Prelegenci

Melissa Simpson was appointed to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) in April 2017. She currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for ENR’s Energy Transformation office. In this position, she focuses on promoting the continued integration of and fostering demand for renewable and alternative sources of energy, as well as implementation of various White House and Department initiatives. Previously, she served as a senior advisor to the Bureau, where she worked to promote U.S. energy sector exports, open markets, and reduce barriers to energy trade and development.

In her private sector positions, Ms. Simpson advocated at the state and federal level to successfully champion domestic energy security through interagency coordination across the federal government using strategic public diplomacy communications.

Ms. Simpson also has extensive experience serving in senior government positions. As Deputy Under Secretary for Forestry at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Ms. Simpson supervised energy and wildlife policy directives and regulations for the U.S. Forest Service. Prior to that she worked at the Department of the Interior as a Counselor for the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management and Deputy Director of External Affairs, where she developed a regulatory framework for access to public lands.

Ms. Simpson is a native Coloradan and graduate of Creighton University School of Law.