Alexander A. Karsner — Board Member Accountability Profile
Category: Private Citizen — Corporate Director Role: Independent Director, ExxonMobil Corporation Board Tenure: 2021 – present Committee Memberships: Science and Technology Committee; Public Issues and Contributions Committee Profile Type: Board Member Accountability — Anchor B (Documented Organizational Leadership)
Basis for Inclusion: Alexander A. Karsner holds a documented governance role at ExxonMobil Corporation, the largest U.S. oil and gas company by market capitalization, which made documented political donations to Trump-aligned entities. ExxonMobil’s business is significantly affected by federal energy policy, offshore drilling regulations, environmental permitting, carbon pricing, and U.S. trade policy on oil and gas exports — all areas where the Trump administration reversed Biden-era policies. This profile documents the factual governance relationship, not the subject’s personal political views.
Subject Classification: Private Citizen / Corporate Director. Board membership is a matter of public record.
What is NOT the basis for inclusion: Personal political opinions, party affiliation, or protected speech are NOT the basis for inclusion.
Biographical Overview
Alexander A. Karsner served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the George W. Bush administration from 2006 to 2008, where he led federal programs on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation. Following his government service, he became a Managing Partner at Emerson Collective, the organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs focused on social change through business and policy. Karsner also served as a Strategic Advisor at Alphabet (Google’s parent company) and has been deeply involved in clean energy investment and policy across multiple administrations. He was elected to ExxonMobil’s board in 2021 as part of the Engine No. 1 activist campaign, bringing both Republican government energy policy experience and clean energy investment expertise to a board primarily composed of traditional oil industry voices.
Board Role and Governance Authority
- Company: ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM)
- Board tenure: 2021 – present (Engine No. 1 slate)
- Committee assignments: Science and Technology Committee; Public Issues and Contributions Committee
- Governance note: Karsner was one of three directors elected via the Engine No. 1 activist campaign. His membership on the Public Issues and Contributions Committee gives him direct oversight over ExxonMobil’s political and charitable giving decisions.
Other Current Board Memberships
- Emerson Collective (Managing Partner)
Parent Corporate Donor Profile
This profile is a governance-accountability companion to the ExxonMobil corporate donor profile.
Factual correction requests: If you believe information in this profile is incorrect, please contact factcheck@patriot.university with your name (optional), the specific claim, and any supporting documentation. We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly.
Investigative trail pointers (public records)
Education only — verify independently. Absence of hits is not proof.
| Channel | Starting points |
|---|---|
| Federal courts | CourtListener / PACER party and attorney searches (spelling variants) |
| Campaign finance | FEC + OpenSecrets for committees and donors tied to documented roles |
| Corporate / LLC | State secretary of state; OpenCorporates for cross-border shells from reporting |
| Sanctions / PEP | OpenSanctions when international business context is already sourced |
| Contracts / grants | USAspending.gov for named entities from investigations |
Use public-records-research-specialist, corporate-intelligence-investigator, and public-corruption-ombudsman evidence tiers.
Sources
- ExxonMobil Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement, 2025; SEC EDGAR
- U.S. Department of Energy records, 2006–2008
- Engine No. 1 ExxonMobil proxy campaign filings, 2021