Melvin G. Williams, Jr. - Associate Deputy Secretary
Melvin G. Williams Jr., Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (retired), serves as the Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy.
He is a key leader for the Department of Energy’s management and operational excellence. He reports directly to the Secretary of Energy and the Deputy Secretary, and drives improvements in mission execution and assures that they are efficiently and effectively implemented throughout the Department.
A nuclear trained submariner, he served in the U.S. Navy for thirty-two years as a commissioned officer and one year as an enlisted sailor. His extensive operational assignments included four Command opportunities, including Commander of U.S. Second Fleet (130 ships and over 90,000 sailors and marines), Commander of Submarine Group Nine, Commander of Submarine Squadron Four, and Commanding Officer of USS Nebraska (SSBN-739, Gold crew) - an OHIO class Strategic Ballistic Missile submarine. Other key operational assignments included Deputy Commander at, U.S. Fleet Forces, Director of Global Operations at U.S. Strategic Command, Chief of Staff for the KITTY HAWK Carrier Strike Group during initial combat operations of Operation Enduring Freedom following the 9/11/2001 attacks on our Nation, and Executive Officer on USS LOUISVILLE during initial combat operations in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm.
Mel Williams is a 1978 graduate with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy (Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics), holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Catholic University, and attended Harvard’s JFK School of Government (National and International Security).
He has various military awards and his civic recognitions include Black Engineer of the Year Award for Professional Achievement, National Society of Black Engineers Award for Lifetime Achievement in Government, and the Thurgood Marshall Award for Service and Leadership.
