Michael L. Connor

Michael Lee Connor is an American politician, lawyer and engineer. He had served as the United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and served as the United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 2014 to 2017, among other positions in United States Department of the Interior.

Early life and education Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he spent his childhood in New Mexico. He was then employed with the Interior Solicitor's Office in Washington, DC and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He began his Department of the Interior career in the Solicitor's Honors Program in 1993. and then Director of the Secretary's Indian Water Rights Office from 1998 to 2001. While serving in this capacity he represented the Secretary of the Interior in negotiations with Indian tribes, state representatives, and private water users to secure water rights settlements consistent with the federal trust responsibility to tribes.

Counsel and Reclamation Commissioner He served as counsel to the United States Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee from until 2009. which was vacated by David Hayes who resigned at the end of June 2013. He received a hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on September 17, 2013. He was later confirmed in a vote of 97–0 on February 27, 2014, and was the first person of Native American descent to serve in that post.

Following his resignation as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, he was appointed as an Environment Program Fellow at the Walton Family Foundation. In September 2017, he joined the law firm of WilmerHale, as a Partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado offices.

Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) On April 27, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Connor to serve as United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works in the United States Department of the Army. On July 27, 2021, his nomination was reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee, then by the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on September 13, 2021. Connor was confirmed by the Senate on November 4, 2021 by a vote of 92–5. He was sworn into office on November 29, 2021.

Personal life He and his wife Shari [née Hanson] have a son, Matthew and a daughter, Gabriela.