Richard Newell Contributes to Book Examining Managing Government Agencies

Scientists
who run federal agencies have to "walk a thin line between managing too
much (micromanaging) and not managing enough," says Richard Newell, who
served two years as administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration
before returning to Duke in July to oversee a new campus-wide initiative on
energy.

Profiled
in a new book that examines how top political appointees approach management
challenges, Newell says: "You have to know when to dig into detail and
when not to dig in. But sometimes you have to dig in. You need to get your
hands dirty and be willing to ask a lot of questions. You can't just go through
the motions. You have to get into the details and 'go into the weeds.'"

Newell is the Gendell Associate Professor of Energy and Environmental
Economics at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and a
specialist in the economics of climate change, energy technologies and
market-based environmental policy. He is among four scientists featured in the
book, which features extended interviews with 24 deputy secretaries and agency
heads who served in the Obama administration.

"Paths
to Making a Difference: Leading in Government" was published by the
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.