Gallatin Public Affairs names Kotek office managing partner

John Kotek

John Kotek, a partner with Gallatin Public Affairs and an expert on energy policy and facility siting, has accepted the office managing partner position in the firm’s Idaho office in Boise.

He takes over from Marc C. Johnson, who managed the Idaho office for 18 years and was Gallatin’s president for five years. Johnson will remain a partner in the firm and continue to consult with clients, engage in business development and serve on the board of directors.

Kotek has been a Gallatin partner since 2009 and has an extensive background in energy policy. He serves on Gov. C.L. “Butch” otter’s Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission and is Communications Task Force chairman for the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance.

Kotek recently completed a two-year stint as staff director of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. The commission’s report earned widespread praise, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has introduced legislation to implement its recommendations.

Kotek also has worked on Capitol Hill as a Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow, has served in the U.S. Department of Energy – including as deputy director of the DOE’s Idaho Operations Office – and worked for the Argonne National Laboratory.