NCCU professor, Durham revitalization leader joining Biden administration

professional headshot of Henry McKoy

By Ryan Bisesi July 27, 2022

 
 — An accomplished member of North Carolina Central University’s faculty is headed to Washington to join President Joe Biden’s administration. Dr. Henry McKoy has accepted a Presidential appointment and will serve as the inaugural Director of the Office of State and Community Energy Programs. “The White House team originally reached out to me in January asking me if I was interested in discussing the role,” McKoy said in a message to WRAL. “I told them I was open to the conversation.” McKoy is a director of entrepreneurship at NCCU and has fostered a distinguished career with focuses on economic development, government and finance. McKoy’s role comes from the agency within the Department of Energy that came about with the $1 trillion bi-partisan infrastructure bill that was passed in November 2021. The U.S. Department of Energy received $62 billion from the bill. “The part that my team will be managing came from those new allocations, as well as moving several of the largest state and community energy programs under my new group including the weatherization program and the State energy program,” McKoy said. “It is part of the White House’s Infrastructure and climate team and the overall group has to hire 1,200 people to execute the work.” McKoy is also a leader for Hayti Reborn, a revitalization project for a predominately African American community in the heart of Durham. McKoy, a Fayetteville native, is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke and member of the UNC Sports Hall of Fame as a former All-America track performer.