Securing America’s Future Energy announced Avery Ash as its incoming CEO on Monday, the first new leader of the energy security group in more than two decades.
Robbie Diamond, who founded SAFE in 2004 to push the U.S. to reduce its dependence on foreign oil, will become its executive chair.
Ash held leading roles at the American Automobile Association and transportation analytics company INRIX before joining SAFE in 2023 as senior vice president of government affairs. He also led SAFE’s Coalition for Reimagined Mobility.
In an exclusive interview with POLITICO ahead of the announcement, Ash said SAFE is keeping its focus on lessening reliance on foreign supply chains, though its emphasis on energy has shifted since the shale revolution made the U.S. a net oil exporter.
