Brigham A. McCown

Brigham A. McCown is a senior fellow and director of the Initiative on American Energy Security at Hudson Institute.

At Hudson, he leads efforts to advance the United States’ energy independence, increase its infrastructural resilience, and implement strategic resource policy. He has nearly four decades of experience in government, industry, law, and national security.

As chief executive of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (2020–22), Mr. McCown oversaw the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, ensuring safety and compliance. He is founder and CEO of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, an organization that drives nonpartisan solutions for infrastructure and energy policy. McCown also helped develop the national 811 Call Before You Dig program and author the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006.

Mr. McCown has advised cabinet secretaries from both parties across four presidential administrations on policy, legal, and regulatory matters. He is an inaugural member of the Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure and Transportation Advisory Board (2025–present). He has frequently testified before Congress, championing stronger safety regulations for trucks, buses, and rail cars carrying hazardous materials. As vice chair of the regulatory subcommittee of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (2017–20), he worked to reestablish American dominance in space. He served on three presidential transition teams, including as co-lead for infrastructure and transportation, head of the Transportation Department’s landing team, and transition team lead for the Department of the Navy. He led infrastructure restoration after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Mr. McCown is a retired naval officer and aviator and holds a commission as rear admiral (LH, hon.) in the US Maritime Administration. He is also a life member of the American Bar Association Foundation. During his career in law, he was a partner at multiple international law firms and practiced before the US Supreme Court. He speaks frequently to international gatherings and global press agencies and is a former Forbes contributor.

As a professor of practice at Miami University, he teaches business, ethics, law, and policy. Mr. McCown serves on multiple boards and holds degrees in business, diplomacy, and law.