Ms. Rachel Jacobson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 15, 2022, and sworn in as
the 17th Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Installations, Energy and Environment
(ASA(IE&E)) on April 4, 2022.
As ASA (IE&E), she is the primary advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff
of the Army for all matters related to Army installation policy and oversight, and
coordination of energy security and management. In addition, she is responsible for policy
and oversight of sustainability and environmental initiatives; resource management,
including design, military construction, operations and maintenance; Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC); privatization of the Army real estate portfolio and installation Safety and
Occupational Health programs.
Ms. Jacobson is an experienced environmental lawyer, having previously served at the
Department of Defense during the Obama-Biden Administration as the Deputy General Counsel
for Environment, Energy and Installations. Prior to joining DoD, Ms. Jacobson served as a
political appointee at the Department of the Interior, first as Principal Deputy Solicitor and then
as Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
Ms. Jacobson, who came to the Army position following five years in private practice at the law
firm Wilmer Hale in Washington, D.C., spent the majority of her career as a trial lawyer and
supervisor at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Environment and Natural Resources
Division. She also ran a conservation program at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
before joining the Obama-Biden Administration.
Ms. Jacobson is a member of the bars of Illinois, D.C. and Massachusetts, and the American
College of Environmental Lawyers. She received an undergraduate degree in economics from
Washington University in St. Louis, and a law degree from Boston University School of
Law. A native of Chicago, Ms. Jacobson resides in Washington, D.C.