William F. Martin Keynote Speaker

Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy (1983-89)
Chairman, US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (2002-2010)
Chairman, Washington Policy & Analysis

William F. Martin's Biography

William F. Martin is an energy economist who has served as Executive Secretary of the National Security Council, Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy under President Reagan. He was formerly chairman of the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee and chairman of the Council on Foreign Relation’s Energy Security Group for the past ten years. In 2006, he was elected President of the University for Peace of the United Nations.

Martin was educated at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School (BS, 1972) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (SM, 1974). His master’s thesis was the basis of an article he published in the Harvard Business Review (“Our Society in 1985: Business may not like it, March 1975”). Following graduation from MIT, he joined the MIT Energy Laboratory as Program Officer for the Workshop on Alternative Energy Strategies. During his four years on the professional research staff of MIT, he co-authored three books, Growth and Its Implications for the Future, (Roundtable Press, 1973), Energy Supply to the Year 2000 (MIT Press, 1977) and Professional Materials for Environmental Management Education (MIT Press, 1975).

Following MIT, Martin was responsible for energy statistics for developing countries at the International Energy Agency (OECD, Paris) and was part of a UN expert group that developed the methodology for reporting United Nations energy statistics. In 1977, he was promoted to special assistant to the Executive Director of IEA, Ulf Lantzke, and served in this capacity for three years during the time of the second oil shock.

Following his four years in Paris, Martin joined the Department of State as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State. In 1981, he was transferred to the National Security Council as Director of International Economic Affairs. From l983 to l985, he was appointed Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, responsible for the coordination of the President’s international and head of state meetings. Martin also served as the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council before being confirmed by the United States Senate as United States Deputy Secretary of Energy.

Martin joined the Board of the World Resources Institute in 1998 and served as WRI’s Chairman of the Development Committee. In 1997, he was a co-author of a Trilateral Commission study, Maintaining Energy Security in a Global Context. In 1992, he served as the Executive Director of the Republican Platform Committee and co-authored the Committee’s volume, The Shared Vision, Uniting our family, our country, our world (Republican National Committee, 1992).

In 2004, Martin was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations to the Council of the University for Peace. He was elected Chairman of the Council of the University for Peace at its October, 2006 meeting. In 1998, Martin co-founded the Robinson-Martin Security Scholars Program at the Prague Security Studies Insitute that aims to educate Czech students in national security. He is also co-founder of the Club of Prague, a group of internationally prominent scientists, businessmen and scholars devoted to the finding technological solutions and new ways of thinking to meet energy challenges in a sustainable manner. The Club was formed under the auspices of former President Vaclav Havel, Prague Mayor Pavel Bem and Foreign Minister Alexander Vondra.

On May 8, 2018, Martin received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver from Emperor Akihito of Japan in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The citation of the Emperor and Prime Minister notes his contributions to strengthening US-Japan relations in the field of nuclear energy. On October 4th the US Ambassador of Japan held an event in his honor. The US deputy secretary of Energy spoke at the gathering.

Energy Security

This talk considers energy security in the new energy era and its implications for US geopolitical strength and business as told through the eyes of former US Deputy Secretary of Energy.

The Future of Nuclear Energy

This talk considers Nuclear power’s role in achieving energy security and environmental quality including strategies for reducing risks of security and non-proliferation. As Chairman of the Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (NEAC) of the Department of Energy for ten years under President Bush and Obama, Martin recaps over thirty years of experience in nuclear power.

US-Japan Strategic and Energy Relations

With forty years of experience working with Japan as head of the US-Japan Santa Fe Seminar, Martin describes current US-Japan challenges and opportunities as outlined in testimony before a government committee on the aftermath of Fukushima and the role of US-Japan relations.

The Republican Party—Strategies for Victory in 2016

As former Executive Director of the Republican Platform Committee, Martin outlines ideas and strategies that can bring Republicans victory in 2016.

Ronald Reagan, The Man

A first hand look at Reagan’s style and legacy from the perspective of the Chief of Staff of Reagan’s National Security Council who had an office in the basement of the West Wing.

Balancing Environmental Sustainability with Economic Growth

This talk explores ideas for how we can achieve prosperity without severe regulation and constraints on the economy.

Homeland Security in the 21st century:

As head of Reagan's domestic nuclear emergency response effort during the era of the Cold War, Martin reveals strategies that worked for Reagan and can be applied today.

He brings rare authority at the intersection of energy, national security and geopolitics, shaped by senior White House and US Department of Energy leadership.
He translates decades of experience navigating oil shocks, energy security and nuclear policy into clear insight that helps leaders anticipate systemic risk and policy-driven change.
He offers a global perspective from work with the IEA, UN energy statistics and international security groups, connecting data, diplomacy and markets to strategic decisions.
He equips boards and executives to think long-term about energy transition choices, balancing security, technology and economic realities in a volatile world.