Patricia Lynn Scarlett is a US environmental policy executive and analyst. Until December 2021, she was the Chief External Affairs Officer at the Nature Conservancy. She is a frequent commentator on environmental issues. She was the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 2005 to 2009, having previously served as the Assistant Secretary of Policy, Management and Budget from 2001 to 2005. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Scarlett was sworn in as Deputy Secretary of the Interior on November 22, 2005. In 2006 she served as acting Secretary of the Interior between the administrations of Gale Norton and Dirk Kempthorne. While at DOI she chaired the federal Wildland Fire Leadership Council (2004–05). She also co-chaired the First Lady's Preserve America Initiative