As we await the outcome of the nationally important gubernatorial race here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I wanted to acknowledge the political appointees whom I had the opportunity to work for in the OCS oil and gas program. While they had different backgrounds and interests, all respected the importance of the program and were committed to safe operations and protection of the marine environment. Remarkably, they all managed the OCS program in a rather non-partisan manner.
| Republican Appointees | Democrat Appointees | Notes |
| Harold Doley | Don Kash | Dr. Kash was Chief of the Conservation Div. (USGS), which was roughly the equivalent of BSEE Director |
| Bill Bettenberg | Tom Fry | Bill Bettenberg was a career Federal employee appointed as MMS Director by a Republican administration |
| Bob Kallman | Cynthia Quarterman | |
| Barry Williamson | Walt Rosenbusch | |
| Scott Sewell | Tom Kitsos | Dr. Kitsos was a career Federal employee appointed MMS Director by a Democrat administration |
| Johnnie Burton | Liz Birnbaum | |
| Randall Luthi | ||
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 