Mike Sommers, who currently helms a private equity industry group, will become the new chief executive of the American Petroleum Institute (API), the group announced on Wednesday.
The approval from API’s board of directors comes two days after reports surfaced that Sommers, who also served as a top aide to former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), had been selected by the industry group’s leadership to replace outgoing President and CEO Jack Gerard. Gerard will be stepping down at the end of August, and Sommers will assume the role on September 1.
“Mike is a very experienced manager and strategist with a strong track record of working collaboratively to resolve challenging issues,” said Darren Woods, the chairman of API’s board of directors and CEO of ExxonMobil. “He is a model of leadership and brings tremendous energy to API at an important time for the organization and our industry.”
“At a time of transformational progress when natural gas and oil are pioneering groundbreaking innovation, delivering tremendous environmental benefits, and leading long-term economic solutions, I look forward to continuing the work of API’s talented team and representing an industry that is directly enhancing the lives and improving opportunities for Americans and people around the world,” Sommers said in a statement.
API, which represents a large swath of the oil and gas industry, takes in $229.7 million in revenue, making it a powerhouse. Last year, it spent about $7.5 million on lobbying, making it one of the top 50 spenders on advocacy in Washington.
Under Gerard, API doubled its membership and increased its clout in Washington. He fought off numerous attempts at enacting climate change policies by the federal government and pushed back against some offshore drilling standards that the industry saw as unnecessary. In 2015, API merged with America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA).
“Mike is equipped to build on the industry’s successes and help guide our future. We have great confidence in him and are excited for the future of our industry and the next chapter at API,” said Woods, chairman of API’s board of directors.
Before heading to K Street, Sommers spent nearly his entire 20-year career in Boehner‘s office, starting as an intern and eventually rising to be the Ohio lawmaker’s chief of staff. Sommers also had a one-year stint in the George W. Bush White House in 2005.
