The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Monday that Elizabeth Klein has been named director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees offshore energy and mineral resources.

She will replace Amanda Lefton, who has run BOEM since the start of the Biden administration and is resigning effective Jan. 19.

Under Lefton, BOEM approved the country’s first two commercial-scale offshore wind projects and has held three offshore wind lease auctions. The three lease auctions included a record-breaking sale off New York and the first-ever sale off the West Coast.

“Liz has been an invaluable asset at the department since Day 1, and we are thrilled she is taking on this new role,” Interior Chief of Staff Rachael Taylor said. “The Interior Department is leading the effort to foster a clean energy future, and Liz will be critical to our efforts to meet the president’s ambitious goals to deploy affordable clean energy to power homes across America and create good-paying jobs in the growing offshore wind industry.”

Klein, who currently serves as senior adviser to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, was previously nominated for deputy secretary of the department, but that was withdrawn early in President Biden’s term after opposition from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

This is Klein’s third stint at DOI, having worked at the department during the Clinton and Obama administrations. Before joining the Biden administration, she was deputy director of the New York University School of Law’s State Energy & Environmental Impact Center, which supports state attorneys general when they defend, enforce and promote laws and policies on clean energy and the environment.

Klein was a key architect of the Obama administration’s work to create a new offshore wind industry and leasing program.

The American Clean Power Association thanked Lefton for helping lay the foundation to get to 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and welcomed BOEM’s new boss.

“We also are excited to work with Elizabeth Klein, who brings a wealth of experience to BOEM, having worked in the highest levels of the Department of the Interior under Presidents Obama and Biden,” ACP Vice President for Offshore Wind Josh Kaplowitz said. “The offshore wind industry looks forward to ongoing collaboration with incoming Director Klein and her team to accelerate offshore wind energy development and deployment, while creating jobs for American workers and investing in American communities.”