Ken Salazar

Prior to coming to the Department of the Interior, Ken Salazar (b. 1955) worked as a water and environmental lawyer before serving as Colorado's attorney general and then as the state's 35th U.S. senator. As Interior secretary, he was especially noted for initiating solar and other renewable energy projects; strengthening relations with Indian Country, including settlement of the longstanding Cobell litigation over trust allotments; and reforming oversight of offshore oil and gas development and safety standards—in part, a response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Under Salazar's leadership in 2011 three bureaus and offices were created, reflecting the reorganization of the former Minerals Management Service: the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR). Salazar left Interior during President Obama's second term to return to Colorado, where he joined international law firm WilmerHale as a partner.

This painting by Colorado-based artist and sculptor Charles Ewing is the first official Interior portrait to include a secretary's family members. Depicted at their Colorado ranch are Salazar, his wife Hope, daughters Andrea and Melinda and granddaughter Mireya.