The Honorable Brian C. Griffin
Federal Representative, Southern States Energy Board
Brian C. Griffin is a native Oklahoman, who received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University. In 1974, Mr. Griffin was one of 32 Americans selected as a Rhodes Scholar. As a Rhodes Scholar, he attended Oxford University where he received his British law degree. After Oxford, Mr. Griffin returned to Oklahoma where he received his American law degree from the University of Oklahoma. While at O.U., he was Research Editor of the Oklahoma Law Review and a member of the Order of Coif. He also holds an LL.M. in Taxation from Southern Methodist University.

Before being appointed by President George Bush in 1992 as Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States, Mr. Griffin served almost four years in the Bush Administration as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Tax Division of the United State Department of Justice, in which role he oversaw all appellate tax litigation for the United States, including cases in all Federal courts of appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

As Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States, Mr. Griffin was one of the highest ranking Oklahomans to have served in either the Bush or Clinton Administrations. As Chairman of the Administrative Conference, Mr. Griffin oversaw an agency whose primary mission was to advise the President and all three branches of government, and to make recommendations for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our government.

Many notable Cabinet Secretaries, White House officials and Supreme Court Justices have served as members of the Administrative Conference. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer both served on the Administrative Conference, and, like Chairman Griffin, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is a former Chairman of the Administrative Conference.

In 1992, the mission of the Administrative Conference was expanded to include advising other countries on their administrative reform efforts. Mr. Griffin was the first Chairman to oversee and participate in this expanded international role for the Administrative Conference, leading high-ranking delegations to the former Soviet Union and to the People's Republic of China.

On April 15, 1997, Governor Keating appointed Mr. Griffin to his Cabinet as the Secretary of Environment. In this capacity, Secretary Griffin was responsible for all environmental matters within the State of Oklahoma.

In January 1999, he became an active participant of the Southern States Energy Board (the Board) by joining its Committee on Coal and Advanced Power Systems. Governor Keating appointed Secretary Griffin to serve as a member of the Board’s newly formed Southern States Biobased Alliance in January 2001. At the inaugural meeting of the Alliance, Mr. Griffin was elected co-chair. In 2002, Mr. Griffin became Governor Keating’s alternate to the Board. He held both these positions until January 2003 when Governor Keating’s term expired.

President Bush appointed Mr. Griffin as the Federal Representative on April 9, 2003. As such, his role is to serve as the official liaison between the President of the United States, the Southern States Energy Board and all federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, state agencies, and other elected officials in the southern states. In this capacity, he:

• Represent the Board’s perspective on issues before the U.S. Congress;

• Assist the Board in the development of federal programs of interest to the southern states; and

• Assist the Board in formulating programs that involve energy and environmental issues in regional policy development and activities.