Brigham A. McCown

Brigham McCown is senior fellow and director of the Initiative on American Energy Security at Hudson Institute. His work at Hudson focuses on energy security, critical minerals, global supply chains, regulatory reforms, and the strategic competition shaping global energy markets.

McCown’s four-decade career spans the federal government, corporate operations, military command, academia, and public policy. He is a former CEO of an Arctic energy company and has held senior roles in four United States presidential administrations, including head of a federal agency. McCown has also held senior leadership roles across the Departments of Defense and Transportation, served on three presidential transition teams, and been appointed to several federal advisory boards.

A decorated naval aviator, McCown commanded operational units worldwide and later served in key national security and interagency roles. As an attorney admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court and a former partner at a major law firm, he brings a deep understanding of statutory interpretation, regulatory frameworks, and risk governance to his work. He has overseen major operating and capital programs, exercised profit and loss and enterprise-level risk oversight, and led safety-critical organizations responsible for energy transportation, environmental protection, and infrastructure resilience.

McCown has advised heads of state, secretaries and ministers, CEOs, and senior military leaders. He frequently comments in national and international media on energy security, infrastructure resilience, global markets, and geopolitical risk.

He previously taught business, law, and policy as a professor of practice at Miami University. McCown holds a JD and an MBA, has completed executive leadership programs, and earned a graduate certificate in energy innovation and emerging technologies from Stanford University. He serves on several boards and continues to advise organizations on governance, risk, and long-term strategic planning.