Michael Whatley

In March 2024 the Republican Party picked Michael Whatley, a former oil and natural gas lobbyist, to be its new chair ahead of November’s presidential election. Whatley was chair of the North Carolina Republican Party as well as a oil and gas lobbyist fir HBW Resources. He represented and was executive vice president of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a group the firm manages that includes oil, utility and big business members, from 2008 to 2019. The firm has also lobbied for Noble Energy, BP, and the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, among other clients. Whatley’s other past positions include a stint as a Department of Energy official under President George W. Bush and staff director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air. Whatley received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1991 and a master's degree in Religion from Wake Forest University in 1993. Whatley also received a master's degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1994, and a law degree from Notre Dame Law School in 1997. Whatley began his career working as legal counsel to U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) in 2000. From 2001 to 2003, Whatley worked as a principal deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy under the George W. Bush (R) presidential administration. Whatley served as an executive vice president for the Consumer Energy alliance from 2007 to 2019, and was a partner at HBW Resources from 2007 to 2022.