Rita Wells

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Business Administration

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Rita Lappin Wells, PhD, is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Business Administration. In this capacity she provides executive direction for the EERE Offices of Planning, Budget and Analysis; Program Execution Support; and Information and Business Management Systems in Washington, DC, as well as the EERE Project Management Center sites located at the Golden Field Office in Golden, Colorado, and at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) facilities in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Rita comes to EERE from the U.S. Department of Transportation where she was the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Associate Administrator for Administration. At FTA, Dr. Wells managed human resources, information technology, management planning, administrative services, financial resources, and acquisition in support of an organization with an annual appropriation of more than $7.65 billion.

Rita has an extensive background in Federal leadership and management. Prior to her position at FTA, she was the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of an independent Federal Agency that managed a $1.5 billion program and provided jobs for 38,000 people with severe disabilities. She began her career with the Department of Defense (DOD) where she served in a variety of acquisition management positions including support of the TOMAHAWK Cruise missile program, the Pacific Command of the Air Force, and field offices of the Defense Logistics Agency. She also served as a member of the acquisition management faculty at both the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), and the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). She teaches business administration and contract management courses for the University of Virginia, and was a Faculty Associate at Johns Hopkins University for graduate courses in leadership and global strategic management.

She holds a doctorate from the Ohio State University, an MBA from Southern Illinois University, and a BA from the University of Illinois. Rita is a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense Senior Executive Leadership Course. She is the recipient of many awards including the Commander's Award for Public Service and the Meritorious Civilian Service award.