Charles B. Curtis

Charles B. Curtis (born April 27, 1940) is an American lawyer, currently Board member of Energy Futures Initiative Foundation, Member of Energy Futures Initiative International Advisory Committee, Board Member Executive Committee, Keep Our Republic Foundation, former senior advisor (nonresident) to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2012 through 2024, vice chair of the United States Department of State's International Security Advisory Board, 2011 through 2017, former member of the National Academies Intelligence Science and Technology Experts Group, and President Emeritus of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a non-profit organization working to reduce the threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. In addition to working in private practice for more than sixteen years, Curtis served as the last chairman of the Federal Power Commission and the first chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 1977 to 1981. In 1994 he was appointed and confirmed as undersecretary and then deputy secretary of the US Department of Energy. He has held positions on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Background Curtis was born in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1962 and from Boston University School of Law, with honors, in 1965. At the latter, he served as editor of the Boston University Law School Law Review. He is a recipient of multiple scholarships including Rome Scholarship, American Legion, and VFW Scholarships. He was also a member of the sophomore and senior Men's Honorary Societies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is married and has one adult son.

Career From June 1965 to May 1967 he was supervising staff attorney at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Department of the Treasury. From May 1967 to June 1971 he was special counsel to the Division of Trading and Markets; and Chief of the Branch of Regulation and Inspection of the Securities and Exchange Commission. From 1971 to 1976 he was a professional staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, where he served as lead energy, securities and consumer counsel.

Curtis was a founding partner of the Washington law firm Van Ness, Curtis, Feldman & Sutcliffe, P.C., in 1977 and is a former partner of the international law firm of Hogan & Hartson, 1997 to 2000.

Department of Energy Curtis served as the last Chairman of the Federal Power Commission and the first Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from 1977 to January 1981.

During 1997 Curtis served as Acting Secretary of Energy, from January to April