FOIA records show senior Biden-era Energy Department officials discussed future university positions and funding matters while still in power before moving into elite academic posts.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Senior officials in the Biden administration’s Department of Energy communicated with top universities about academic opportunities while still serving in government, then later accepted prominent roles at those same institutions, according to documents first obtained by the Functional Government Initiative.
The records, reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation and released through Freedom of Information Act requests, detail correspondence involving former DOE Deputy Secretary David Turk and former Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity Shalanda Baker. The materials show both officials engaged in meetings and discussions with future employers while still holding senior federal authority, according to reporting first obtained by the Functional Government Initiative.
975181139 DOE Biden Officials FOIA by yourNEWS Media
Turk, who served as DOE deputy secretary, later joined Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs as a distinguished visiting fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy. According to the records, Turk exchanged emails and arranged meetings with Columbia officials between February and October 2024 while still in government. His academic appointment began in January 2025, according to Columbia’s announcement naming him a distinguished visiting fellow.
During that same period, the Department of Energy announced that Columbia University had been selected to enter negotiations for funding under a $68 million artificial intelligence initiative, according to DOE materials announcing the program selection process and the list of selected awardees. Federal spending records show DOE ultimately obligated $450,000 to Columbia for the AI project, as reflected on USAspending.gov and Columbia’s own research listings.
Emails reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation show Turk arranging meetings with Jason Bordoff, the founding director of Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy, including discussions in early 2024 and exchanges about artificial intelligence and energy policy later that year. In a July 25, 2024 email, Turk described extensive DOE work on data centers and AI-driven electricity demand and said the department would be eager to learn more about Columbia’s research efforts.
The FOIA records also show Bordoff inviting Turk to attend Columbia’s invitation-only Global Energy Summit in April 2024, an event hosted by the Center on Global Energy Policy and promoted through the summit’s event materials. Turk’s response to the invitation was not included in the released documents. Funding opportunities for the AI initiative had been announced in February 2024, overlapping with Turk’s correspondence with Columbia.
Separately, Baker was named the University of Michigan’s first vice provost for sustainability and climate action in June 2024, according to the university’s announcement. Emails show that faculty and administrators reached out to Baker in March and April 2024 while she was still serving at DOE.
On March 8, 2024, Susan Fancy, associate director of the University of Michigan’s Global CO₂ Initiative, emailed Baker seeking support for clean energy and carbon management research and broader DOE investment in projects tied to social justice and energy justice, according to the FOIA documents. Fancy praised Baker’s work at DOE and referenced efforts to prevent what she described as “climate imperialism.” Later, on April 23, 2024, the executive assistant to the university’s provost contacted Baker to schedule discussions about a potential position.
Roderick Law, a spokesman for the Functional Government Initiative, said the records reflect a broader pattern. “FGI and others have documented the ever-spinning revolving door between the Biden administration’s climate and environment focused agencies and offices and outside special interest activist groups,” Law said. “It appears there was also a door to elite academia. It never hurts for job seekers to have access to grant money and government research. Call it an attractive value-add.”
Baker told the Daily Caller News Foundation that she disclosed her employment discussions in accordance with policy and referred further questions to the DOE Office of the General Counsel. Turk, Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the Department of Energy did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The FOIA materials reviewed by the outlet were published in full, including internal DOE emails and correspondence with university officials released publicly.
The disclosures come as several other Biden-era Energy Department officials have moved into influential positions outside government following President Donald Trump’s return to office. Previous reporting detailed how former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined the board of a major utility company that received millions in DOE funding during her tenure, part of what critics describe as the broader “swamp” transition and Granholm’s post-administration board role.
“It seems the Biden DOE was quite a springboard for political appointees to land in academia,” the Functional Government Initiative said in a statement.
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