNIC are engaged in all aspects of nuclear technology advancement including, innovative fuels, medical isotope development, space technology, reactor design, and fuel cycle technology, among other related advancements in the field of nuclear energy.

Albright continues in his role as founder of Albright Strategies, a full-service consulting and advisory organization focused primarily on federal issues. He also held a position as Principal at Ogilvy Government Relations, one of Washington’s top government relations firms. Immediately prior to joining Ogilvy, Albright served as Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs for CenterPoint Energy, a Houston, Texas based energy delivery company, operating on a multi-state level throughout the U.S.

Albright is the former Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, as the third most senior official at DOE, he provided leadership for energy and environment programs, including: energy research and development; demonstration and deployment; environmental cleanup; legacy management and radioactive waste management, all with a total budget of nearly $15 billion. Albright was appointed by President Bush and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Prior to joining the Department, Albright served as Staff Director for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce. In that role he worked to address issues facing the country’s energy, environmental, telecommunications, and health industries. Before joining the Committee, Albright was Vice President of Federal Affairs for Texas-based Reliant Energy in the Washington, DC office.

Albright has also served in the government in a variety of capacities, including Deputy Associate Attorney General and Senior Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Additionally, Albright served as Associate Counsel on the U.S. Senate Select Committee investigating the Iran-Contra incident. From 1981 through 1986, he also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. While attending law school, Albright worked on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

A native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Albright holds an undergraduate degree in history and political science from Presbyterian College in his home state of South Carolina, and a Juris Doctor degree from George Mason University School of Law in Virginia.