Mike Kopp serves as the Deputy Under Secretary and Acting Director of the Office of Arctic Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he helps lead departmental strategy and operations across a broad portfolio of national energy priorities. In these roles, Mike provides senior leadership on cross‑cutting initiatives, Arctic and remote community energy resilience, and high‑impact policy development that advances U.S. economic and national security interests.
Previously, Mike served as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he played a key leadership role in the Department’s Critical Minerals and Materials portfolio along with several other strategic initiatives. His leadership experience spans military service, elected office, and executive roles across the business, public, and nonprofit sectors. He began his career as a non‑commissioned officer and paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School.
Mike was twice elected to the Colorado State Senate, serving as Senate Minority Leader. He later managed the corporate affairs team for a large electric cooperative before being recruited to serve as President and CEO of a statewide business organization focused on economic growth issues including energy, housing, infrastructure, and regulatory policy. He subsequently helped launch an investment fund focused on the lower middle market. He has held gubernatorial and senate‑confirmed appointments and has served on the boards of both public and private universities in Colorado as well as multiple nonprofit organizations.
Mike holds a BA from North Central University and an MPA from the University of Colorado Denver.