Here are the qualifications of all 13 people who served as Secretary of Energy before Rick Perry
Perry, who graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor's degree in animal science, will guide research and policy related to energy production in the US, handle issues related to radioactive waste disposal, lead nuclear reactor projects, and run the US' system of national laboratories. He will also oversee grants that fund scientific research.
That's in addition, of course, to being responsible for the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Unlike those who filled the role before him over the last decade, Perry does not have a professional background in science. (He also once suggested he'd like to eliminate the Department of Energy, though he has since reversed his stance on the matter.)
Perry won't be the first non-scientist to head the department. From the 1970s until 2005, the post was held by people without science or engineering degrees (mostly politicians and lawyers). After that, all Secretaries of Energy had held PhDs until now. Take a look: