Derrick Morgan

Derrick Morgan has thirty years’ experience in business, government, law, politics, and policy and now serves as the Executive Vice President of The Heritage Foundation, overseeing policy and government relations.

In business, Morgan led the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers’ (AFPM) advocacy efforts, testified before Congress, and wrote and spoke widely on fuels issues including energy security, fuel prices, and regulatory burdens such as the Renewable Fuel Standard.  At AFPM and on the Hill, he opposed electric vehicle mandates and subsidies and warned against conventional wisdom, predicting EV adoption would be far from universal.

In government, law, and politics, Morgan served in all three branches of government including four senators and one representative in roles including campaign aide, counsel to the Senate Republican Policy Committee, and chief of staff to Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska. In addition, he served as assistant, special counsel, and staff secretary for Vice President Richard B. Cheney, where he traveled frequently with the Vice President as a member of his senior staff and was the final substantive stop for all papers, remarks, and statements. As a leadership staffer for Senator Thune on Capitol Hill, Morgan helped organize opposition to “Card Check” legislation that would have eliminated the secret ballot for workers in union elections and harmful climate legislation like cap-and-trade and carbon taxes. Following law school and between stints at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Morgan clerked for a federal district judge in Texas.

In policy, Morgan previously worked at Heritage, first as Chief of Staff to the organization’s Founder and President, Ed Feulner, and later as Vice President of Domestic Policy.  At Heritage, Morgan was privileged to fight “comprehensive” immigration reform that included amnesty for illegal immigrants when the Beltway political class overwhelmingly supported it.

A longtime movement leader on energy, the economy, and immigration, he has appeared on radio and television outlets including Fox News, Fox Business, Newsmax, CNN, CNBC, and C-SPAN. His commentary has been published widely including in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Politico, Real Clear Politics, and USA Today.

Morgan received his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he gave the honors commencement address and later received a Distinguished Alumni Award. He holds a JD from The Georgetown University Law Center.